Certified FR↔EN Translation for Anglophone West Africa
West Africa runs on two languages. Documents have to cross.
A contract drafted in Accra is signed in Lomé. A Lagos judgment is produced before a Togolese court. A Dakar tender is filed in French. Every one of those crossings needs a sworn translation — and no agency in London or Toronto can supply one, however good its linguists.
Why the seal has to be local
A document has no legal effect before a Togolese, Ivorian, Beninese or Senegalese authority unless it carries the stamp of a translator sworn before a court inside that system. This is not a quality judgement about other translators. It is a jurisdictional fact: the receiving court, ministry or notary recognises the register it can check, and that register is national.
I am sworn before the Cour d’appel de Lomé, in French and English, in both directions. For any file that has to be produced before an authority in Togo — or that leaves Togo for an English-speaking one — my stamp is what gives it standing. Acceptance always remains the receiving authority’s decision; tell me the destination and I will match the format it requires.
What crosses the language border
Counterparties and courts in Ghana, Nigeria, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia work in English. Togo, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal work in French. Trade, litigation and family matters cross that line constantly, and each crossing produces the same handful of documents.
| Where the file starts | What usually needs sworn translation |
|---|---|
| Accra, Lagos, Abuja | Contracts governed by common law, judgments for exequatur (recognition of a foreign judgment), powers of attorney, company records for a francophone subsidiary |
| Lomé, Cotonou, Abidjan, Ouagadougou | Statutes, notarial deeds, procedural filings and civil-status records bound for an English-speaking authority |
| An individual moving either way | Diplomas and transcripts, birth and marriage certificates, police clearance, visa and university files |
Areas served: Lomé, Togo (on site) · West Africa and worldwide, remotely. Files arrive and leave by email or WhatsApp; stamped paper follows by courier when the receiving body still requires it.
Three kinds of file
Law firms and notaries
A foreign judgment to be recognised, an estate with a will drafted abroad, a power of attorney signed in Lagos and used before a Lomé notary. Firm rates, reserved monthly capacity and a 48-hour guarantee are set out on the law firms page.
Companies, NGOs and institutions
Tenders, compliance files, audits and contracts moving between an anglophone head office and a francophone operation. Billed per source word and invoiced in EUR, USD or FCFA. See services for organisations.
Individuals relocating or applying
Diplomas, civil-status records and police clearance for a visa, a university place or a job across the border. Priced per page — see certified translation.
Regional rates and invoicing
| Work | From | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Personal and civil documents | 15,000–20,000 FCFA / page | Standardised and short — priced per page |
| Corporate, legal and institutional | 66–118 FCFA / source word | Drafted and dense — priced per source word, never per page |
| Express 24h | +50% | Same stamp, same signature, same legal weight |
Rates excl. tax for corporate and institutional work. Clients outside Togo can be invoiced in EUR, USD or FCFA and settle by bank transfer or international wire (SWIFT). Full detail on the rate card.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, and this is the most common reason firms outside Togo contact me. Send a clear scan by email or WhatsApp; the certified translation comes back stamped and signed as a PDF, with paper by courier if the receiving body requires it. You never need to travel, and you do not need to send the original.
It depends on what the receiving body asks for. Common-law jurisdictions more often want a translator’s certificate of accuracy or an affidavit than an entry in a court register. I supply the sworn stamp and, where it is wanted, a signed statement of accuracy in the form the destination expects. Tell me who is receiving the document and I will produce it in the right form.
Sometimes. The translation and the original travel together through the same chain. Togo is not yet a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so the route runs through the town hall (mairie) where I am registered, then Foreign Affairs, then the destination consulate. I can handle that for you; the administrative and travel costs remain yours and are stated in the quote.
French and English only, in both directions, and I am sworn for exactly that pair. Transcription of recordings also covers Togolese national languages, delivered with a signed certificate of accuracy rather than a sworn certification — there is no sworn register for those languages in Togo.
Send the file — quote in 2h
Tell me where the document starts, where it has to be produced and by when. A free quote follows within 2 working hours with an exact price and turnaround.