Olivier Broyard
I graduated in Political Science (MA) and International Relations at the Free University of Brussels (ULB) and in English language at the City of Oxford College (UK). I currently work as an English to French translator for ordinary translations as well as for sworn translations. I also offer a proofreading and correction service for translations.
If you would like a quote for a translation, please complete the form or contact me by phone or email.
I am registered as a sworn translator for the five judicial districts of Wallonia as well as for Brussels (No. VTI29160523). If you wish to know more about the different steps to follow to obtain a sworn translation, please consult the FAQ where you will find the essential information. Then get in touch for a quote or for any other enquiries.
What I Do
Translations
Translation from English to French of legal, literary or technical texts.
Sworn Translations
Frequently Asked Questions
What language do you translate into?
I only translate into French, my mother tongue. This is to guarantee a fluent and natural translation.
What is the procedure for obtaining a sworn translation?
- First and foremost, check beforehand with the relevant authorities which documents need to be translated.
- Make a scan or a photo of the document to be translated.* Make sure all parts of the document are legible, including official stamps and numbers. If necessary take several photos of the document.
- Send me the images or scans by email or via the quote request form. I will answer you quickly with a price offer as well as the time required to carry out the work.
- Once the translation is finished, I will send it to you by email as an electronically signed PDF. If you wish, I can also send the translation by email directly to the final recipient (municipality, consulate, SPF, etc.)
* For documents other than those relating to the civil status, such as contracts or statutes for example, the documents to be translated must be sent to me as texts (and not images) in editable Word or PDF files.
How is the price of a translation calculated?
Translations are billed per word. By “word” we mean the units having their own semantic content.
Therefore articles such as “the” or “a/an” each count as one word. The text of official stamps, the form identification numbers, signatures, dates and numbers, etc., should also be counted.
Depending on the case, a 20% increase may apply for handwritten texts.
Contact me for a detailed quote.
What other costs should you expect?
In certain circumstances, price increases may apply. But this is not systematic, contact me for a detailed quote.
Situations where a price increase is possible are for example handwritten or difficult to read texts, short deadlines or the conversion of a non-editable PDF into text.
Sending a paper copy of the translation or legalizing with the FPS Foreign Affairs a sworn translation intended for use abroad also represent additional costs.
What are the guarantees of a sworn translation?
A sworn translation, as the name implies, is a translation carried out by a sworn person. Since December 1st, 2022, translators-interpreters must hold the Certificate in Legal Knowledge and be able to justify their language skills to the Federal Public Service Justice.
In a sworn translation, all the elements making up the original document are translated or faithfully transcribed, including identification numbers, official seals and stamps, signatures and initials, etc. In addition, the sworn translation will more or less reproduce the layout of the original document. All these steps require great attention to detail and therefore take time.
Once the translation is done, it is sent to you by email as an electronically signed PDF file. This electronic signature, carried out with the translator’s identity card, guarantees the origin of the document and prevents any subsequent modification.
Where can I find official information about sworn translations?
What about the confidentiality of documents?
Professional secrecy and the duty of discretion are paramount. At all times you remain the owners of the original documents. These will never be transmitted to a third party without your prior agreement.
The code of ethics to which sworn translators-interpreters are subject is set out in the Royal Decree of 18 April 2017 (see in particular Articles 8 to 11). This can be consulted on the website of the Belgian Official Journal (FR / NL).
Biography
“We’d like to know a little bit about you…”
It is with these words that Simon & Garfunkel opened their concert in New York’s Central Park on September 19, 1981. Broadcasted a few months later on a French TV channel, this concert exerted a deep fascination on the child that I was and made me want to be able to understand the texts directly.
The love of the English language and its sounds led me years later to obtain my English certificate in the city of Oxford, nicknamed “the city of dreaming spiers” by the poet Matthew Arnold. Subsequently, English became my gateway to other languages and other cultures: Japanese at first, which led me to Tokyo to do a master’s degree in International Relations at the University of Waseda; Thai then, which brought me to the University of Thammasat, in Bangkok, for my doctorate in Political Science.
Learning a foreign language also means opening the doors to a different imaginative world. Because a language is not a simple communication tool, it also conveys its own vision of the world. And this is all the more true for languages that have developed outside the Western cultural context. The translator must therefore be aware of the implicit notions contained in a language in order to respect the meaning of the original text. This is what I want to bring you, a faithful translation that also makes sense.