Translation's insurance question has sharpened in the machine-translation era: when you sign off post-edited MT output and an error slips through, is that covered? The specialist market says it can be – if the wording addresses it. Add certified translations for the Home Office, legal and medical texts where an error carries real consequences, and professional codes (ITI, CIOL, NRPSI) whose breach is itself a claim trigger, and freelance translators have a genuine, if inexpensive, insurance need. This guide covers it.
What insurance does a translator need?
Professional indemnity – the core. Specialist wordings for linguists cover negligent translation errors causing client loss, breach of professional duty including departures from ITI/CIOL/NRPSI codes, defamation arising from translated content, and loss of documents and data – including source materials and translation memories. Two modern wording checks matter most: machine translation and post-editing (MTPE) – where you sign off AI-originated output, the policy should say human sign-off of MT output is in scope – and territorial/jurisdictional reach for non-UK clients, with US work needing explicit treatment. Certified translations (the UK has no sworn-translator system; certification rides on your professional registration) put your professional standing directly behind each document.
Limits: freelancers commonly start at £250,000–£1m; agencies, certified legal translators and medical/pharma specialists often need £2m–£5m. Agency subcontractors sometimes shelter under group schemes (including ITI arrangements) – but scheme cover may not extend to direct clients or out-of-scope work, so check before relying on it.
Also: business equipment (your workstation is the business), cyber (client documents), public liability if clients visit, and legal expenses.
How much does it cost?
One of the cheapest professional niches: Professional Saver advertises translator packages from under £55/year (PL-led with £10k financial loss); mainstream PI entry points (Simply Business from £6.62/month, AXA from £66/year) apply; and Towergate offers ITI-member discounts on its specialist linguist policy. A freelancer with £250k–£1m PI typically pays £60–£200/year; legal/medical specialisms and US exposure rate upward.
Comparison of providers
| Provider | Type | Notable features |
|---|---|---|
| Towergate | Specialist | Linguist-specific wording: worldwide work (UK-based), remote/electronic delivery, exam and scribe work, libel & slander; ITI member discounts |
| Apex Insurance Brokers | Specialist broker | ITI/CIOL/NRPSI-literate; explicit MTPE cover treatment; legal/medical/agency programmes |
| AXA | Direct insurer | Dedicated translator & interpreter product from a household name |
| Hiscox | Direct insurer | Translator-specific PI online; 4.4 Trustpilot |
| Professional Saver | Trades-family specialist | Cheapest verified entry (<£55/yr) for straightforward practices |
| PolicyBee | Broker | Markets to ITI/CIOL freelancers with discounts; weak/thin review profile noted |
Reviews and expert ratings
Hiscox 4.4/5; AXA 4.3; Simply Business 4.2. Specialist linguist schemes are thinly reviewed; judge on wording. Which?/Fairer Finance: not rated. CIOL's own guidance is sensible reading: insure in your country of domicile, and align contract liability caps with your cover limit.
Key takeaway
Buy PI that names the way you actually work – MTPE, certified documents, your specialist domains, your clients' jurisdictions – and mirror the limit in your contracts' liability caps, as CIOL advises. At under £200 a year for most freelancers, the premium is trivial; an uncovered error in a filed legal translation is not. Interpreters: your spoken-work risks differ – see our interpreter guide.
Sources
- apexinsurancebrokers.co.uk/translators-interpreters/ (May 2026: MTPE, limits, codes)
- ciol.org.uk/benefits/professional-indemnity-insurance (guidance)
- towergateinsurance.co.uk/care-and-medical/translators-and-interpreters-insurance (ITI discounts; wording features)
- axa.co.uk; hiscox.co.uk; professionalsaver.co.uk (<£55/yr)