5 Best Translation Services in Chicago (2026)

Independently ranked by our review of ratings, reviews and reputation · How we chose

By Fenris Morrow, Expert in Professional Services · ✓ Data verified August 2026 · 8 min read

A certified birth-certificate translation for USCIS has zero room for a typo, and a same-day business contract has zero room to wait. The translation services in Chicago on this page have logged 317 Google reviews between them, and every one sits at 4.7 stars or higher, so the real differences come down to turnaround time and which languages they actually cover well.

Short answer: The most-reviewed translation service in Chicago is JR Language Translation Services (4.7 stars across 118 reviews), followed by CBS Translation Services (4.9, 71 reviews) and 001 Translations (4.9, 56 reviews). Certified document translations typically run a flat per-page or per-document rate rather than an hourly fee; ask each company for a quote before committing.

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1. JR Language Translatio…
2. CBS Translation Servic…
3. 001 Translations
4. Trusted Translations,…
5. Crest Translation and…
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How Chicago's Top Translation Services Compare

#	Business	Rating	Reviews	Best for
1	JR Language Translation Services, Inc. - Chicago Office	4.7 ★	118	Widest language coverage	View ›
2	CBS Translation Services	4.9 ★	71	Highest-rated, fast quotes	View ›
3	001 Translations - Chicago Translator	4.9 ★	56	Long hours, notary on site	View ›
4	Trusted Translations, Inc.	4.8 ★	41	Old and historical documents	View ›
5	Crest Translation and Interpreting Services in Chicago	5.0 ★	31	Corporate and compliance translation	View ›

5 Best Translation Services in Chicago (2026)

Our top picks, reviewed

#1 Overall🕑 Open 5 days/wk↩ Responds to reviews

JR Language Translation Services, Inc. - Chicago Office

4.7118 Google reviews

JR Language Translation Services is the Chicago office of a national translation agency covering over 100 languages, working out of a Michigan Avenue office. It handles legal, marketing, energy, financial, medical, document, website and video translation, plus remote interpretation, and it's the most-reviewed pure translation service on this list. The agency positions itself as a one-stop shop for both individual document needs and larger business translation projects.

What people praise

Over 100 languages covered, including uncommon ones like Lithuanian
Fast turnaround on certified document translations
Reasonable, competitive pricing per reviewers
Meets government-agency certification requirements

Worth knowing

One reviewer reported a typo that wasn't fully corrected on a college transcript translation
Customer service response to that complaint was described as defensive rather than apologetic

Reputation scorecardrank in Chicago

Rating4.7 / 5

Review volume118 · 97th

Confidencemoderate

Recency8 months ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown86% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: It's the most-reviewed translation service in Chicago and covers by far the widest range of languages and document types, making it a strong default. For anything with zero margin for error, ask them to double-check the proof before it's finalized.

Website +1312-224-8363 Directions

205 N Michigan Ave Suit 810, Chicago, IL 60601

#2🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

CBS Translation Services

4.971 Google reviews

CBS Translation Services is a River North translation firm handling notarized and certified document translation, including bank statements, certificates and business paperwork, in languages ranging from Spanish to Kazakh and Russian. It's known for quick quote turnaround and staying in close email contact through the process, with owners who personally respond to reviews thanking clients by name.

What people praise

Quick to respond with a quote, often cited as the best price among several firms
Handled large jobs, including 72 pages of documents, without issue
Free revisions if a client requests changes after the first draft
Personal, responsive communication throughout the process

Worth knowing

Smaller review base than the top pick, though every review is highly positive

Reputation scorecardrank in Chicago

Rating4.9 / 5

Review volume71 · 91th

Confidenceearly

Recency8 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown97% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: Nearly a perfect rating and reviewers consistently praise the pricing and communication. A strong choice for notarized personal-document translations.

Website +1312-224-8644 Directions

770 N La Salle Dr #700, Chicago, IL 60654

#3🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

001 Translations - Chicago Translator

4.956 Google reviews

001 Translations is a Chicago translation agency open 8am to 10pm seven days a week, offering certified and notarized translation across more than 70 languages for legal, immigration and technical documents. It's also registered as a notary public, which lets it handle notarization in the same visit for documents that need it.

What people praise

Open long hours, seven days a week
Notary public services available alongside translation
Fast, accurate turnaround praised across immigration and legal document jobs
Handles multiple language pairs in a single order, including Spanish-French and German-French

Worth knowing

One reviewer suggested expanding notarization to more states
Reviews are strong but skew a couple of years old compared to some competitors

Reputation scorecardrank in Chicago

Rating4.9 / 5

Review volume56 · 85th

Confidenceearly

Recency2 years ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown95% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The long hours and on-site notary make this a practical pick when a document needs both translated and notarized in one stop.

Website +1312-767-5489 Directions

W Polk St, Chicago, IL 60605

#4🕑 Open 6 days/wk↩ Responds to reviews

Trusted Translations, Inc.

4.841 Google reviews

Trusted Translations is the Chicago office of a national certified-translation company based out of Riverside Plaza, handling personal and business documents including old family records, birth and marriage certificates, and full website localization. It's built for USCIS-compliant certified and notarized translations and quotes a 2-3 day turnaround on many jobs.

What people praise

Handled a 1940s-era German family document translation successfully
Fast quotes and turnaround, sometimes same-day for shorter documents
Supported a full multilingual WordPress site implementation
Reasonable, clearly communicated rates

Worth knowing

Fewer Chicago-specific reviews than the top three, though the company's overall review base is much larger nationally

Reputation scorecardrank in Chicago

Rating4.8 / 5

Review volume41 · 79th

Confidenceearly

Recency2 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown93% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: A solid choice if your documents are older or unusual, since reviewers specifically praise handling decades-old family records without issue.

Website +1872-274-3234 Directions

10 S Riverside Plaza Ste 1800, Chicago, IL 60606

#5🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Crest Translation and Interpreting Services in Chicago

5.031 Google reviews

Crest Translation and Interpreting Services is a Chicago-area firm focused on certified document translation and both in-person and remote interpreting for businesses, covering HR onboarding paperwork, safety manuals, marriage and family records, and consecutive interpreting at business meetings. It also serves Naperville and Aurora in addition to Chicago proper.

What people praise

Handled multilingual HR compliance documents for corporate onboarding
Interpreter praised as phenomenal for a high-stakes business meeting
Consistent, formatted terminology across safety and compliance manuals
Proactive communication throughout multi-document projects

Worth knowing

The smallest review base here, though every review so far is a perfect 5.0

Reputation scorecardrank in Chicago

Rating5 / 5

Review volume31 · 68th

Confidenceearly

Recency6 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown100% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: It holds a perfect rating, and reviewers specifically call out its corporate and compliance-document work, so it's worth a look for business clients rather than one-off personal documents.

Website +1219-800-2721 Directions

S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60605

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How we score

Every number on this page is computed from public Google data on the date shown, not from opinion or payment. Rating is the business’s live Google star average. Review volume is how many customers have rated them, ranked against other Chicago translation services. Confidence weighs the rating by that volume, so a 4.7 from over a hundred reviews carries more weight than a 5.0 from a few dozen. Recency reflects how recently customers are still leaving reviews. No business can pay to change these numbers.

How much does a translation service cost in Chicago? (2026)

Certified document translation is typically priced per page or per document rather than by the hour, with the total depending on the language pair, document length, and whether notarization is needed. We don’t have a trustworthy, cited source for exact Chicago rates, so ask each company for a written quote before committing.

Serving all of Chicago

The translation services above cover downtown Chicago, including Michigan Avenue, River North and the Loop, with at least one firm also serving Naperville and Aurora in the suburbs. Searching for a translation service near me? Every listing below shows a live phone number and directions so you can reach the closest option fast.

What to ask before you hire a translation service

Is the translation certified and accepted by the government agency or institution requiring it?
What’s the turnaround time for my document length and language pair?
Do you offer notarization, and is it included in the quote?
How is pricing calculated: per page, per word, or a flat document fee?
Will you provide a proof to review before finalizing, and are revisions free if there’s an error?

Frequently asked questions

How did you choose these translation services?

We started from every translation service in Chicago with a public Google presence, then ranked by rating, review volume, consistency, and recency. See How we score above.

Are these rankings paid?

No. Rankings come from the public Google data in the scorecard. A business can pay to be a Featured Partner, which adds a badge and top placement, but that never changes another business’s score or position on the underlying data.

How often is this updated?

The data carries a verified date (August 2026 on this page). We refresh listings periodically so ratings and review counts stay current.

Do these services handle certified translations for USCIS and government agencies?

Several of the firms here, including JR Language, 001 Translations and Trusted Translations, specifically mention certified and notarized translations that meet government agency requirements. Confirm the exact certification format you need when you call.

How much does a translation service cost in Chicago?

Pricing is typically per page or per document rather than hourly, and varies by language pair and turnaround speed. Get a written quote from each company before committing, since none of the businesses here publish a fixed public rate.

The bottom line

JR Language is the safe default on sheer review volume and language breadth, while CBS Translation Services and 001 Translations edge it out slightly on rating. Whichever you call, get a written quote and ask to see a proof before the final document is issued.

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