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Record Translation & Archive Copies

Not every question needs a full research step. Sometimes you already have the record and simply can’t read it. Or you know exactly which archive file you need, and you just need someone in Riga to get it.

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This page is for those cases.

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Latvian Record Translation

3 records – EUR 45
5 records – EUR 69

You found a baptism, marriage or burial entry on Raduraksti or Ancestry. Maybe you can’t read it at all, because it is written in German Kurrent or old Russian script. Or maybe you already put it through ChatGPT or a similar tool and got a translation, but you are not sure you can trust it.

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Either way, send it to me.

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AI tools have become surprisingly good at reading old handwriting, and I use them myself every day. But they still make mistakes. They misread surnames, farm and manor names, and fathers’ occupations – and those are exactly the details that matter most in family history.

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You receive:

  • a transcription of the entry in the original language

  • an English translation, checked word by word against the original

  • short notes on abbreviations, old terms and anything unclear in the original

  • if you sent an AI translation, a note on what it got wrong

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What to send:

  • a Raduraksti link with the image number, or a downloaded image from Ancestry, FamilySearch or MyHeritage (links from these sites usually only work for the account holder)

  • the source details shown with the image, such as the collection name, parish and year, so I can find the original archive reference

  • which entry on the page you need, for example the name or the entry number

  • your AI translation, if you have one
     

The price is the same either way. I translate records in German, Russian and Latvian from Latvian archives. 

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Delivery: usually within 1-2 weeks, depending on how many records you send.​​

​3 records – EUR 45
5 records – EUR 69– payment after you send the form

Archive Document Package – EUR 195

Many records are not online at all. Travel passports, Riga house books, parish residents’ lists and land register files can only be seen in the reading room of the Latvian State Historical Archives in Riga.

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Sometimes you already know exactly which file you need. You found it in the archive catalogue, in a footnote, or in an earlier research report. Then you don’t need a research step, you just need someone in the reading room.

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The package covers up to 5 archive files with known reference numbers. I order the files, find the documents you need and photograph them.

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You receive:

  • digital copies of the documents

  • full archive references (fonds, inventory, file and page)

  • a short note on what each document contains

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What to send:

  • the reference numbers of the files, for example LVVA 2996-2-27122

  • the name of the person and, if you know it, a date or address, so I can find the right page in the file

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How it works:

  1. You send me the reference numbers and pay for the copies

  2. Files take three working days to arrive in the reading room.

  3. I photograph the files and send you digital copies.

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Delivery: usually 2–4 weeks.

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Good to know:

  • If a file turns out to be unusually large, for example a land register or census with hundreds of pages , I will let you know and we will agree on any extra work before I continue.

  • If the document you are looking for is not in the file, I will tell you what the file contains and what I checked. 

  • Some 20th-century documents contain details of people who may still be alive. Access to such files can be restricted.

  • Certified copies issued by the National Archives of Latvia are a separate service with the archive’s own fees. Ask me if you need one.

  • Translation is not included.

EUR 195 for up to 5 files – payment after you send the form

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