Certified Translation - Rules and Procedures

This is a short guide to preparing an authentic certified translation of any document. Primarily we'll be focussing on preparation for USCIS, but similar methods are appropriate of the US Department of State, local and state offices and Universities.

Do You Need A Certified Translation?
A certified translation is generally only needed for legal or official purposes. A translation that has been certified has the legal authentication of the translator's name and address attached so that the agency reviewing it knows that a real person has translated the document. The translator who certifies the English translation is legally responsible for the contents.

How to Prepare a Certified Translation

Perhaps you have been asked to prepare a certified translation for a friend or coworker. The most important aspect of your work is accuracy. Ensure that the name of the people that are identified in the document are spelled correctly in English, and that the spellings of each name matches other English language documents that the person has.

The second most important thing is to ensure that the dates on the documents are all 100% correct and accurate according to the document. This can be tricky because different countries may spell out each date in words, or may list different dates for the event (birth, marriage, etc) and for the registration. The registration is often done a few days after the event, and it is the day that the event was officially recorded.

Requirements for Certification

Generally, the translator does not have to carry any sort of professional association or accreditation. However, for universities, this will not be the case, and some private agencies will ask for the translator to list their credentials in the certification statement. This might including schooling or other licenses they hold. If you are not sure what is required by the agency using the document, ask before preparing the final document.

Notarization is often performed on the document, and must be done by the translator physically appearing before state commissioned notary. USCIS does not require a notarization but most private organizations do prefer notarized documents--this goes for banks, colleges, etc.

Apostile, Apostille and State Certifications

Some countries spell these two words differently, but apostille and apostile are the same thing. Additionally, a state certification is a very similar document. These types of official documents are affixed by the state to certify that the notary is a real person, and is truly commissioned by the state to perform their duties.

These documents are almost always required only for international operations where the documents will be travelling to another country for a legal purpose, such as emigration, tourism or estate closings.

How to get a certified translation for a TPS application - Syria

Recently, USCIS added Syria to the list of countries that the US will accept immigrants from on a temporary basis under the application process known as TPS. TPS stands for temporary protected status, and for the next 18 months, people who are Syrian nationals, or refugees who were living in Syria last, can come legally to the US and also apply for a work permit. This period may be extended in 2013, but there are no guarantees of this at this time.

Outside links:

• Full instructions for the TPS process are here
• Read the USCIS announcement about TPS for Syrians

Documents Required for TPS Application

Your TPS application requires several documents to be included in the package. Aside from the I-821 and I-765 form, you will need to present documentary evidence about your Syrian nationality. Documents that qualify as primary evidence are:

• A copy of your Syrian Passport
• A copy of your birth certificate + photo ID
• A national identity document bearing your photo/fingerprint, such as a document given to you by the Syrian embassy or consulate in the US. This could be a national ID card or naturalization certificate

IF none of these can be provided, USCIS may accept "secondary" evidence. These could be:

• baptismal certificate
• school or medical records (from Syria)
• other immigration documents establishing Syrian nationality
• affidavits from friends or family testifying to your identity
  

Any secondary evidence will need to be accompanied by proof that the primary evidence was not able to be obtained, and also an explanation about why the Syrian consulate was not able to provide the documents. (USCIS will interview you regarding this evidence then.)

How to Prepare Certified Translations of Arabic documents from Syria

Any documents submitted to USCIS for the TPS application must be accompanied by a certified translation in English. There are no exceptions to this rule and the Syrian consulate does not provide these translations.

A certified translation must:

• Be produced and certified in the US.
  
• Include the name and full contact address and phone number of the translator
• Include a statement from the translator stating, under penalty of law, that the translation is accurate and correct

Please note that even if you have an English language translation from Syria, even an official translation of your birth certificate, USCIS will not accept this. USCIS will only accept certifications from translators in the US. Your application will be rejected and delayed if you attempt to submit it without the proper type of certified translation.

Two options to obtain a correctly certified translation:

1 - A friend can translate the documents and sign them.

Note that the friend must sign the USCIS statement which appears here:

I typed name , certify that I am fluent (conversant) in the English and
languages, and that the above/attached document is an accurate translation of the
document attached entitled .

Signature
Date Typed Name
Address

Be sure that:

• The translator uses their full legal name, as well as their full legal address.
• The translation is complete (includes every word)
• The spelling of names and places match the way they are spelled on your other English-language documents and passport.
• While not required, it is better to also have the translator sign the document before a notary public. The translator will need to show proper identification.

2. A certified translation can be purchase from a professional translation service.

Experienced professional translation services are all over the US and on the internet. Usual fees around $40-70 per document, and the company will know how to prepare the documents for USCIS. Certification will appear on corporate letterhead and often be notarized.

Delivery from professional translation company can be:

• by US Postal mail (preferred)
  
• by email only (OK)

Please note that most agencies in the US aside from USCIS will require a professional notarized translation. If you wish to open a bank account or apply for a drivers license, you will likely be required to obtain a professional certified translation with notarization of all documents.

Recommended Certified Translation Companies:

MyCertifiedTranslations.com http://www.mycertifiedtranslations.com 800-281-5084
1-2 day service, affordable Arabic translation. Includes notary service at no extra charge. Shipping of all documents at no extra charge.

The Translation Department, Inc http://www.translationdepartment.com 800-921-3645
Professional company offering translations since 1979. More expensive service but highly accurate for large documents. If you are submitting a lot of evidence as part of the "secondary" evidence package, this company may be better suited.

Certified Translations- How and Why

The USCIS requires immigraints to prepare certified translations of all personal documents during their application to become citizens and residents of the United States. There is a lot of confusion surrounding how these certified translations come into being, and I hope to explain the procedure somewhat to people in this blog by identifying each and every visa type and explaining the documents needed for each visa. Also, I will explain how to get a certified translation of those documents that are required.

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments and I will try to answer them.

Services for certified translation

There are many great services that can prepare a certified translation for you or your family member who is submitting the files to USCIS. The translation service will be able to translate the document into English, sign the document, print it on corporate letter head and also, usually, notarize it. The notary stamp is required for most legal purposes.

Cost of a certified translation

Most services will charge a small fee per document for this legal and important service of certified translation. The fee can range anywhere from $20-40 per document, or more. The cost may depend on the quality of the document since a poor quality document will be difficult and more time consuming to translate properly. Also a translation service might charge for additional copies of the translation, if you need more than one copy. For an entire family to get all of their documents certified, the cost could be as much as $200 or more.

Speed of certified translation

Most legal translators will be able to process your documents within a day or two at most. If it is a complex document, it could take more than 2 days. For instance, if it is a very long document, or it is extremely technical. If you are applying for an H1-B visa, you may need to submit your academic transcript, and these can often take longer than 2 days to translate due to the content.

K-1 and K-3 visas

K-1 and K-3 visas are the easiest visas to get in order to work legally, but they will also come under the most scrutiny, as they can be easily abused. You are required to marry within 90 days of the K-1 visa being issued.

K-1 visas and K-3 visas may require documentation of the relationship to be included, and if the documentation is not in English, the translation should be included. Any document sent to USCIS must have the certified translations attached if it is not in English.

Other than the documentation, the K-1 and K-3 visas require that the birth certificate of each person is included, so if either of these are not in English, be sure to order a certified translation of this. Also, if either person has been married before, the marriage certificate as well as the divorce or death certificate of the ex-spouse must be attached. These must all be processed as separate documents.

This has been an introductory post about certified translations. Please comment below if you have questions I can answer in post #2.