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.