People often find the term “Certified Translation” confusing. However, it is not! It is a translation accompanied by a signed statement attesting that the translation is accurate and complete to the best of the knowledge of the translator. A translator doesn’t need to be certified to provide a certified translation. Anyone can certify their translator as an employee of a translation company.
A translator can also certify someone else’s translation after reviewing the translation for accuracy as well as completeness. The translation cannot be changed after being certified. This is the reason why translation companies can certify translations of their employees or freelance translators. The certification must specify whether the singer has translated or reviewed the translation.
When is a certified translation needed?
Most of the time, certified translations are required for legal paperwork. For instance, documents used in court hearings or trials, including any evidence or trial transcript that is in another language may require certified translation. Simply put, when a document needs to be presented in front of any government or legal body, its translation must be certified.
You will need a certified translation while applying for a visitor’s permit or if you are planning to immigrate to a foreign country. If the documents that you need to submit are in another language, you must get them translated with certification. In the US, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) require all documents that aren’t in English to be translated as well as certified except passports. The documents should be translated in full, including everything that appears on each page of the document. Moreover, the translation should be identical to the visual appearance of the original document including the placement of the stamp, seals, and signatures.
If the certified translation needs to be submitted directly to the USCIS in the US, the certified translation doesn’t need to be notarized. Contrastingly, if you are submitting your certified translations to the US embassy outside of the US, all the certified translations should be notarized.
What is included in the certified statement?
The certification statement of a translation should include the following information at least:
- A statement showing the qualification of the translator.
- A statement confirming the completeness as well as the accuracy of the document.
- Identification of the translated document along with the language.
- The name of the translator, their signature, and the date.
ATA offers two types of sample certification, a short and a long form. The short form is appropriate for translations that do not require notarization, while the long form is designed for certifications that require notarization or when the short form does not provide sufficient detail.
With this, we are ending this blog here. We hope that this blog has provided you with enough insight into certified translation. But if you still have any doubts pertaining to certified translation, feel free to get in touch with the experts.
