Document Translation

Ordinary and certified translations

A translation expresses the document’s content in another language. A certified translation generally includes a signed statement about the completeness and accuracy of the translation. That certification is about the translation; it is different from a notary performing a notarial act.

The institution using the document may specify the accepted format

A school, government office, employer, court, consulate, licensing board, or other organization may specify the language, certification statement, translator qualifications, delivery method, or format it accepts. A translation provider’s available service does not by itself establish what the institution using the document requires.

Translation, notarization, and authentication are different

Translation changes language. Notarization is an official act performed by a notary. An apostille or authentication verifies the origin of an official signature or seal for certain international uses. A document may involve more than one of these processes, but they are not substitutes for one another.

Translation and credential evaluation are different

A credential evaluation compares education completed in one system with standards used by another school, employer, licensing board, or organization. Translation does not determine educational equivalency, and evaluation does not replace a translation when an institution using the document needs the document in another language.

Names and transliteration create special problems

Names written in non-Latin scripts can have multiple legitimate transliterations. A translation can therefore be linguistically reasonable while differing from the spelling used in a passport, immigration record, school record, or prior translation. Organizations using the document can treat consistency of names as an administrative issue separate from translation accuracy.