How to Translate a Legal Document
If you are in need of translation services for any type of official document, chances are you will need to use a professional translation company who provides certified translation services. Whether it is a birth certificate, marriage certificate, student transcripts, immigration documents, driver’s license, or any documents used for government purposes, these types of documents require a certification attesting to its accuracy.
When you are looking for a translation company for your legal documents, there are a few things you should make sure they are able to provide to you:
- Ensure the translator doing the translation is knowledgeable in the particular subject matter of your document
Certain types of legal documents may be in a specialized field, with specialized terminology. Without using a translator with knowledge of this particular field will result in a poor translation of your document.
- Ensure the translation company provides certified translations
Certified translations are required for legal documents. A certified translation provides a certification letter, attesting to the accuracy of the translation. You will need to provide both the original and the certified translation when submitting your documents to whichever organization you are submitting them to.
- Ensure the certification is notarized
A certification should include a stamp and signature of an official notary for legal purposes.
- Check the requirements for your Country/Area
Each country has their own requirements for submissions of translations of legal documents. Please be sure to find out what you are required to do, prior to ordering the translations. Sometimes you may need the consulate or court of the country in which you are submitting your documents to provide a stamp of approval in person on your translation.
Most professional translation companies will charge you either a standard per-page rate for certified translations, or may charge extra for their certification/notary services. Call around to a few different agencies and find out their rates for the best estimate.
