Notarized Translation Services
HumanTranslation is a multilingual translation agency that provides certification and notarization services, among other things, for any national or international institution. Our high-quality translation, fast turnaround, and hassle-free service help us win the loyalty of our customers.
As you see from the name, 100% human translation is one of our core values, and we take pride in our ability to use machine translation and AI as elements of support, with texts for humans created by humans. Notarized translation services are one of our specializations, and you can order them straight away if this is what you are currently looking for.
Notarized Translation: Details
A notarized translation is a text translated from the original in another language where the Notary Public puts his or her seal and signature. The latter confirms the translator’s identity and his right to provide the relevant services, as well as his/her statement that he or she complied with all procedures required for accurate translation.
Please mind that the notary is not an editor and he never says anything about the quality of the translation, its accuracy, or completeness. In other words, he does not check the document to make sure it strictly corresponds to the original! Notarization is, simply put, a statement that the translator is actually the person who has the official right to render the text in another language and he or she actually followed the required procedures (like translation without omissions or distortions of any meaning) according to his/her written statement.
Notarized and Certified: The Difference
Customers sometimes do not know exactly whether they need a certified or a notarized translation.
All we can say in this case is that these are two different procedures, and you should ask the requesting organization or authority what kind of translation you need. However, if the decision has to be made quickly, it is usually safer to order a notarized translation as certification is included in it!
You say that the translation is certified if it follows the procedure below:
- It is translated by a certified translator with relevant credentials
- The translator makes an affidavit where he/she specifies that the translation has been done accurately and completely, and signs and seals it.
- The translation agency that provides the certified translation should be properly accredited.
- The original, translation, and affidavit are usually stitched together to be submitted to the official institution as one document.
This process is actually included in the notarization! The same procedure is followed, after which the stitched document is delivered to the Notary Public who makes one more step to attest to the translated document being equal in meaning to the original. He/she issued another document and stitches it together with the existing trio.
Physical and Digital Notarization
In the present-day world, both are typically used interchangeably. However, some organizations may be more conservative to require an original hard copy, that will be delivered to you by regular post. Just check this requirement before ordering a translation with us, or simply include hard copy delivery into the package of services you need.
Can I Translate My Documents By Myself?
This is technically possible, but it is considered a bad practice that not all institutions will accept. Risks of document rejection always exist, and we advise you to minimize them.
It is considered a good practice to have your documents translated by a third party who will be an uninterested person. That way, additional proof of translated document’s conformity to the original is ensured.
Simply put, you’d better not translate your own documents as you are an interested person.
Can a Notary Certify and Notarize the Translation?
A notary can serve as a translator who will translate the text and make an affidavit to provide a certified translation package to you (this is only possible if he or she has the relevant qualifications and credentials that prove them). However, no notary can notarize his or her own translations.
This practically means that one notary can do only one thing at a time for you. There are two scenarios:
- A notary provides a certified translation and engages another notary to notarize it.
- A notary gets a certified translation from an authorized third party and notarizes it.
A translation agency like HumanTranslation can take care of both certification and notarization, which will spare you all the hassle of solving the notarization puzzles.
Official Translation: What Is It?
This may refer to certified, sworn, notarized, or even apostilled translation, so you’d better ask the requesting institution what exactly they mean.
Frequently Asked Questions
⮚Do all the documents require notarization?
No, of course not. Not all documents even require certification! If you order a text that will only be distributed in-house among your employees, why bother? However, if you need to submit a document to an official institution, like a governmental or educational organization, you typically need to notarize the document translation to make sure it is absolutely identical to the original.
⮚Will I need certification of the document as well?
In a general case, you will. Certification is usually a step made before notarization (which simply means that the translator makes a written statement (signed and sealed) to attest to the completeness and accuracy of the document produced. However, you should strictly adhere to the instructions given by the requesting organization and/or jurisdiction. You can send them to us so that we could have a second look at them and make sure you will get what you need.
⮚Do I need to find a local translator or agency that provides notarization services?
There is no need to do that as you can get both certification and notarization online these days. Just order the service and get a scanned copy by email with subsequent sending of the hard copy by regular mail.
What makes a good translation? First of all, a high-quality source text. If this is a marketing piece of translation, for instance, and the original seems to convey some vague message that is hard to understand for the translator, it will be just as vague for the reader. Therefore, the customer should be prepared to work on the text to get a really good translation, and the translator should be ready to ask the customer to do so. This will make cooperation really beneficial – contrary to the “I-need-the-translation-quickly” approach that may not bear the fruit you want.
Ask the client about the country for which the translation is intended. The Arabic dialect required for Saudi Arabia will differ from the one appropriate for Egypt or Lebanon.
Most Arabic translations will require transcreation due to major cultural differences between English and Arab countries.
The target audience will determine the level of formality required in Arabic texts, so be sure to find out all the required information from the client.
The more important the translation, the higher quality should be agreed upon with the customer. High quality is achieved by editing, sometimes by several editors; it may add up to the cost, but it will finally pay off.
