You might be wondering why there is so much fuss made about translating certain documents. Many documents are required for a variety of purposes and if they are in English, it doesn’t matter. It’s only if they are not in English that they become an official translation document. Documents must be translated in many cases, even if there is someone in an office where the documents are eventually submitted who is fluent in that language.
The sorts of documents that become official translation documents depend on who wants to see them. It may be for a potential employer, an educational institution, a business partner or a government department like the Department of Labor (DOL) or the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (U.S.C.I.S.). Each of these different organizations has their own specific requirements and some may be less prescriptive than others.
Generally, it is best to assume that if it is an official document that you need to provide you should make sure it is translated by a professional translator. Often, if a mistake is made during the translation process, as is quite possible if it is left to a friend or amateur, it may not be acceptable. If this happens, the worst that can usually happen is that you go to the back of the queue and your whole application process is delayed.
Who can complete an official document translation?
There are few organizations that insist on a qualified translator. This is left to the applicant to make a decision about. What is usually not tolerated is that the translation is done by you, but this may still be possible if the translation has been made at the request of a voluntary organization. The U.S.C.I.S. certainly has strict guidelines about who cannot perform an official document translation even if their guidelines about who can do the translating are not so specific. If in doubt, the best option is to leave the official translations to a professional translator or translation agency. They will ensure that the document is not just transacted accurately, but will be certified with a separate statement to confirm the accuracy of the official document translation.
What documents could be classified as official translation documents?
The main documents in this category are those that are needed by banks, schools and colleges, universities, employers and government departments. They include such things as:
- Birth certificates
- Death certificates
- Marriage certificates
- Divorce certificates
- Wills
- Contracts
- Employment records
- Qualifications
- Medical records and reports
- References and testimonials.
Peace of mind from a recognized professional translation agency
Visa and citizen applications, in particular, can take a long time to complete and can be stressful as it is hard to know at times what the response is going to be at each stage of the long drawn out application process. At least as far as translating official documents is concerned, you can obtain peace of mind when you chose a professional translation agency like Cinch Translations. We are proud of our reputation and that we have never had an official translation document returned because of inaccuracies.
