If you have a birth certificate, marriage certificate or any other document that is not originally in English, and you need to submit that document for immigration purposes to an authority like the United States Immigration and Citizenship Service, anyone who is fluent both in English and that language can do the translation. However, if the person who is set to gain from the translation is the one applying for a job or is trying to enter the United States to live and work he or she is not permitted to undertake a marriage certificate translation. The person or company who is sponsoring the applicant is not permitted to do the marriage certificate translation either.
What is so different about a marriage certificate translation?
If you are asking for a product description to be translated the translator can to a certain extent select the most appropriate words depending on the tone and style of the text. They often need to consult a glossary related to the company so that language related to the company’s brand can be used. Apart from that specific word for word translation is not that important. This is completely different with an official legal document like a marriage certificate. Authorities such as courts, universities or immigration departments require that a word for word translation is used.
The document has to be translated completely, which includes:
- Seals
- Watermarks
- Signatures
- Dashes
- Stamps
If the wording is unclear in places, words should be used to explain this for example: “not legible”.
The format for the marriage certificate translation must match the source document
The translation has to look the same visually as the source marriage certificate. For example, the translation of the official seal has to be written in exactly the same place as it is seen on the marriage certificate. This is sometimes difficult to achieve if the words used in the translation are more than those found on the source document.
If you choose a friend who is bilingual to do your marriage certificate translation on your behalf and you find some mistakes, you may in the end need to hire a professional translator who is not only bilingual but has been trained in translation. This will give you more confidence that the translation will be correct.
If the translation is required by the U.S.C.I.S., your translator will have to be prepared to sign and prepare a statement verifying that the translation is accurate. However, it will only have to be notarized by a notary public if it is to be sent with your application to a consulate or embassy outside the United States.
Now that you are ready to get your marriage certificate translation, contact a professional translator at Cinch Translations who will be highly experienced and will provide you with a translation you will be unable to fault. Cinch Translations covers up to 90 languages, so you will be spoilt for choice when you choose this reputable translation services agency to do your translations.
