Certified Translation

What is Certified Translation?

A Certified Translation is a document to be translated from one language to another by a qualified Translation Company who is also required to certify that the document:

1) Can be used for particular authorities, and

2) The translation is accurate and complete.

After translating the document, the translation company will seal and sign on an official letter to testify the service and be responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the translation.

If necessary, representative of the translation company will have to make declaration to testify the accuracy of the translation.

When do you need Certified Translation?

When you are applying for a service related to local or foreign governments (such as applying for or renewing a passport), courts, banks, schools, immigration bodies, or even some organisations when applying overseas jobs, you will need a certified translation service.

Certified Translation is also particularly important in various legal proceedings, and in the process of applying for services from legal agencies and government agencies. Many government agencies will require a certified translation for assessment before accepting a specific document as valid.

Though standards and requirements vary, immigration officers and reviewing bodies of governments will consider the accuracy of the translation and the qualifications of the certifying agency before approving such application.

If you are uncertain whether you need a certified translation service, contact us for details.

Differences between Certified Translation and Notarisation

Certified Translation is a certification service to be provided by qualified translation companies or institutions that must have relevant qualifications or be recognised by the government.

The purpose of the service is to certify the accuracy and completeness of the translation. The certifying company must possess the qualifications that when required, will have to testify or make declaration for the service. 

Notarisation is a process to prove the authenticity of a document and in general it shall be delivered by a notary public.

While most supporting documents require only certified translation, those for legal or financial purpose may require a notarisation service.

Some documents may need both certified translation and notarisation, to be issued together by a qualified translation company and a notary public, hence it is advised to contact us before choosing the appropriate service.

The service fees for notarisation and certified translation are not the same, as the former is a bit higher than the latter one. Contact us for more details in case of uncertainty.

Standards and Requirements for Certified Translation

Countries or Institutions may have different standards and requirements for certified translation service. For example, some states in the US may require such service to be delivered and sealed by a translation company registered under some certain associations and be approved before delivering such service.

Though requirements vary, there are still international standards that are widely adopted by governments:

1. Certifying translation company should be recognised and listed as a service provider by the local government
2. Qualified in the related language ability
3. Translation company chartered under some certain associations
4. Possess necessary qualifications and reputations

Certified Translation is not an ordinary certification service, signature of a professional personnel may not be sufficient for serving the purpose; a chartered company chop and seal following some certain standards and formats are necessary to testify the purpose, accuracy and completeness of the certification.

Certified Translation Code

Although countries do not have a uniform code for certified translation service, some qualifying translation companies with strong presence in the sector will provide applicants a code to prove and track the entire procedure, and serve as service records.

The code will make the certification process more secured and efficient.

Charges for Certified Translation Service

Different documents will be charged with different rates, while the usage, purpose, complexity of procedures and subject matters of the supporting documents will be the decisive factors. Extra fee will be attracted for additional procedures.

Based on the related clauses from the United Nations, these fees are generally affordable.

Contact us for more details before choosing the appropriate service.

Spear’s Certified Translation Service

Spear Translation is a renowned translation company that has been widely recognised by governments from different countries and regions. It is playing an active role as the major service provider of certified translation service globally. It is also one of the founding members that participated in the formulation of the format requirements of certifications.

Besides, Spear is also the only translation company in the world that its certified translation service is recognised by governments of over 150 countries and regions. It is now a chartered service provider in these countries.

Spear’s translators possess the qualifications in both language capability and industry practise.

For the past 30 years, Spear has been providing qualified certified translation service for thousands of companies and organisations and has helped them to succeed.

Countries that accept Spear’s Certified Translation

Countries and regions that recognise Spear’s certified translation service are: 

Popular Countries and Regions

United Kingdom	Australia	United States	Belgium	Canada
China	Denmark	Finland	Germany	Greece
Spain	Hong Kong	France	Italy	Netherlands
Singapore	Portugal	Norway	Thailand	new Zealand
Sweden	Austria	South Korea	Japan	Vietnam
India	Indonesia	Hungary	Malaysia	Sri Lanka
Ireland	Iceland	Hungary	Saudi Arabia	Philippines
Russia	Switzerland	Taiwan

Other Countries and Regions

Algeria	Azerbaijan	Benin	Brunei	Colombia
Andorra	Bahamas	Bhutan	Bulgaria	Comoros
Angola	Bahrain	Bolivia	Burkina Faso	Central African Republic
Antigua and Barbuda	Bengal	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Burundi	Chad
Argentina	Belarus	Botswana	Cote d’Ivoire	Chile
Armenia	Belize	Brazil	Cambodia	Cameroon
Congo	Djibouti	Equatorial Guinea	Gabon	Guinea
Costa Rica	Dominica	Eritrea	Gambia	Guinea-Bissau
Croatia	Dominican Republic	Estonia	Georgia	Guyana
Cuba	Ecuador	Eswatini	Ghana	Haiti
Cyprus	Egypt	Ethiopia	Grenada	Vatican
Czech Republic	Salvador	Fiji	Guatemala	Honduras
Israel	Jamaica	Jordan	Lithuania	Malta
Latvia	Monaco	Kazakhstan	Luxembourg	Marshall Islands
Lebanon	Mongolia	Kenya	Madagascar	Mauritania
Lesotho	Montenegro	Kiribati	Malawi	Mauritius
Liberia	Morocco	Kuwait	Turkey	Mexico
Nicaragua	Mozambique	Kyrgyzstan	Maldives	Micronesia
Liechtenstein	Myanmar	Laos	Mali	Moldova
Namibia	Niger	Oman	Paraguay	Qatar
Nauru	Nigeria	Pakistan	Peru	Romania
Nepal	North Macedonia	Palau	Poland	Saint Kitts and Nevis
Senegal	Slovakia	Palestine	Sudan	Saint Lucia
Serbia	Slovenia	Panama	Suriname	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Seychelles	Solomon Islands	Papua New Guinea	United Arab Emirates	Samoa
Sierra Leone	Somalia	East Timor	Zambia	San Marino
South Sudan	South Africa	Togo	Tajikistan	Sao Tome and Principe
Uruguay	Turkmenistan	Tonga	Tanzania	Zimbabwe
Uzbekistan	Tuvalu	Trinidad and Tobago	Vanuatu	Uganda
Tunisia	Venezuela	Ukraine

Documents for Certified Translation

Below are some documents that have to be translated and certified:

• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Divorce Judgment/Certificate
• Death certificate
• Wills and trust funds
• Academic transcripts and diplomas
• Adoption records and documents
• Immigration documents
• Naturalization documents
• Foreign bank statement
• Visa Application
• visa
• Work permit
• CV
• Patent Prove
• Evidence in judicial proceedings
• Other legal documents

To ensure tour success, you are advised to contact us before proceeding.

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Other linguistic services you may be interested: Legal Translation

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