Certified translations

What is a certified translation?

Some translations have higher stakes than others; notably documents used as part of a legal process before a court, a tribunal or a notary. Most of the time, these documents must be provided with a certified translation in order to be accepted. Here, translations can be requested not only from individuals but also from professionals. 

For example, a young high school graduate wishing to enrol in a university abroad will need a certified translation of his academic qualifications. In the case of a company’s international files, it is also often requested to provide a certified translation of one or several documents, such as the contract for a creation of a business. In order to open a branch abroad or carry out an operation in another country, it is also not uncommon for the authorities of the destination country in question to demand a ‘certified translation’ of your up-to-date Kbis extract (business registration).

Call on a sworn translator

A sworn translation is a translation produced by a translator who has sworn an oath before a Tribunal. The sworn translator puts their stamp on the document. A certified translation is therefore recognised as an official document by tribunals and the administration. A sworn translation is required for a number of administrative documents such as civil registration papers (birth certificate, marriage certificate…), extracts from the Chamber of Commerce, legal rulings and degrees.

The translation process

For better readability, certified translations must reproduce the layout of the original document. In the case of birth certificates, passports or degree certificates for example, the layout can be very different (and more complex) than regular documents.

Have the original or a certified copy available: 

For a certified translation of a Kbis extract (or other documents of this type), the destination country generally requires that the translation is produced from the original and not from a copy. In concrete terms, this means that the sworn translator must put their stamp and signature on the original paper provided and not on a paper copy of the original.

Our advice: It is very important to know from the start if a certified translation is necessary or not because the price and completion time differ greatly from non-certified translations (more commonly known as ‘free translations’).

Documents most often requiring a sworn translation:

• Birth certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Death certificates 
• Divorce rulings 
• DIvorce decisions 
• Employment contracts 
• Declarations under oath / affidavits 
• Work certificates
• Diplomas 
• Transcripts of marks 
• Adoption documents 
• Criminal records

Have you got a degree certificate or diploma that you wish to have recognised in Germany?

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