Frequently Asked Questions about Certified Translations
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Certified Translations
Here you will find the most frequently asked questions about certified translations. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any more questions. We will be happy to help you.
A certified translation can be necessary for the following documents which you have to submit to authorities, among others:
Birth certificates, certificate of non-marriage, marriage certificates, divorce certificates
Documents for naturalization
Passports, visa certificates and residence certificates
School reports, training certificates and employer references
Contracts including work contracts, purchase agreements and credit agreements
Statutes and trade register excerpts
There is no one-size-fits-all price calculation. As a general rule, two forms of calculating the bill exist in Germany. The first is costing per line and word respectively. Certified translations in Germany are usually calculated using the price per line, which, depending on the grade of difficulty of the language in question, begin at 1000€. The second is done using a flat rate due to the fact that the target text often becomes and official document (e.g. employer references, notarial deeds, commercial register excerpts etc.), which can be scanned or published in paper form and doesn’t always have an easily calculable word total. In such a situation a rough estimate is made, and a flat rate is offered based on this.
Only public documents issued by public authorities can be authenticated with the apostille or legalized by foreign missions. Public documents include documents indicating civil status, judicial and notarial deeds, certificates from administrative authorities. Private documents include personally signed wills and testaments, informal purchase contracts or power of attorney. In order to be able to have private documents certified with an apostille or by means of legalization, they must be authenticated by a notary public. This results in a public deed or document.
Care should be taken when translating this kind of document, as some countries require the translation to be certified in addition to the authentication of the document. If you have the documents translated in the country in which you will present them, you can be sure that the translations will be accepted.
In Germany a certified translation can only be prepared by translators who have been authorised, appointed, sworn or certified by the respective Higher Regional Court or Regional Court. All translations here at Berlin Translate are produced by sworn translators and our translations are world renowned.
You need an apostille if the authorities abroad require an apostille in addition to the translation. You need one when the translation of your documents serves a specific purpose, such as the recognition of marriage or paternity at an authority abroad. The authorities required the translation so that they can read and understand it properly. The apostille serves as a legal security. Apostilles in Germany, for example, are issued by district governments, but also by regional courts and the Federal Administrative Office. However, other authorities may also be responsible. Please check with the authority that issued the document.
A notary offers, among other things, authentications and certifications. However, those services relate only to documents in the German language. The confirmation of the authenticity of a document is called (copy) authentication, which is the confirmation of the signature. The content of the document or deed plays no role here. In addition, there is also the notarial certification. This is much more comprehensive and, in addition to signatures, checks the contents of the document, your will and, if necessary, other points. As part of a ‘certified translation’ the translator confirms the authenticity and completeness of the translation with their signature and a stamp. Furthermore, they not only have the ability to do this, but they are empowered by a court to do so. ‘Certified translation’ is necessary for near enough every deed and document, which needs to be given to an authority, court or government office.