also called official sworn translator · official translation · sworn translation · traduccion jurada · traducción jurada · traduction assermentee
A translation formally certified as accurate, often by an authorized or sworn translator.
A translation formally certified as accurate, usually by an authorised or sworn translator whose stamp vouches for it. Foreign offices routinely reject a plain do-it-yourself translation of your documents, making this a quiet extra step in most applications. Notarization is a different act: a notary confirming a signature or that a copy is genuine, not that a translation is correct.
Someone submits their own careful translation of a marriage certificate for a residency application and it is refused because it did not come from an approved translator. They have to track down a sworn translator locally and pay for an official version before the file will move.
Foreign authorities usually reject plain translations of your documents, so this is a hidden step in most applications.
The difference is the whole point, so here is each one in a line.
These are the stamps that turn a home document into one a foreign office will accept, in the order they usually stack.
A notary confirms a signature or that a copy matches the original, which is what a certified true copy or notarized copy is; a certified translation puts it into the local language; then an apostille certifies the whole thing for countries in the Hague Convention, while legalization or attestation is the longer chain for countries that do not accept the apostille.
Power of attorney, a long-form birth certificate and a school leaving certificate are the kinds of document that most often need this treatment.
Apostille · Certified true copy · Legalization · Long-form birth certificate · Notarization · Notarized copy vs original · school leaving certificate
A new term lands on this site every day, and the email is how you get it the day it lands. No digest, no roundup, no pitch. One term, what it means, and what it costs you to get it wrong.
Unsubscribe in one click, any time. We do not sell or share your address.