Certifying a translation for US Thread poster: Grace Hughes
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Grace Hughes 
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:02
Member (2009)
German to English
I've trawled through the forum and have found a number of different pieces of advice about this, differing depending on the country in question. Apologies if this post is therefore a repeat of what has been written before, but I was hoping someone might be able to clarify the situation for me and offer some advice.
I have been contacted by a translation agency in the US, and the non-disclosure agreement states that I am required to certify my translations. I am a UK-based translator... See more I've trawled through the forum and have found a number of different pieces of advice about this, differing depending on the country in question. Apologies if this post is therefore a repeat of what has been written before, but I was hoping someone might be able to clarify the situation for me and offer some advice.
I have been contacted by a translation agency in the US, and the non-disclosure agreement states that I am required to certify my translations. I am a UK-based translator working from German into English. From what I can gather, as I hold a diploma from the IOL and am also a member of the Institute, it is sufficient in the UK to self-certify my translations by including a signed (and possibly stamped???) form with my translation attesting to the fact that the translation is, to the best of my knowledge, a true and faithful rendering of the original text.
Can anyone confirm that this is definitely the case? And if so, will this also be sufficient for translations for clients in the US, as in this particular case, and also for clients in Germany, where the majority of my work actually comes from? If so, does anyone have any tips about how the self-certification form should appear and what should be included? And of course, if the procedure is different for the US/Germany, can anyone tell me how to go about it?
Any help would be very gratefully received!
Thanks,
Grace ▲ Collapse
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 16:02
Spanish to English
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| "Sworn" translations | Feb 24, 2011 |
AFAIK, it is usually sufficient in the UK to self-certify your translations by including a signed (and possibly stamped) form affirming that the translation is a true and faithful rendering of the original text.
With German or USA clients, I wouldn't know their specific requirements so I would have to ask ask them exactly what kind of "certification" they were looking for.
| | | | Setti Mulari
New Zealand
Local time: 02:02
Finnish to English
| Depends on who wants the certification | Feb 24, 2011 |
Generally the U.S. agency just needs a digital copy of your signature so they can digitally sign their own certificate template and someone in the office is a notary so they'll stamp it there and then. I'm surprised they haven't just given you a signature form to sign. I can send you a sample if you want to see how it's done.
| | | | Grace Hughes
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:02
Member (2009)
German to English
TOPIC STARTER
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| In the United States certification equals statement | Feb 24, 2011 |
In the United States, a translation is considered certified when it includes a statement at the end (or as a footnote) such as this: "I make no representations as to the authenticity of the document presented for translation; however, I hereby certify that the attached Spanish translation of the original in English is true and complete to the best of my knowledge, ability and belief".
Some clients will ask for notarization, and some others will ask for more than a simple notarizati... See more In the United States, a translation is considered certified when it includes a statement at the end (or as a footnote) such as this: "I make no representations as to the authenticity of the document presented for translation; however, I hereby certify that the attached Spanish translation of the original in English is true and complete to the best of my knowledge, ability and belief".
Some clients will ask for notarization, and some others will ask for more than a simple notarization, they will ask for notarization before the clerk of the Court. Yet, most will not ask for notarization. Some very picky ones will ask not for notarization but rather if the translator has an errors and omissions insurance policy that can pay in case of claims. ▲ Collapse
| | | | LEXpert
United States
Local time: 09:02
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
| What Luisa said | Feb 24, 2011 |
Luisa Ramos, CT wrote:
In the United States, a translation is considered certified when it includes a statement at the end (or as a footnote) such as this: "I make no representations as to the authenticity of the document presented for translation; however, I hereby certify that the attached Spanish translation of the original in English is true and complete to the best of my knowledge, ability and belief".
Some clients will ask for notarization, and some others will ask for more than a simple notarization, they will ask for notarization before the clerk of the Court. Yet, most will not ask for notarization. Some very picky ones will ask not for notarization but rather if the translator has an errors and omissions insurance policy that can pay in case of claims.
In the vast majority of cases, the signed statement is all that is necessary. Rarely, I've been asked to have my signature notarized as well. I've never been asked for more than a simple notarization.
| | | | SophieT
United States
Local time: 07:02
English to Chinese
+ ...
| American Translators Association | Feb 24, 2011 |
Hi Grace,
there is a certification offered by American Translators Association, for which is a lot of my clients ask. their website is http://www.atanet.org. hope this will help you.
Sophie
| | | | Grace Hughes
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:02
Member (2009)
German to English
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks everyone! | Mar 1, 2011 |
Thank you all for your very helpful replies. Having contacted the client to clarify exactly what is needed, it seems the signed form is sufficient, and the client produce this themselves on my behalf anyway. So the whole thing is far simpler than I ever imagined!
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Marina Steinbach
United States
Local time: 10:02
Member (2011)
English to German
| Certification of Signatures | Aug 22, 2011 |
Luisa Ramos, CT wrote:
In the United States, a translation is considered certified when it includes a statement at the end (or as a footnote) such as this: "I make no representations as to the authenticity of the document presented for translation; however, I hereby certify that the attached Spanish translation of the original in English is true and complete to the best of my knowledge, ability and belief".
Would my signature also have to be certified by a notary?
| | | | | Digital copy of signatures, used by the agency, and/or notarized??? | Aug 22, 2011 |
I am a bit confused by some of the statements I read in this thread.
Setti Mulari wrote:
Generally the U.S. agency just needs a digital copy of your signature so they can digitally sign their own certificate template and someone in the office is a notary so they'll stamp it there and then. I'm surprised they haven't just given you a signature form to sign. I can send you a sample if you want to see how it's done.
Are you saying that you give them a scanned copy of your own signature, that that can paste on ANY document???
Are you also saying that they notarize such signature as yours, as if it were signed right there, right then???
Seriously????
When I provide a certified, notarized translation, I create the certification statement (pretty much like it was said in this thread by others), but I do not sign it. I go to the notary public, who checks my identity and I sign in front of him/her, and he/she notarizes my signature, which means he/she checked/witnessed that I signed the document myself. Any other use of my signature and any other way of notarization would make me very suspicious and I would immediately question the legality of the procedure.
A few months ago an agency contracted me for some work. They had a standard agreement, NDA and a signature form, like the one Setti mentioned. I asked what it is for, and they described a process pretty much what Setti said, so it may be the same agency. I questioned the legality of the process, and refused to give them my signature. I told them that I am willing to provide certified and notarized translations any time they need it, but they will not have my permission to use my signature in any way. They sent me a modified contract, where they removed that page and any references to using my signature.
This does not mean they did that for all of their freelancers, others may be participating in this procedure.
I would like to urge everybody to think and be cautious about what they sign, be aware of the legalities, and what they may be exposing themselves to.
Katalin
[Edited at 2011-08-22 16:42 GMT]
| | | | | more details please.... | Nov 7, 2014 |
Hi all,
I know this post is a bit old, but I just read what katalin explained, and I have some questions:
-When you said you notarized your signature, do you mind explaind a little bit how you did it?
How much were you charged for that (I believe you had to pay)?, or
How much did your client pay for the notarization?
Did youhave to wait for an appointment to notarize your signature?
The process in Spain is straightforward, i mena, if you a... See more Hi all,
I know this post is a bit old, but I just read what katalin explained, and I have some questions:
-When you said you notarized your signature, do you mind explaind a little bit how you did it?
How much were you charged for that (I believe you had to pay)?, or
How much did your client pay for the notarization?
Did youhave to wait for an appointment to notarize your signature?
The process in Spain is straightforward, i mena, if you a re a Traductor Jurado (Sworn or Certified Translator), you just stamp your seal and signature on your translation and that's all.
Now in USA it seems more complicated....
Do I have to make an appointment with a Public Notary every time a client needs a certified translation? This seems very time consuming and maybe expensive...
Any light on this would be very much appreciated,
Thanks,
Eva ▲ Collapse
| | | | Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 10:02
Romanian to English
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in what country do you want the translation to be notarized? Where are you located?
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jyuan_us
United States
Local time: 10:02
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| Never heard of it | Nov 9, 2014 |
Luisa Ramos, CT wrote:
Some clients will ask for notarization, and some others will ask for more than a simple notarization, they will ask for notarization before the clerk of the Court.
Why did they ask for that? in What situation? Did they pay you $200 for you to go to the court to certify the documents before the clerk of the Court?
| | | | jyuan_us
United States
Local time: 10:02
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| It is a different issue | Nov 9, 2014 |
Luisa Ramos, CT wrote:
Some very picky ones will ask not for notarization but rather if the translator has an errors and omissions insurance policy that can pay in case of claims.
Didn't they realize that eventually no translator will work for them?
Also, asking "if the translator has an errors and omissions insurance policy that can pay in case of claims " is not related to the topic of notarization at all. Notarizing a document will not lead to any legal liability on the part of the linguists but the scenario you were describing is about who shall be liable in case of claims. I think the liability issue should have been spelled out in your contract with the client, and should not be confused with the concept of notarization.
[Edited at 2014-11-10 00:14 GMT]
| | | | jyuan_us
United States
Local time: 10:02
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| I had a direct client requiring notarized certification | Nov 10, 2014 |
for every document I translated and I have signed more than 500 certifications for them in the last 12 years. The good thing is that several banks nearby provided notarization for free.
The client just used me as a translation agency and my versions went directly to their printing vendor. Maybe they needed a certification to make themselves more comfortable, or maybe notarized certification was required by law or by their corporate by-laws.
However, I have signed only ... See more for every document I translated and I have signed more than 500 certifications for them in the last 12 years. The good thing is that several banks nearby provided notarization for free.
The client just used me as a translation agency and my versions went directly to their printing vendor. Maybe they needed a certification to make themselves more comfortable, or maybe notarized certification was required by law or by their corporate by-laws.
However, I have signed only a few certifications (non-notarized) for 2 of my translation agency clients. One is a start-up who didn't know how to do business and the other just required it once because their auditor needed a certification to close her auditing job.
[Edited at 2014-11-10 00:15 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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