Certified Translation or Sworn Translation – Which One to Get?
When traveling to a foreign country for business or pleasure, you may need to bring official documents with you; these documents may include your birth certificate, school transcripts, or business incorporation documents.
For documents to be legally valid in a foreign country, they must first be apostilled or authenticated, depending on the destination country.
If you are having a company apostille your documents, they can be translated at this time. If you choose to translate the documents on your own, you will need to include the original and the apostille to have both translated.
As with an apostille, the translation of the document is certified or sworn as an accurate translation; but it does not confirm that the information within the original document is correct.
Whether you need a certified translation or sworn translation will depend on the type of document and the country where it will be used. Italy only accepts sworn translations, where Portugal has no sworn translations and uses only certified translations. Mexico allows primarily certified translations.
Sworn Translations
Sworn translators are recognized by the Embassy or Consulate of their country as being authorized to translate official documents. A list of approved sworn translators can be obtained from each country.
A document that is sworn translated does not need a certificate to accompany it.
Examples of documents that require sworn translations:
- Patent certifications
- Documents to incorporate a company
Certified Translations
A certified translated document is accompanied by a signed statement from the translator attesting to the completeness and accuracy of the translation. Each page is stamped and a certificate verifying the translator’s credentials is included, the certificate is then notarized; and all this accompanies the original document.
The original document must be translated in its entirety. All stamps, signatures and other marks on the translated document appear in the same place as on the original document.
Examples of documents that are often certified translated:
- Passports
- Marriage certificates
- Death certificates
- Marriage certificates
- Legal documents such as those used in a trial or hearing
- Trial transcripts
Many countries accept the documents with a certified translation, but it is best to ask the translating company for verification.
One Source Process
We can have your documents both apostilled/authenticated and certified translated with one order. Let us know your destination country and upload your documents. That is it! We will first have the papers apostilled, then the documents and apostille will both be translated into the correct language needed.
Please Contact Us if you have questions regarding having your documents apostilled/authenticated and certified translated. Once ready, you only need to fill out our Order Form here, tell us all pertinent information, and upload the documents. We have worked with almost all the countries in the world regarding their regulations for apostille and certified translation; we can quickly and easily handle this for you.
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We need school transcripts to be sworn translated, English to Spanish, notarized and apostille. Are you able to do this? What is the expected cost and how quickly can you do it?
Hi, I’d like to get my father’s French birth certificate officially translated for a security clearance needed for the government. Can you help?
Hello Samuel,
Thank you for reaching out, and please accept our apologies for the delayed response due to a recent system update that affected our email notifications.
Yes, we do offer professional translation services. Our translators are certified by the American Translators Association (ATA), the largest professional organization for translators and interpreters in the United States. ATA certification reflects a high level of professional competence, validated through a rigorous U.S.-based examination.
Please note that while our translators are qualified for general and business translations, they are not sworn translators. Sworn (or public) translators are government-authorized in specific countries and are typically required for court-issued documents.
Our standard translation turnaround time is 3–4 business days, with rush service available in 1–2 business days.
If you wish to proceed, please complete our translation request form and upload a PDF copy of the document to be translated. The translation form is here
By submitting the form, we will respond to your email. There is no charge for the initial document review. During our regular business hours (Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.), we will respond within 1–2 hours with the review results, along with an official invoice and payment link. Please note that receiving an invoice does not obligate you to proceed with payment.
Kind regards,
Allan Capistrano