Certified translations are translations that are officially recognized for legal or official purposes. A certified translation is performed by a professional translator who guarantees the accuracy and completeness of the translated document. The translator typically provides a signed statement, known as a certification, affirming that the translation is a true and accurate representation of the original document.
These translations are often required in situations such as:
- Immigration applications
- Legal proceedings
- Academic admissions
- Employment or visa applications
The certification ensures that the translated document will be accepted by government authorities, courts, universities, and other official institutions.
When is a certified translation needed?
In legal terms, the words "certified," "authenticated," or "legalized" translation refer to the same process and serve the same purpose. It involves a specific procedure that must be followed when a legally binding document needs to be translated for submission to either a domestic or foreign authority. In most cases, government offices, agencies, or courts will only accept these particular types of translations for legal matters. Typically, these include documents related to civil status, such as birth, marriage, or death certificates, academic diplomas, court rulings, or commercial register extracts, among other examples.
Preliminary check required
It is important to note that a certified translation may not always carry the same legal validity everywhere. For example, a translation certified as legally valid in Germany might not hold the same validity abroad. The legal recognition of the document depends on the agreements between the country of origin (where the official document was issued) and the destination country (where the translated document is being requested) as outlined in the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961.
Certified translation is a specialized procedure, and the time required may be greater than for a regular translation. To avoid unnecessary effort, it is strongly recommended to check with the authorities of the relevant country before commissioning a certified translation.
For a translation to be considered "certified," it is important that it is carried out by a translation specialist who has been officially sworn in by a court. This oath is valid before all courts of the federal and state levels according to Section 189, Paragraph 2 of the German Judiciary Act (GVG).
Once the translation is complete, the translator affixes their stamp to the document, which grants it official legal validity for submission to offices, courts, and authorities. All of our legal translators are professionals with extensive expertise in both linguistic and legal fields: they are legal experts, lawyers, or translators with experience in the legal sector who work with us to provide you with texts of the highest precision.
Depending on the national law, the translation must include a "confirmation of conformity with the original" and bear the stamp and signature of the sworn translator. The translator must clearly state their full name, the designation "sworn translator" (or authorized, certified, etc. translator), and the languages for which they are sworn.
The translated document must indicate that it is a translation, along with the language in which the original text was written. The layout must, as far as possible, match that of the original document. The page number must be clearly stated, as well as the purpose of the document. These precautions are designed to protect the content of the document and prevent fraudulent alterations or additions.
Validity of a certified translation
Once the certified translation is completed and issued, it acquires the status of an official document, equal in value to the original document in its source language. Therefore, only the certified original document should be submitted to courts and authorities. Copies are not legally valid. Regarding its validity period, documents translated by sworn translators do not have a legally restricted duration. However, for certain civil registry documents, exceptions may apply in this regard.
How can we help?
At Schmidt & Schmidt, we understand the importance of transparency and compliance in international business. If you need to verify the beneficial ownership of a company or check the legitimacy of a business partner, we can assist you. We provide official commercial register extracts from over 100 jurisdictions worldwide, ensuring you have access to reliable and up-to-date corporate information. Additionally, our services include legalization and apostille certification, making documents legally valid for international use. We will be happy to help you with apostille and legalization of documents for use abroad . You can always contact Schmidt & Schmid, we have accumulated vast experience in legalization of various documents and we provide all necessary services in this area, including making notarized copies, technical and legal translations, preparation of necessary powers of attorney, legalization of documents in government agencies and consulates of foreign countries, as well as delivery of finished documents to most countries of the world. You can read more about the legalization and apostille procedure on our website.
What is a certified translation?
In this video, you will find out what a certified translation is, what it is for, what translation verification methods there are in different countries, and the difference between notarized and sworn translations.
