Certification, Notarisation and Sworn Translation
Different countries have different requirements for submission and acceptance of translated legal documents.
Certification
Certification is commonly used to accompany the translated text with the translator attesting to the accuracy and or validity of the translated document.
The requirements for certification can vary substantially between different countries. Some countries only allow state authorised translators while other countries only allow fully credited translators to both translate and certify legal documents. In the UK, and many other English speaking countries, it is simply required for the translator to certify their translation including their personal details, credentials and contact details.
Notarisation
Many countries official procedures require legal text translations to be conducted through a Notary who has been authorised by the Government of the source country.
In these cases, the translator is required to attest to the accuracy of the translation by signing an affidavit and a certificate statement in the presence of the Notary as witness. The Notary will then endorse the certification with their stamp and signature. This procedure only notarises the certificate not the translation.
If the translation is to be used outside of the source country, additional steps may be required involving Government legal requirements. This step will require the translation documents to be legalised usually through the apostille process although this may differ in some countries where there is no equivalence.
Sworn Translation
Sworn translators are usually either appointed or accredited by the Government or the Courts. The sworn translator usually has the highest translating credentials including local and state regulated qualifications.
Because of these additional translator requirements, sworn translators are a necessary requirement for some countries when translating legal text for countries outside of the source country.
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