What is a Sworn Translator?

Sworn translators are official, government-licensed translators, that are the only translators authorized to translate documents from other languages for legal use in country you wish to present your document. It may seem slightly complex at start, but this guide will explain to you step-by-step, how to make from your document a certified translation that will be recognized and legalized in a foreign country. There are basically three steps:

Step 1: Legalize the Document with an Apostille

If the document originates from a foreign government, its origin must first be certified by an apostille. You must send the document to whatever government organization, in your home country, issues apostille. They’ll attach an apostille to the document which certifies its origin.

An apostille is a certificate, issued under the International Apostille Convention (IAC), which authenticates the origin of a public document. Note that the document it’s attached to, will be a legally recognized document, only in countries which are members of the IAC, which established a standard way of legalizing documents between countries. The IAC required each country to issue apostilles (here are the countries that are part of the IAC).

The notary will stamp both the original document, the apostille, and the translation on the back, which will include a document number. We suggest that you write that number down and keep it for future use. If later you need those same translated and notarized documents you can use this number to retrieve the documents from your notary (this will be cheaper than going through the process again). If you wish to go into more details you can take a look at the following: The Apostille Handbook: A practical guide to the Apostille Convention and Apostilles.

Step 2: Translate with a sworn translator

The next step is to have the document, and the attached apostille, translated by the sworn translator. A sworn translator must graduate from an accredited university’s faculty of translation and swear an oath before the court declaring they will perform their translations truthfully.

Step 3: A notary confirms the translations

After the translator finishes the translation, they’ll take it to a notary, and swear that the translation is accurate. The notary will stamp and sign the translation, give it a number, and keep a copy of it.

If you have any further questions or you need a price quote for a sworn translation, please do not hesitate to contact us in the form above, in the chat box or simply call us. We will be happy to assist.