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What is the difference between certified and notarized translation?

Certified Translation and Notarized Translation are not the same.

Notarized translations and certified translations are very different

What is the difference between certified translation and notarized translation in the United States? In simple terms, a certified translation is needed for court procedures, legal documents, USCIS, and all immigration and naturalization purposes. Notarized translation is typically required for local DMV offices, the US Department of State, for US Passport applications, or when sending documents abroad. The difference between certification and notarization is not as complicated as it sounds, and the following information will help provide detailed information regarding the different types of translation.

What is a certified translation?

If you have a document, such as a vital record, academic document or legal document written in a language other than English, you have have been asked to get a certified translation of your document. You may be asking: what is a certified translation? The questions is simple, but the answer is complicated here in the United States. Other countries have national or regional certifications issued by the government; however, the united states does not have any government-issued or government-sponsored certifications for documents translations.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see a see a sample of our standard translation certification letter.

A certified translation, in the United States, is where an official translator stamps and signs each page (a copy of the original, source document and the translated page) and includes a sworn affidavit, translator’s certification, or translator’s affidavit. This affidavit must be on company letterhead, provide necessary credentials and contact information and use government mandated wording. This is known as a ‘sworn translation’ in Europe and other regions. The federal government, such as USCIS, requires translators to include the following information on the requisite certification letter:

An official statement regarding and attesting to the accuracy of the translation in its source language and the language of translation
Specific wording related to the qualifications of the translator a professional, certified translator in the United States
References to the the type of document, that is, the original translated document or source material
Contact information: name, address and phone number of the translation company
Name, signature and date of the translator, which should also be included on the translation certification stamp.

Does a translator need to be certified by the ATA in order to be a certified translator?

No, not at all. The American Translators Association is an advocacy group and great resource for translators, and we have been a member for more than ten years; nonetheless, there are no requirements from the United States Federal Government or any state or local government agency to have ATA certification. Certified translation are not limited to those who have certification from the ATA. Some states, cities and municipalities suggest membership, but it is never required in order to provide an official, certified translation.

What is a notarized translation?

Another common question is: what is a notarized translation? A notarized translation is similar to a certified translation; however, the translator signs the certification letter (translator’s affidavit) in the presence of a duly commissioned third-party notary, which provides an additional stamp on the certification letter. Simply notarizing a document or the translation itself does not make the document an official, certified translation. All of the required information from a standard certification letter must be included, and from that point, the additional information from the notary is added.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see a sample of our notarized translation certification letter.

Can a translator certify a translation that has already been completed by someone else?

Is it possible to certify a translation that has already been completed? Yes and no. If the translation cannot be edited or has another translator’s seal on the page, it cannot be certified. If it can be edited and updated, that is, the translator make it his or her own translation, then it would be fine to certify the translation; however, in most cases, this is not possible. If a translation has been completed by someone who is not a professionally trained translator, most likely it was not done in accordance with current standards and regulations.

Summary: Certified vs Notarized Translation

Certified Translation is required for:

USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly INS)
DOD (Department of Defense) Usually for enlistment, recurring or background purposes. Also for the Spouse Card, Uniformed Services Card or Common Access Card, also known as the CAC and USID cards.
DOE (Department of Energy) Usually for employment or background purposes.
NVC (National Visa Center) Standard Certified Translation required in 2MB PDF Electronic Form
Federal and State Courts, Most Local Courts (Most States) All courts are different, but we have found that a typical, standard certification is acceptable for Federal and State courts.
College Applications, Graduate School Applications (Most colleges accept official translations)
Transcript Evaluation Companies (Most evaporators do not require notarization anymore)

Notarized Translation is required for:

US Passport Applications (Department of State or US Post Office)
DMV (Some states: Georgia, Tennessee, New Mexico, etc.) If in doubt, it is always a good idea to notarize before applying for a new driver’s license.
Some Local Courts (Various States) Most do not require notarization anymore; however, you should check local requirements.
International Submission (All Countries) When sending documents to another country, it is always best to notarize the certification letter.
Visa Applications to Spain for study abroad, residency, long-term travel, or other applications.
Apostille and Authentication Applications (All States) Only Ecuador and Colombia require that the translation is authenticated, which requires a state-specific notarized translation.

Although the question seems complicated, it is really not. Still don’t understand the difference between certified and notarized translation? Call or email anytime, and we will help. We can provide additional information based on your situation and have your documents translated in 24 hours or less. Our translations can be certified, notarized and are fully guaranteed. We can also ship via FedEx if needed.