A couple of readers have asked me lately how to certify a translation, so that’s today’s topic. This applies to translations certified for U.S. purposes: to be used in the U.S. or by U.S entities such as diplomatic facilities.
Some freelance translators want nothing to do with certified translations, and that’s totally fine. If you hate working with individuals, just don’t do it. Personally, I find certified translations easy and lucrative; I work on a per-page rate (usually US $75 per page) and I don’t do the translation until the client pays by credit card. I handle that through QuickBooks Online invoicing; until a few months ago I used PayPal, but since switching to QBO, I prefer that. It’s much cleaner in my accounting records, the fee is about the same as PayPal, and I think that the invoices look more professional. So far this year, I’ve earned $6,200 doing certified translations for individuals: about half of what I’ve earned from translating for direct clients or interpreting for agencies, but definitely enough to make it worthwhile.
To certify a translation for U.S. purposes, you should:
- First, put the responsibility for determining the certification requirements on the client, not on yourself. Individual clients will ask you all kinds of things:Will the Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles accept your translation? Will the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg accept your translation? There is no possible way for you to know all of these requirements, and you don’t want to be responsible if your translation is rejected. So you want to say something to the client such as, “I am certified by the American Translators Association for German to English translation. Please verify with the entity to which you’re submitting the translation whether that certification is acceptable for their purposes, or send me their certification requirements and I will review them.”
- This relates to another issue, whether you have to be ATA-certified in order to certify a translation for U.S. purposes. Yes, no, maybe. That’s the honest answer. Many entities, most notably USCIS, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, do not require any credentials as a translator in order to certify a translation. The translator simply has to sign a certificate of accuracy saying that they are competent to translate the document, and that the translation is true and accurate. However, I feel that it is a distinct advantage to be ATA-certified if you want to translate official documents. Many entities do require it, and the vast majority of entities that require some sort of translator credential are going to require ATA certification.
- Use a certificate of accuracy. Entities such as the American Translators Association have sample certificates of accuracy available for free on their websites. If you are certified, put your Certified Translator seal on the certificate of accuracy. If you are not ATA-certified, just sign the certificate of accuracy. I no longer offer paper copies of the certificate of accuracy unless the client requests them: otherwise I just electronically sign the PDF version of the certificate in Adobe, and tell the client that they can print it out if needed.
- Make a policy about notarized certifications. Realistically, notarized certifications mean nothing (literally, nothing) about the quality of the translation. I’ve honestly never had a document notarized by a notary who even understood French, much less could assess the quality of the translation. All a notarized certification means is that the translator is who they say they are. And yet, people love notarized certifications because they look official. I strongly discourage notarized certifications because they are time-consuming and annoying to obtain; I nearly always have to explain to the notary that the purpose is only to notarize my signature, nothing to do with the translation. It can also be a challenge to find a place (typically, a bank branch) to get things notarized. Typically, I will tell clients that I recommend against a notarized certification only if the entity to which they are submitting the translation absolutely will not accept the translation without a notary’s stamp. I’ve also used an online notary through Notarize.com a couple of times, with good results. The only caveat is that the notary will be certified in a state that allows virtual notary services (typically, Nevada) rather than in the translator’s home state.
If you have other questions about how to certify a translation, just pop them in the chat, and I’ll try to help you!
Corinne McKay (classes@trainingfortranslators.com) is the founder of Training for Translators, and has been a full-time freelancer since 2002. An ATA-certified French to English translator and Colorado court-certified interpreter, she also holds a Master of Conference Interpreting from Glendon College. For more tips and insights, join the Training for Translators mailing list!
The point about making the client responsible for determining the certification requirements is spot on! I’m ATA-certified for French > English, but living where I do, most of the local requests I receive for certified translations are for Spanish > English. I simply explain upfront that, although I’m qualified to translate from Spanish, my ATA certification is for a different language pair. Depending on their needs, the client may decide to proceed anyway, or they may prefer not to take any chances and opt instead for a different translator. Either way is fine, but it’s up to them.
Really interesting, thanks Jennifer!
Perfectly summarized, as always! I also enjoy translating official documents for individuals: I find them to be a nice diversion from business docs and also lucrative. The two main drivers of such jobs for me are academic and immigration applications, but increasingly, I’ve been contacted about real estate transactions and inheritances, sometimes by banks, title companies, and law firms. These jobs come with high perceived value and low price-sensitivity and are a good business segment for those with a good routine in place (including templates for the email message, quote, invoice, and attestation of accuracy) and good skills in Word, Acrobat, and an OCR tool.
Thanks, Michael! Wow, really interesting observation about the estate and real estate jobs; I’ll look into that for myself!
The points that you have mentioned for the process of certifying a translation are so apt. Thank you for your help. It is beneficial for a lot of freelancers who are new to this field.
Do you know of a good resource for finding translators that can translate from English to Arabic effectively?
Have you tried the directory of the American Translators Association (atanet.org)?
Hi, How do you handle the translation of a report card that is mostly in English but has parts that are in the national language, e.g. Indonesian? The card must be translated into German. Can the Indonesian translator handle the translation and claim the translation as a ‘Translation of a Document in English and Indonesian’?
My opinion would be that it depends on whether the English and Indonesian text is the same, or different. For example there are some North African countries that issue documents with French and Arabic text on the same page, but the Arabic just repeats the French, so I put a notation, something like [Translator’s note: The original document is bilingual (French/Arabic). Only the French text has been translated here]. But if it’s a situation where you have some text in English and some Indonesian and it’s not the same thing, then you need two translators, one for each language pair, unless you have someone who is certified or qualified for both.
Great insights on certifying translations! I appreciate how you clearly outline the steps and share your personal experiences. Your advice on handling client expectations and the pros and cons of notarized certifications is particularly helpful. It’s refreshing to see a professional share their strategies for success in this niche. Thanks for the valuable tips!
Awesome, glad it was helpful!
To get a certified legal translation in Dubai, the translator must be accredited by the UAE Ministry of Justice. A certified translator must pass the Ministry of Justice’s exam with a score of at least 75%, after which they take an oath. Once this process is complete, the translator becomes a sworn and certified translator.
this is very useful thank you