Creditors conducting business internationally are sometimes required to provide certified translations of documents. These may include contracts or invoices for judicial and legal proceedings against a debtor. The court conducting the proceedings will not accept a general summary of the document in the target language. In order to be accepted by courts or other authorities, the document must be a certified translation of the source text.

What is translation?

Translating a text involves deciphering the significance and meaning of the text. An equivalent text, expressing the same significance and meaning in a different language, is then created. The text of the original document is the source language. The language the document is translated into is the target language.

To be accurate, a translation must take into account the context of the document, the grammar, writing practices, and idiomatic expressions of both languages. Translating a text is not simply a matter of reproducing the words of the source text in another language. For this reason, translations done by a software program are not considered certifiable.

What is a certified translation?

In general a certified translation consists of the following:

The original text in the source language.
The translated text in the target language.
A statement bearing a notarized signature of the translator attesting that the translator believes the target language text to be an accurate and complete translation of the source text. Note: The Notary Public is authenticating the validity of the signatory of the document and not the accuracy of the translation.

What is a certified translator?

A certification implies that the translator has demonstrated certain qualifications and/or experience which equip them to provide accurate translations.

Some countries have a formal government organization that mandates the qualifications and certifications of translators. The governing body in these countries can provide you with a list of certified translators.

Where no centralized certification authority exists, groups such as the American Translators Association may credential translators working in the United States or abroad. In other countries, however, these credentials do not always bear the same authority or influence as federal licensing or certification does.

Selecting a translator

The court has the authority to reject your documents if the judge deems the translation inaccurate. It is important, therefore, that you find a creditable translator.

Your choice of translator should also take into account areas of the translator’s expertise. If you must have contracts, invoices, guarantees, or other commercial documents translated, your translator should have a thorough knowledge of the conventions applied to such documents in both the source and target languages.

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This information is provided by ABC-Amega Inc. -- providing 1st and 3rd party commercial collection services since 1929, and collecting in more than 200 countries worldwide. For further information, contact info@abc-amega.com.