One question many clients have asked is, “Why do I need a certified translation?”

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires certified translations for all documents written in a foreign language. Note their excerpt from www.uscis.gov:

“(3) Translations. Any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS shall be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and by the translator’s certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.”

“Certified Translation” and “Notarized Translation” – Are they the same?

Not necessarily. Here is the difference:

Certified Translation:  A translation of the foreign text into English accompanied by a document that confirms the accuracy and integrity of both the translation and the translator.

Notarized Translation: A confirmation by a public notary that the person signing the translation is in fact who they say they are.

The USCIS requires that all translations be certified, but not necessarily notarized. Notarized copies are usually needed if the documents will used outside of the United States.

When will I need a Certified Translation?

Certified Translations will likely be needed in the following scenarios:

• When applying for immigration proceedings
• When enrolling for a college or university in the U.S., transcripts and diplomas should be accompanied by a certified translation
• When applying for employment based immigration, letters and references should be accompanied by a certified translation
• When a patient from foreign country needs treatment in the U.S., their records should be accompanied by certified translations

As you can see, certified translations are crucial in many legal scenarios, but especially when dealing with immigration to the United States.

If you would like assistance with Spanish certified translations, notarized translations, or both in any of your proceedings, PSquared is happy to help. Mention our blog post, and we’ll give you 20% off of your order.