If you are someone in need of certified translation, you may not know what you need, where to start from and where to look for it. It is understandable to be confused especially if this is something you haven’t done before.
However, guidance exists and it is available in the public domain. It must be read, and understood. The answer to the burning question varies.
Here are some questions I need to ask you first:
What do you have in mind?
How do you want me to certify it?
What is the purpose of the translation?
Which is the receiving authority?
Do they have any requirements?
Are you aware of any requirements?
Which is the receiving country?
There is no one way fits all.
And that causes confusion.
In my case, my certified translations state “official translation” at the top of the page and my certifying statement at the bottom of the page.
The certifying statement certifies the translation as “true and accurate of the attached original”. The word original here refers to the document or text the translation came from and has nothing to do with whether your document is an original, a copy, a certified copy, a digital document etc.
Translators are not concerned by this and it is not our job to ensure the source material is original. The certifying statement further includes my full name, company details, contact details, and translator registration numbers with CIOL, and ITI.
It carries my signature and the date on which the translation was signed. It can also carry the ITI seal, the CIOL seal and a notarial-style corner attaching the documents together.
It must be understood that anyone can order a stamp and stamp anything they print with it. A stamp itself should mean nothing. A registered translator’s credentials can be verified online as they are public and listed under the relevant organisations’ directories. (CIOL, ITI, ATC, etc.)
Translators can certify their own translations. They have no authorisation to act under any other capacity such as that of a Notary, Solicitor etc. We cannot legalise someone’s signature or attach an Apostille to a document. That is not our job. It is the government’s job.
We are not Embassies. We are not Consulates. We are not Ministries. We are translators and/or translation companies.
If you need anyone to legalise our signature, we still need to certify our translations. Otherwise, the translation won’t carry a signature and you will have nothing to legalise. Documents cannot be legalised, signatures are legalised.
A signature that is not legalised is not an “illegal” signature.
Here is some further guidance on certifying translations available on the official UK translation associations and UK government websites:
https://www.gov.uk/certifying-a-document
Chartered Institute of Linguists guidance
https://www.ciol.org.uk/certified-translations
Institute of Translation and Interpreting guidance
https://www.iti.org.uk/find-professional-translator-interpreter/official-translations.html
At Greek to Me, we follow and comply with the above guidance and the requirements of UK government bodies such as HMRC, Home Office, HMPO and more. We can also provide certified translations that are valid in Greece – equal to lawyers’ certified translations and equal to the translations produced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For enquiries, contact **@****me.com
