What is a certified translation?
In some cases, a certified (sworn) translation is needed. Typically, these are translations of official documents, such as marriage certificates, school certificates, university diplomas, court submissions, judgments, etc. A certified translation is a translation with a signed statement attesting that the translation is accurate and complete to the best of the translator’s knowledge and ability, the so-called oath. Translation and oath are attached to the original, and carry the translator’s stamp and signature.
Certified (sworn) translators usually have a university education in their working language(s) and have mastered various translating skills. Only translators who have been sworn in at a court can issue certified translations.
Depending on the country and situation, it may or may not need a notary public to notarize it. As long as a document has to be submitted to the government or a legal body, the translations should be certified.
In 1989 I was certified as a translator French <> Dutch before the District Court of Haarlem, the Netherlands. In 1997, I took the oath before the District Court of Amsterdam and became a sworn translator English <> Dutch. In 2018 I was sworn in as a translator and interpreter French <> Dutch before the Supreme Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
