Notary Thread poster: Christine Durandis
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Hello there,
I have been working as an interpreter and have recently decided to make the switch to translation. The biggest question I have is how to deal with documents that need to be notarized? Should I contract a third party to do so or can I get the certification myself? Thank for your help.
| | | | Tony M
France
Local time: 19:46
Member
French to English
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Nothing to do with notaries. | Apr 12, 2015 |
I'm not quite clear what you are hoping for here; generally, notaries don't enter into it, and you don't get a translation 'notarized'.
I think you are probably talking about becoming a 'sworn' translator ('assermenté') — this is a status totally independent of any involvement of a notaire, and may involve you in translating documents that do not necessarily have any connections with a notaire's activities.
First of all, you do of course need to be sure you are suita... See more I'm not quite clear what you are hoping for here; generally, notaries don't enter into it, and you don't get a translation 'notarized'.
I think you are probably talking about becoming a 'sworn' translator ('assermenté') — this is a status totally independent of any involvement of a notaire, and may involve you in translating documents that do not necessarily have any connections with a notaire's activities.
First of all, you do of course need to be sure you are suitably qualified and experienced — legale translation is a highly specialized field, for which you really need not only a great deal of general translation experience, but also specialist training in both law (in both source and target languages) AND legal translation.
If you are sure you are ready for this, then you need to get yourself approved as a 'traducteur assermenté' — you should probably start by finding out about this from the SFT (if you are not already a member, this would certainly be a good idea now).
Although being a sworn translator may enable you to charge higher rates for sworn translations, it can be a double-edged sword; you probably won't be able to charge the higher rates for general translations where people haven't any specific requirement for the translation to be sworn, so you may find yourself stuck with doing a somewhat limited range of translations in order to benefit from your investment.
As far as getting translations 'sworn' by a third party, this is a strict no-no and cannot (legally) be done.
Why don't you directly contact some of our ProZ colleagues who advertise the fact they are sworn transltors to see if they can offer any advice?
[Modifié le 2015-04-12 21:13 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Francis Murphy (X) 
Canada
Local time: 14:46
French to English
| Notarized documents | Apr 12, 2015 |
These comments apply to the meaning of "notarized" not to "certified translation".
As I understand it, a notary can legally attest to the validity of the signature on a document. He/she witnesses the person sign the document, reviews the persons personal identification and signs and seals (with a rubber stamp, typically) the document, showing the notary's jurisdiction (US state) and when his/her commission (as a notary) expires.
Most lawyers are also notaries, but nota... See more These comments apply to the meaning of "notarized" not to "certified translation".
As I understand it, a notary can legally attest to the validity of the signature on a document. He/she witnesses the person sign the document, reviews the persons personal identification and signs and seals (with a rubber stamp, typically) the document, showing the notary's jurisdiction (US state) and when his/her commission (as a notary) expires.
Most lawyers are also notaries, but notaries need not be lawyers. I believe that each US state regulates the notary profession. When I worked in Massachusetts in manufacturing, we made many shipments to overseas locations and often needed notarized documents. I sent my secretary to a state-sponsored course (1 day) to learn the process and be tested. She was then qualified as a notary and recorded in the state's registry of notaries. She received a rubber stamp and had to periodically renew her licensure. The fees were modest for this course and license. There may be other requirements and these may vary by state. ▲ Collapse
| | | | LEXpert
United States
Local time: 12:46
Member (2008)
Croatian to English
+ ...
| From the US perspective | Apr 12, 2015 |
Since you are in the US, here is the most common understanding of the nomenclature from that perspective:
Certified: You attach a signed statement of accuracy to the effect you are competent to translate from language x into language y, and that the translation is complete and accurate to the best your ability, knowledge and belief. You describe the document (e.g., "Birth Certificate of xxxx yyyy issued on ddmmyyyy by the Ministry of Interior at BBB"). Include your name and contact ... See more Since you are in the US, here is the most common understanding of the nomenclature from that perspective:
Certified: You attach a signed statement of accuracy to the effect you are competent to translate from language x into language y, and that the translation is complete and accurate to the best your ability, knowledge and belief. You describe the document (e.g., "Birth Certificate of xxxx yyyy issued on ddmmyyyy by the Ministry of Interior at BBB"). Include your name and contact information, as well as the date.
Normally, this is sufficient for most purposes in the US.
Notarized: Same as certified, except you take your statement to a notary public in order to have your signature on the statement notarized, which confirms that you signed the document personally. Sometimes requested by customers, usually when it is important to the customer that the certification look "official", as the US has no officially "sworn" translators. Make sure that your quote takes into account the time for going to the notary and the notary's fee (usually nominal, but varies by state).
[Edited at 2015-04-12 21:40 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Jean Lachaud
United States
Local time: 13:46
English to French
+ ...
| no fees for notaries | Apr 12, 2015 |
There is no "contracting" with a notary public.
In many states (NY among others), notaries public are not allowed to charge for their services.
In NY state, most bank branches have a notary public on staff.
Also add the time it needs to process the notarized paper document (time required to mail/FedEx, etc., including travel to and from the post office and the wait). I charge 1 hour for a notarized paper document.
Also, don't forget to include ... See more There is no "contracting" with a notary public.
In many states (NY among others), notaries public are not allowed to charge for their services.
In NY state, most bank branches have a notary public on staff.
Also add the time it needs to process the notarized paper document (time required to mail/FedEx, etc., including travel to and from the post office and the wait). I charge 1 hour for a notarized paper document.
Also, don't forget to include the originals with the translation and the certification, and staples all of them together.
I recently had a rubber stamp made that I affix to the back of each original and translated page.
Rudolf Vedo CT wrote:
Since you are in the US, here is the most common understanding of the nomenclature from that perspective:
Notarized: Same as certified, except you take your statement to a notary public in order to have your signature on the statement notarized, which confirms that you signed the document personally. Sometimes requested by customers, usually when it is important to the customer that the certification look "official", as the US has no officially "sworn" translators. Make sure that your quote takes into account the time for going to the notary and the notary's fee (usually nominal, but varies by state).
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| | | | Adrian MM. (X)
Local time: 19:46
French to English
+ ...
| US, Canada vs. British Isles | Apr 12, 2015 |
On both sides of the Pond, agency or private clients will usually specify if they want (inexpensive) self-certification - signed, sealed and stamped - by a sworn or chartered translator: in many Continental European jurisdictions, Notaries are not allowed to get involved (see Tony M. for France vs. the UK whilst notarial embroilment is a no-go for Austria).
The term of notaris/zation of a translation is ambiguous and avoided by City of London notaries (ranking as European Civil La... See more On both sides of the Pond, agency or private clients will usually specify if they want (inexpensive) self-certification - signed, sealed and stamped - by a sworn or chartered translator: in many Continental European jurisdictions, Notaries are not allowed to get involved (see Tony M. for France vs. the UK whilst notarial embroilment is a no-go for Austria).
The term of notaris/zation of a translation is ambiguous and avoided by City of London notaries (ranking as European Civil Law Notaries AND sworn translators) because it can mean:
1. notarial or 'Commissioner for Oaths' (= *practising* Barrister's or Solicitor's) certfication of a document witnessing only the signature of the translator who claims to have done the translation or
2. (expensive) notarial 'attestation' - with seals, annexure of original and translation plus red ribboning - of the *accuracy and faithful reflection* (e.g including TYPOS that must be left uncorrected 'sic') of
(i) a translation done by a City of London Scrivener-Linguist Notary him- or herself and conversant with both the source- and target-language
(ii) or a translation presented as a fait accompli by someone else, subject to well-known notarial objections like 'How do I know you did this translation. I never saw you on the (translation) job!'
or, if not conversant with source and target or does not the have time to engage in such a laborious pursuit:
(iii) has the translation done by a person or persons from a pool of approved translators, such as foreign Consulates and Embassies may keep, or
(iv) pre-notarial attestation: has the translation checked by such a person.
[Edited at 2015-04-13 00:15 GMT]
[Edited at 2015-04-13 00:18 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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The ATA (American Translators Association) should be able to help you with the information you need.
https://www.atanet.org/
| | | | | You cannot notarize your own certificate of accuracy, in the US. | Apr 13, 2015 |
It is not true that Notaries cannot charge anything, they can charge $2 in New York State, and they can also charge for traveling if they have to travel anywhere, on an hourly basis plus expenses. They usually charge about $150 when they have to travel somewhere, like to a hospital. (not too far away though, like 30 min travel) $2 for a notarization in their office. They can waive the fee, but they cannot charge more than $2.
All the notarized documents to be used outside of the... See more It is not true that Notaries cannot charge anything, they can charge $2 in New York State, and they can also charge for traveling if they have to travel anywhere, on an hourly basis plus expenses. They usually charge about $150 when they have to travel somewhere, like to a hospital. (not too far away though, like 30 min travel) $2 for a notarization in their office. They can waive the fee, but they cannot charge more than $2.
All the notarized documents to be used outside of the US need to be accompanied by an Apostille, which is issued by the Secretary of State, of the state in which the Notary is qualified.
[Edited at 2015-04-13 09:19 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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