Certified/Notarized Translation Services

When clients are requested to provide an official translation, it typically causes a lot of confusion because most people do not deal with such matters on a daily basis and do not know what to expect. The fact that different countries and even offices of the same organization in the same country often use different procedures (that change often) and terms does not help either! For instance, you can see requests for “official”, “certified”, “accredited”, “sworn”, “court-approved” translation. But what is the difference between them?

Essentially, they all mean the same thing, but some terms have a very specific meaning in some contexts. 

In Canada, there are 2 main ways to do an official translation – it can be a “certified” or “notarized” translation (they can also be sworn before a Commissioner for Oaths / Affidavits”, this is a light version of a notarized translation).

So, what exactly are they and which one to choose? 

The term “Certified Translator” is a protected title in a number of provinces. This means that only members in good standing (meaning that all dues have been paid and there are no legal claims, formal complaints or ethical issues raised or investigated against this person) of a provincial translators’ association can use this title, and only when certifying translations done in a specific language combination in which translator is certified (English to French and French to English would be 2 different combinations requiring separate certification exams or procedures). The process of certification is usually very long and difficult (on average, taking 3-4 years for people who already have a linguistic degree and many years of experience), and when a person achieves this status, it comes with certain trust, recognition and responsibilities. Many (but not all) organizations and offices trust translations done by certified translators and often (but not always) accept them at face value without any additional verifications. 

However, the term “certified” itself is not protected and can be used by other professionals such as lawyers. So, a “certified translation” implies and naturally looks like it should be done by a “Certified Translator”, but it is not always the case! A translator can also be certified in his/her own country, but not in Canada, this is why usually a clarification is needed – for example, a document needs to be translated by a Canadian Certified Translator. Moreover, out of 200+ languages spoken in Canada, only about 50 offer certification exams, and in some language combinations there are very few certified translators (as few as 1-2 for the whole country!), while in others there can be none. Sometimes, certain organizations and offices such as courts prefer specific procedures because they carry a greater weight in their eyes, and some other organizations have their own lists of their preferred translators who need to be accredited following their specific rules and procedures. 

What this means from the practical point of view is that there are other acceptable forms of certifying a translation to make it official.

One of the main ones is a “notarized” translation when translator appears before a Notary Public and swears a special affidavit testifying to the accuracy of translation. Notarized translations of documents are often required by courts or when submitting documents to be used outside of Canada, for example as part of the legalization procedure (Canadian equivalent of Apostille). In short, a notarized translation provides an additional level of proof to evidence the accuracy of the translation, but the exact legal aspects and implications of this procedure can vary from place to place.