So far, you may have covered important ground with your communications translation goals. You may have selected which communication formats are ripe for translation, you must have sorted out your priorities, figured out your target audience areas, and even searched for good translators.
Most of the time, it looks and feels like enough that the document or communication task you wanted translated was done on time, without cost overruns, and according to the planned project. However, most countries have a trend and a tendency to also promote the certification of these translations.
This is not to be confused with translator certification, which, by the way, is also a good hallmark of professional translation services as it validates the skills, professional stature and competencies of a given translator.
Translation-related certification, on the other hand, is about ensuring that the given task has been well aligned with the accuracy aspect of both sides of the language. It also filters down to a conclusive indicator that the message remains intact in the result translation. The certification generally covers the following areas:
The source document in the original language
The translated document in the target language
· A sworn statement from the translation company representative that they believe the translated document fully and completely represents the original source document. It bears the Notary’s signature.
Some of the documents that frequently require a certified translation include:
Birth certificates
school certificates
university certificates
· Legal documents
Contracts and financial agreements
Presentations before the tax authorities, etc.
Most personal documents require a sworn translation. Some companies that carry out transactions in different countries must present certain types of documents previously specified in the language of that country.
This is done through various means, such as a notarized signature or certification, or someone certifying on behalf of the company or translator. The idea is to convey accuracy and completeness in the translation task. This does not necessarily imply that the company or the translator involved must also be certified. But any rules or protocols to be followed by the main translation body or regulator in the given region or industry would be a suitable guide to follow.
Certified translations are often requested by colleges, universities, and government agencies such as tax authorities, financial regulators, etc.
One may wonder what is the purpose of this seemingly bureaucratic element in the translation process, but it has often proved useful when in some cases the question of translation negligence or misinterpretation or responsibility for an incorrect translation has been raised. This becomes a sticking point when it comes to official documents. Or imagine the case of a legal set of translation jobs where any carelessness, recklessness or misinterpretation of key issues or even insufficient skills to get the translation done right can exponentially turn into huge problems.
The certification area allows for a certain sense of quality and accuracy to emerge and also allows for the identification of the translators involved, should a mishap occur with the documents in the course of any legal proceedings ahead.
Certification is not mandatory, but it often helps and distinguishes strong process-oriented translation providers from those that are not.