Certified Translation in NYC

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with a translation service in new york city? I need some documents to be translated from albanian, french and italian (all) into english. obviously they need to be certified translations. if you have any relevant info, it would be most appreciated. THANKS

[Minya's wife 24]

"Certified" translations for the purposes of the USCIS, and/or the consulate means that the translation has to be certified as accurate....not that the translator has to be certified.

§ 1003.33 Translation of documents.

Any foreign language document offered by a party in a proceeding shall be accompanied by an English language translation and a certification signed by the translator that must be printed legibly or typed. Such certification must include a statement that the translator is competent to translate the document, and that the translation is true and accurate to the best of the translator's abilities.

The link to this is here.

The certification statement should read something like:

I, _________ certify that I am fluent (conversant) in the English and ______ languages, and that the above/attached document is an accurate translation of the document attached entitled __________.

Signature: ___________________________ Date: ____________

Name & Address

Good luck!

-P

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh thanks lol i thought that it was something like a notary lol guess not =)

so you mean that i can get any native speaker of that language to translate the documents for me as long as they will sign that statement? do they have to translate everything the document says (ie: train tickets, hotel receipts) or can it just get the main points across...the important stuff???

[bora bora 1]

The only "certified" copy we sent was for my husband's BC. Everything else - our e-mails, letters, cards, hotel receipt, business card... was in English.

Otherwise you could look it up in the phone book, or online, or ask Berlitz Language School in Manhattan.

[Minya's wife 24]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh thanks lol i thought that it was something like a notary lol guess not =)

so you mean that i can get any native speaker of that language to translate the documents for me as long as they will sign that statement? do they have to translate everything the document says (ie: train tickets, hotel receipts) or can it just get the main points across...the important stuff???

What exactly are you trying to translate? If its for the I-129F petition, such things as tickets or hotel receipts do not need translation. You can just identify each item for what it is in english. I did not include my fiance's Birth Certificate in the I-129F petition, since it only asks you to prove a meeting has occured between you and your fiancee w/in the last two years. I included such proof (receipts, airline boarding passes, passport stamps from both our passports, etc.) and about 8-9 photos. That was it and I was approved. Others here on VJ included a lot more and they were also approved....so go w/ what feels best for you.

Good luck!

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

yea, the main concern is translating his passport...i have some friends in nyc who speak both albanian and english...can i have them do it for me?

i speak italian, can i translate the train tickets that are in italian as long as a i sign the statement? or should i get a disinterested party?

the train tickets are a pretty important piece of evidence in my case, so i would like them to be translated, those are the only two things tho

Edited June 28, 2007 by babybluesusie

[Minya's wife 24]

yea, the main concern is translating his birth certificate...i have some friends in nyc who speak both albanian and english...can i have them do it for me?

i speak italian, can i translate the train tickets that are in italian as long as a i sign the statement? or should i get a disinterested party?

the train tickets are a pretty important piece of evidence in my case, so i would like them to be translated, those are the only two things tho

I included bus tickets (in Hungarian) in my petition and did not have it translated. I just color copied the tickets on an 81/2 x 11 sheet of paper and identified the ticket as a "bus ticket to", and underlined the destination city/locality.

The key is primary evidence.....unless the train ticket shows your name on it, or your fiancee's name on it, it does not serve as primary. Stamps in passport are such primary evidence.

There are threads here on VJ discussing the difference between types of evidences used, and what couts as primary vs. secondary evidence.

-P

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

thanks...i think i know the difference, but i was just confused bc i thought it said in the instructions to have certified copies of all documents and supporting evidence...i could have read it wrong tho...if you submitted it with no problem then i will not have the train tickets translated...i will just translate his passport

the train tickets are pretty basic anyway (date, destination, time, etc)...i did think it was sort of ridiculous to pay in order to have such a simple document translated...

thanks again, youre a great help!

[Minya's wife 24]

thanks...i think i know the difference, but i was just confused bc i thought it said in the instructions to have certified copies of all documents and supporting evidence...i could have read it wrong tho...if you submitted it with no problem then i will not have the train tickets translated...i will just translate his passport

the train tickets are pretty basic anyway (date, destination, time, etc)...i did think it was sort of ridiculous to pay in order to have such a simple document translated...

thanks again, youre a great help!

Just out of curiosity...why would you need his passport translated? It is an "international travel document"...most passports have the word "Passport" or something similar on them somewhere...so it is known what the document is. I'm not completely sure on this score, and maybe someone else will see this thread and be able to offer a more definitive answer on this. Alternatively you may want to contact another VJ member who had a fiance or spouse from Albania. Perhaps they can help you.

Good luck!

-P

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

i dont know, i thought i had to...do u think i can submit the italian work visa without a translation?

i mean the exit stamp is pretty basic, so maybe i dont need that translated, but what about the visa? you think its ok as is?

i mean thatd be great, because then i can submit my forms as soon as the copies arrive in the mail later this week

[Minya's wife 24]

i dont know, i thought i had to...do u think i can submit the italian work visa without a translation?

i mean the exit stamp is pretty basic, so maybe i dont need that translated, but what about the visa? you think its ok as is?

i mean thatd be great, because then i can submit my forms as soon as the copies arrive in the mail later this week

I'm assuming the work visa is stamped in the passport, right? So once you have a copy of all the pages of the passport, you can put a * next to the page w/ the work visa and highlight the appropriate dates and country (for which the visa was issued) and explain on the page that this is the work visa, that you're submitting as "evidence" of presence in the country in question. I do not see why it would need translation. Think of the pre-requisite for the petition you're filing....as in you as the petitioner need to prove that you met your fiancee w/in the last two years. So if you can prove w/ such primary evidence as passports that you were both in the same place during the same time.....you attach some supporting evidence (such as photos) you should be fine. Perhaps someone else will weigh in w/ their opinion....but I'm not seeing why the visa would need to be translated.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this.

OP, if you haven't done so already....read the guides here, things are quite clearly explained regarding what and how to submit for the I-129F petition for Fiance(e) visa.

Good luck!

-P

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

thanks a bunch...ive got a good idea of what needs to be sent, i was just confused and thought that anything in foreign language had to be translated...i am finding out that this is not the case

thanks again

my life is much easier now =)

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

i just realized why i am confused on this...in the instructions for I-129F part 2 (d) it states the following:

"Translations. Any foreign language document must be accompanied by a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and correct, and by the translator's certification that he/she is competent to translate the foreign language into English"

what does this mean if it doesnt mean that anything in a foreign language must be translated?

[Minya's wife 24]

i just realized why i am confused on this...in the instructions for I-129F part 2 (d) it states the following:

"Translations. Any foreign language document must be accompanied by a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and correct, and by the translator's certification that he/she is competent to translate the foreign language into English"

what does this mean if it doesnt mean that anything in a foreign language must be translated?

Please read the threads below as they show examples of what people translated and/or not for the I-129F.

http://visajourney.com/forums/lofiversion/...php/t26113.html

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/lofivers...php/t32687.html

Bottom line is....go with what you feel is best for you. Regardless of how well you follow instructions, USCIS adjudications of petitions are full of contradictions. Example: Some petitioners submitted only a passport (like me) to prove their US citizenship and were approved....others did the same thing and they received an RFE and asked to submit their birth certificate as additional proof of citizenship.

So the best advice anyone can give you is, after reading the instructions, and all the available information here at VJ....do what you feel comfortable with.

Good luck!

-P

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

thanks a bunch!

just to be safe i will translate the italian train tickets myself, and have my friend translate the passport...as for the french train tickets, ill leave those untranslated because i dont know anyone who speaks french! theyre of minor importance anyways