Police report translation

[Rod James 0]

I received a police record from The DRC Congo, which is French Speaking, and need to translate it.

the questions i have are do i need to translate every portion of the page like the crest, header, title of the official signing the document, etc. or just the main results of the search which says:

PAS D'ANTECEDENTS JUDICIAIRES CONNUS

which means "no judicial antecedents known"

Also i'm wondering if i could just get my parents, who are bilingual, to translate the document, sign a paper claiming to be a competent translator, and swear to it before a Notary Public. something like:

I certify that I am competent to translate from French to English and that the above is a correct and true translation to the best of my knowledge and belief.

does anyone have experience with this and can help? I'm spending so much money on so much paperwork for this interview that i'd like to know if i can avoid paying both a professional translator and a Notary Public for such a simple translation.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

It is best to translate the whole page, and if you can, get the format of the translation to line up with the same format as the original as it makes it easier to compare. It should be fine for your parents to translate the document and make the certification that they are knowledgeable in both English and French and swear that this is an accurate translation to the best of their abilities.

Usually your MPs office has a Commissioner of Oaths on staff and they can take the statement from your translator and officially certify it. I used to be a Commissioner of Oaths and this is something we did pretty regularly at no charge. Check with your MP or your MPPs office and see if they have a Commissioner of Oaths on staff who would be willing to do this. It isn't necessary but it does make things more official without having to go the route of a professional translator and Notary Public. (btw - Notary Publics in the US are more like Commissioner of Oaths in Canada than Notary Publics in Canada).

Edited November 19, 2009 by Kathryn41

[Rod James 0]

It is best to translate the whole page, and if you can, get the format of the translation to line up with the same format as the original as it makes it easier to compare. It should be fine for your parents to translate the document and make the certification that they are knowledgeable in both English and French and swear that this is an accurate translation to the best of their abilities.

Usually your MPs office has a Commissioner of Oaths on staff and they can take the statement from your translator and officially certify it. I used to be a Commissioner of Oaths and this is something we did pretty regularly at no charge. Check with your MP or your MPPs office and see if they have a Commissioner of Oaths on staff who would be willing to do this. It isn't necessary but it does make things more official without having to go the route of a professional translator and Notary Public. (btw - Notary Publics in the US are more like Commissioner of Oaths in Canada than Notary Publics in Canada).

Very interesting and thanks for your input. I will indeed inquire to see if there is someone like that. If anyone else has done similar and made it through the interview without a hiccup i'd love to know about it....many thanks.

[Rod James 0]

Is there anyone out there that could suggest a proper translation to these phrases on my Police Certificate from the Congo? I can get the general idea but am not sure what the proper English equivalent would be and sometimes it's not correct to use the same derivative word (i.e. "extract" is not a good substitute for "extrait" I'm thinking):

Extrait du Casier Judiciaire

Le Procureur Général de la République par délégation

L’Inspecteur Judiciaire en Chef

Pas d’antecedents judiciares connus

thank you so much if you can help,

Rod.

[Krikit 1,164]

We need Mephys!

[andyw1 0]

We need Mephys!

I'm having to have my Birth Certificate translated from Norwegian. I read somewhere in VJ that you could email the local embassy and get a list of approved translators, but the US Embassy in Norway couldnt help. Just waiting on MTL to see what they say.

Anyone else done translation of any document?

[Rod James 0]

I was feeling a little nervous about whether they would accept a translation from a family member who is proficient in both English and French but is not a professional translator...and what it technically means to be "certified" by a competent translator.

So, i called a couple translation places i found online. the first one that got back to me gave a price of $100 for a certified translation and said that 99% of the time having their certification along with the translation is enough for most legal proceedings. To get it Notarized would cost an extra $160 (transportation to the notary plus the notarization). If the translation comes from an officially certified source (i think they send an affidavit) are they going to be sticky on the fact that it needs to be sworn to before a notary? If that's the case I might stick with my parents.

the bills are piling up so high and deep I can't see over them. They should just tell you to expect to budget around $5000 by the time the dust settles. At least that's what I expect it'll be for us.

[La Souris 19]

I was feeling a little nervous about whether they would accept a translation from a family member who is proficient in both English and French but is not a professional translator...and what it technically means to be "certified" by a competent translator.

So, i called a couple translation places i found online. the first one that got back to me gave a price of $100 for a certified translation and said that 99% of the time having their certification along with the translation is enough for most legal proceedings. To get it Notarized would cost an extra $160 (transportation to the notary plus the notarization). If the translation comes from an officially certified source (i think they send an affidavit) are they going to be sticky on the fact that it needs to be sworn to before a notary? If that's the case I might stick with my parents.

the bills are piling up so high and deep I can't see over them. They should just tell you to expect to budget around $5000 by the time the dust settles. At least that's what I expect it'll be for us.

Wow, this is crazy money. I paid $25 or $30 dollars for the translation of my Copy of an act of Birth and then, I got a few extra copies for $5. In Quebec, $5 is the most they can charge to notarize a document. Where are you located Rod James? I could give you the details of the translator I used... I've worked as a translator myself and for a "form" document (not that much text), I would never pay more than $50.

[Rod James 0]

La Souris,

that would be very much appreciated if you could send me contact details for this source of yours...I'm assuming they do this professionally?

I think the cost of notarizing is because the translator has to transport themselves to the Notary and needs their time covered...but getting the document notarized with the sworn oath of the translator is $50. I think around here in Vancouver, BC that is pretty standard.

So if you made it through your interview fine with the translator you used i'd love to contact them. The distance shouldn't matter as long as they can be paid by VISA or Paypal. Then they can send by mail the documents.

Let me know what you find out and thanks a lot.

Rod.

[La Souris 19]

I sent you the details. I'm not sure it is feasible by mail, but you can contact her; maybe she could refer you to a colleague in BC. Also, I'm still waiting for my interview... Montreal is really slow.

[Rod James 0]

Thank you,

i got the details and made contact...just waiting to see what she can tell me. There should be enough time to receive the files from her by mail so that's no problem. the main issue is determining whether a commissioner of oaths is adequate in place of a Notary. now that i recall, with your comment about notarizing documents for $5, I think it is the same cost here to notarize a copy of a document but i think that is different than swearing to a translation before a notary. I'd be happy to find that your contact can do this so cheaply but i suspect not. She mentioned something about a commissioner of oaths which seems to be a standard process for her. I'll see what she can tell me tomorrow.

I hope you are successful at your interview. when is it?

[La Souris 19]

I hope you are successful at your interview. when is it?

I don't know yet... to get an idea of the delays, you can look at this thread: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=94768

Bonne chance