What Makes a Translation Official?

[BIT 3]

A guy here in mexico is charging me an arm and a leg to translate my marrige cert and my wifes birth cert, and I wanted to know what does the USCIS lookfor in an official translation

Thanks

[A16!!24A 5]

Hello,

I translated my marriage certificate, and i had someone else that speaks the language and english certify the translation. I did not have a professional do it....

best of luck

Edited November 8, 2011 by A16!!24A

[yachachiq12 43]

Below is what you need, which does not require an official translator (unless you're specifically requested to do so at some point. It is not general practice for USCIS or the consulates, though).

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextchannel=fe529c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextoid=ff053d146a7ee010VgnVCM1000000ecd190aRCRD

About halfway down the page:

Please submit certified translations for all foreign language documents. The translator must certify that s/he is competent to translate and that the translation is accurate.

The certification format should include the certifier's name, signature, address, and date of certification. A suggested format is:

Certification by Translator

I [typed name], 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 Typed Name

Address

[EMB & CEM 1]

I translated all of our documents from birth certificate, marriage certificate, bank statements, police certificates, affidavits from family members validating our marriage..... Took me a couple of hours to translate everything and i also used the google translator for words i wasn't familiar with. I also used the above copy on the bottom of all the translations.

It definitely shouldn't cost too much money.

[Done--Really 331]

I should cost NOTHING!! Although I treated a friend to a Starbucks while we translated together--she didn't know 100% of the English words and I didn't know 100% of the Spanish, but together we got it done, and used the certification laid out above--it is directly from USCIS, and it is ALL you need 99% of the time.

[StephanieM 60]

Don't pay an arm and a leg for it. Do you speak spanish?

I did my own translation, and had my mom sign it saying she was competent to translate. That's really all you need.

[BIT 3]

Yeah I will do it myself and have a friend sign it who was a English teacher