Birth Certificate Translation?

[samantha.w 0]

Hello!

We are filing the I-485 Package hopefully next week, the only thing that we can't get done easily is translating my husband's birth certificate. We have the official apostilled birth certificate from Venezuela, even the page from the official record books with his name hand-written. Can we translate it ourselves? Or do we have to pay for an official translation of the five page document?

Thank you for your help!

[naire37 53]

I've translated all of our documents myself, including the hand-written Birth Certificate. It was fine.

As long as you put the official translation certification phrase and your name, address, signature and date on it, you should be fine.

"I hereby certify that I am well-versed [or fluent] in the NativeLanguage and English languages and that the above is a true and accurate translation of the document titled DocName to the best of my knowledge and belief.

John Doe

(signed) (dated)

(legal address)

[Andrea&Henry 311]

You can do it yourself but as a venezuelan myself I know how ridiculous long and weird are our birth certificates. The birth certificate I found was the hand written one and I barely understood what it says so we decide to pay $15 for an official translation. Most immigration attorney services offers translation services with a legal stamp and signature, and as I stated before, it only cost me $15. I liked the fact that it was made using a legal format/ fond it has a the stamp and signature of a legal translator.

But if you feel comfortable you can do it yourself and as far as I know it is perfectly fine.

[VZLAN-US-Citizen 11]

Samantha, I just answered a similar question on another post... I will copy the same answer to you here:

I have throughout the last 13 years sent multiple Spanish (from Venezuela) documents with their translations, plus certifications and notarizations regarding multiple different immigration procedures (student visa, green card, citizenship and petitioning for a relative).

What I have ALWAYS done is, I asked the interested party in Venezuela to obtain the ORIGINAL document, then they have scanned it and sent it to me, (making it a copy) then I have translated it here in the US from Spanish to English (shop around online for local Spanish to English translators in your area, pick one that is certified by the American Translators Association - see here: http://www.atanet.org/ - and has the best prices for you)... They should give you a certified and notarized (certification and notarization is usually an extra cost aside from the translation itself) translation, and you can keep the original translation, original certification and original notarized document (scan them, so you always have a copy).

Then you can send either USCIS or NVC or any organization that needs it, the document as follows:

- Copy of the English translated document

- Copy of the Certification of the Translation

- Copy of the Notarization of the Translation (sometimes both the Certification and Notarization come in one page)

- Copy of the original document in Spanish

Some translators will give you a lower rate if you send the document already translated by yourself. They still have to check it and fix anything as they see fit, in order to certify that it is a true and accurate translation of the original.

But you certainly cannot translate, certify and notarize the documents yourself, unless you are in fact a accredited translator and a Notary.

I know all about this, not only from my previous experience with all my cases, but I also used to work at a Translation Services company.

Hope this clarifies it for you and everyone else.

MW

[KayDeeCee 4,896]

But you certainly cannot translate, certify and notarize the documents yourself, unless you are in fact a accredited translator and a Notary.

Not so. You certainly can, and many successfully have. Anyone fluent in both languages can do the translation, even the applicant themselves. The USCIS only requires that the person doing the translation adds on a 'certification' that they are competent to do it, and that the translation is accurate. It does not need to be notarized. There is no requirement to pay a third party translator.

https://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-and-fees/general-tips-assembling-applications-mailing

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 [enter appropriate language] languages, and that the above/attached document is an accurate translation of the document attached entitled [enter title of document].

Signature

Typed Name

Address

Date

https://www.uscis.gov/tools/glossary/certificate-translation

Certificate of Translation

A formal statement in which a translator shows that he or she has accurately

translated a foreign-language document into English.

[naire37 53]

But you certainly cannot translate, certify and notarize the documents yourself, unless you are in fact a accredited translator and a Notary.

I know all about this, not only from my previous experience with all my cases, but I also used to work at a Translation Services company.

It's been my highly unfortunate experience that the any kind of Translation Services will tell you that you must go through them, they have ah so much experience and blah-blah.

My only encounter with such services (certified by the association via link of the previous poster, actually) has been extremely and wholeheartedly unsuccessful. I've asked if specific fields on the form to be spelled out (copied over from second document) and was told "yes, yes, just give us your money, we can translate that for you!" and got a translation that was not spelled out and was completely useless to me. Only after multiple calls and showing e-mail thread did I get my money back.

Moreover, resurrecting a thread that's at least 3 months old look extremely close to advertising your services to be honest, while trying to impose a false impression that those services must be done by someone other than applicant. Ugh,

[VZLAN-US-Citizen 11]

It's been my highly unfortunate experience that the any kind of Translation Services will tell you that you must go through them, they have ah so much experience and blah-blah.

My only encounter with such services (certified by the association via link of the previous poster, actually) has been extremely and wholeheartedly unsuccessful. I've asked if specific fields on the form to be spelled out (copied over from second document) and was told "yes, yes, just give us your money, we can translate that for you!" and got a translation that was not spelled out and was completely useless to me. Only after multiple calls and showing e-mail thread did I get my money back.

Moreover, resurrecting a thread that's at least 3 months old look extremely close to advertising your services to be honest, while trying to impose a false impression that those services must be done by someone other than applicant. Ugh,

I'm sorry that you haven't had a good experience with translations. I have had great ones so far.

I am NOT a translator (obviously, since I just said I have always gone through a translator). I did not even mention any company names, except for the ATA, which is not a translation services company, just an association of translators. And I said I USED to work for a translating service, I don't anymore, and wouldn't even refer anyone there, because I think it's best (like I said) to look for a local translator. So I don't see why you would think I am trying to advertise anything here. Just saying. Im not imposing anything on anyone, just speaking about my own personal experience with all the cases I have been through.

If you have translated documents yourself and that has worked for you in the past, that's great for you and I'm happy you didn't have to spend money on translations in those cases... but you don't have to attack others who have had a different experience and be belligerent about it, or accuse them of anything.