English Certified Translators
English Certified Translators
Of all the languages in the world, English is the most widely spoken, with 1.4 billion native and non-native speakers. The mother tongue of 375 million people, it also has the third most native speakers. It is the official language of 39 countries, and it is the native language of a significant part of the population of 19 more countries.
What is a certified translator?
In Spain, a certified translator, also knowns as a sworn translator, is an official translator accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAEC) to carry out legally valid document translations from Spanish into another language or vice versa. By signing and sealing any translated document, the translator certifies that this document completely matches the original text and authenticates its contents.
What is a certified translation?
A certified or sworn translation is a translation with legal value, which has been signed and sealed by an (MEAC) certified translator.
The certified translator accurately reproduces the text of the original document, and their seal and signature certify the translation. The certified translation produced is valid and recognised in the country in which the document is submitted.
When do I need a certified English translation?
If you are considering studying or working in England, you will most likely need to submit certified English translations of certain documents issued by Spanish public bodies or educational institutions to an official agency. These documents include academic qualifications and transcripts and police records.
The role of the certified translator does not exist in the USA, but most authorities will validate certified English translations.
English certified translation is one of the most popular services we offer. Our team of official, certified Spanish to English and English to Spanish translators will guide you through the steps you need to take to submit your documents to the relevant government agency in the UK or the USA.
Which documents require certified translations?
The most common documents at Acantho are:
- Certificates, diplomas and academic transcripts.
- Birth certificates, marriage certificates and police records.
- Identity documents, passports and family record books.
- Court rulings.
- Medical certificates.
- Residence permits.
- Driving licenses.
- Deeds and powers of attorney.
- Calls for tender, contracts, company statutes and patents.
- And much more.
Certified translation requirements
For a certified translation to be legally valid, it must include the following text In Spanish, issued by the MAEC, as well as the certified translator-interpreter’s signature and seal:
Don/Doña (Mr/Mrs/Ms) ……………………………… (name and surnames), Traductor/a-Intérprete Jurado/a de (Certified Translator/Interpreter of) …………………………… (language) nombrado/a por el Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación, certifica que la que antecede es traducción fiel y completa al (appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, hereby certifies that the above is a true and complete translation into) ………………………. ((target language) de un documento redactado en (of a document written in) ………………… (source language).
En (In)…….. (place), a (on)…………… (date).
Firma (Signature).
How to request a certified translation
We can provide a certified translation of virtually any document in any digital format. Just email us your document, making sure that all the information is legible and the images have a good resolution. If you would prefer that with we work with a paper copy, please bring the document to our office.
How long does a certified translation take?
Certified translations of the most common documents, such as academic qualifications, birth certificates, marriage certificates and police records, from English, French, Italian or German into the most in-demand languages, usually take two to three days.
If your certified translation is urgent, our team of professional translators will do their best to streamline the turnaround time to meet your needs, as long as the document is within a certain word count.
How much does a certified translation cost?
There are no official rates for certified translation, so translators set the prices based on the urgency of the translation, the translator’s level of experience or the complexity of the text.
The minimum cost of a certified translation is €36 plus VAT.
If you want to know how much your certified translation will cost, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’ll draw up a quote based on your documents and send it to you as quickly as possible. All our quotes are free of charge and without obligation.
How will we deliver your certified translation?
Certified translations can be delivered in two formats, both of which are legally valid: paper copies, and electronic copies with digital signatures.
If you would prefer a paper copy of your certified translation, we can have one ready for you to pick up from Acantho I&C’s offices. The sworn translation will be stapled on top of the original document, following the standard order. We can also deliver the certified translation to any address. Delivery dates may vary slightly.
If you would prefer an electronic copy of your translation, we’ll send it to you via email.
We guarantee top quality in both formats.
Legalised certified translations
A certified translator’s signature and seal verify that the certified translation is complete and accurate but do not guarantee that the original document is authentic. Translations need to be legalised to be valid in the institution where they are submitted. This is a process that involves verifying the authenticity of the original document and legalising the signatures on the original document the certified translation.
Our clients often ask us what steps they have to take to get their certified translation legalised. If you have any questions about this process, our project managers will guide and assist you through the steps, which vary depending on the country issuing the document, the type of document and the recipient country.
The certified translation legalisation process
Certified translations carried out by a translator-interpreter certified by the MAEC do not usually need to be legalised before being submitted to a Spanish public body. On the other hand, original documents issued by an agency in a different country do need to be legalised.
To submit a certified translation of a document in the country in which it will be valid, you will normally need to get the original documents legalised before they are translated, and then ask the recipient agency in the other country if the official Spanish translation needs to be legalised.
There are two types of legalisation, which depend on the issuing and receiving country for the document.
1.- f the issuing and/or receiving country is a signatory of the Hague Convention, you will need to request the Hague Apostille in the issuing country.
When do you need the Hague Apostille?
In 1961, several countries signed the Hague Apostille Convention, which simplified the document legalisation process by recognising an official seal, called the Hague Apostille. This seal is used to authenticate original public documents issued in any of the 118 countries that have signed the Convention to date, including Spain. The Hague Apostille is always issued on the original document in its country of origin, usually at the end of the document or on the back. and it summarises the essential information about the original document.
You should apostille the original document before getting a certified translation.
This is the current list of countries that have signed the Convention.
https://www.hcch.net/en/states/hcch-members
Where to request the Hague Apostille in Spain
In Spain, there are three authorised bodies for requesting the Hague Apostille: The Notary Association, the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court of Justice. Which one you need to go to will depend on the document.
- College of Notaries
- Ministry of Justice
- Supreme Court of Justice
Does the Hague Apostille need translating?
The Hague Apostille is usually translated into three languages: English, French and Spanish. If the certified translation is in one of these three languages, the Apostille does not need to be translated. If the sworn translation is in any other language, the certified translator will translate the Apostille.
2.- If the issuing and/or receiving country is not a signatory of the Hague Convention, you will need to request diplomatic or consular legalisation for the original documents. When the certified translation is complete, it will need to be legalised at the MAEC’s offices.
Diplomatic legalisation and consular legalisation.
This is often a long, complicated process. Before submitting the certified translation to an institution outside Spain, you will need to get the original document legalised at the issuing country’s embassy or consulate, and the translation will need to be legalised at the MAEC. If you need any help with the document legalisation process, please don’t hesitate to ask us.
Why choose Acantho for your certified translations?
We are a translation company based in Madrid, Barcelona and Zaragoza. We have the largest staff of professional in-house project managers, translators and DTP professionals in Zaragoza and now in our Madrid office as well, which means that we can deliver more value to our clients that your average agency (intermediaries).
We are a team of multilingual, versatile and multi-talented professionals. We are fully committed to our work. We are a close-knit team, passionate about translation and about getting things right first time. Speed and professionalism are two of our trademarks.
We have certified translators who work in the following languages:
- Certified German translator
- Certified Arabic translator
- Certified Belarusian translator
- Certified Bulgarian translator
- Certified Catalan translator
- Certified Chinese translator
- Certified Czech translator
- Certified Ukrainian translator
- Certified Danish translator
- Certified Slovenian translator
- Certified Spanish translator
- Certified Basque translator
- Certified Finnish translator
- Certified French Translator
- Certified Galician translator
- Certified Greek translator
- Certified Hindi translator
- Certified English translator
- Certified Italian translator
- Certified Japanese translator
- Certified Dutch translator
- Certified Norwegian translator
- Certified Polish translator
- Certified Portuguese translator
- Certified Romanian translator
- Certified Russian translator
- Certified Swedish translator
- Please ask about other languages
If you have any questions or need more information, please call us on (+34) 976 910 302, or send an email to info@acantho.eu, and we will be more than happy to assist you.
