German Certified Translators
German Certified Translators
A Germanic language spoken by about 135 million people as a first language and by about 80 million people as a second, German is the official national language in six countries: Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy (South Tyrol).
What is a German certified translator?
A certified (or sworn) German translator is an official translator whose signature and stamp ensures that the translated document is a faithful reproduction of the original text.
German certified translators certify the translation, so that the document has the same value as any other official documents in the eyes of the law, similar to a notarised document.
Appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MAEC), these translators endorse the contents of the translation with their signature and stamp, ensuring the translation’s validity for any official authority both in Spain and in Germany.
What is a certified translation?
A certified or sworn German translation is an exact translation of the original document which has been signed and sealed by a Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (MEAC) certified translator.
Printed on paper, the translation is signed and stamped by the Spanish/German sworn translator and stapled to the copy of the original document.
Certified translations are valid and recognised in the country in which the document is submitted.
When do I need a certified German translation?
IThere are several circumstances that may require a certified Spanish/German translator. Most often, people need this type of translation when they’re going to live or study in Germany; they’ll likely be asked for a certified translation of the following documents:
· Academic transcripts, certificates or diplomas.
· Birth certificates, marriage certificates
· Criminal record certificate
· Identity documents, passports, birth certificates and family record books
· Court rulings
· Medical certificates
· Residence permits
· Driving licenses
· Deeds and powers of attorney
· Calls for tender, contracts, company bylaws and patents
· And more
Our team of certified translators will be happy to give you all the information you need to submit your documents to the relevant public authorities in Germany.
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.
Requirements for a certified German translation
Certified documents must include the following formula, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with the certified translator’s stamp and signature:
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 can I request a certified German translation
At translation agency Acantho, we offer an agile, easy-to-use service for all our clients.
Email us the documents you need translation in a hi-res digital format or bring them in to our main office.
Our sworn German to Spanish translators will translate them as quickly as possible.
How long does a certified translation take?
German translations of the most commonly used documents (academic degrees, birth certificates, marriage certificates or criminal record certificates) is 2-3 days.
If you need an urgent certified German translation, our team of professionals 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 German translation cost?
The price depends on how urgent the translation is, the level of complexity of the text and the word count.
The minimum cost of a certified German translation is €45 plus VAT.
If you want to know how much your Spanish to German or German to Spanish certified translation will cost, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’ll send you a free, obligation-free quote as soon as possible.
How are official translations delivered?
Certified translations can be delivered in two ways: on paper or in digital format. Both formats are legally binding and offer full quality assurance.
On paper
Stapled to the original: the sworn translation will be stapled on top of the original document, following the standard order.You can pick up your sworn translation at the main office of our translation agency Acantho I&C, or we can send it by post.
Digital format
If you would prefer an electronic copy of your translation, we’ll send it to you via email.
Legalised certified translations
Certified translators verify that the translation is true to the original. However, even though the document has a value similar to that of a notarised document, sworn translations can’t guarantee that the original document is authentic.
Certified translations required legalisation when you need to certify the authenticity of the original document, legalize the signature on the documents or the signature of the sworn translator before the official body to which it is submitted.
The procedure for legalising the certified translation depends on the country where the document was issued, the type of document and the country of destination.
The certified translation legalisation process
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.
The documentation is submitted to a public agency in Spain.
If the certified translation has been provided by a sworn translator appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the documents do not require legalisation.
If the issuing and/or receiving country is a signatory of the Hague Convention:
You will need to request an Apostille in the country in which the document was issued.
If your 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 and then have the certified translation legalised at the MAEC.
The Hague Apostille
The Hague Apostille is an official seal that certifies the authenticity of the original public document issued in any of the 118 countries that have signed the convention.
You should apostille the original document before getting a certified translation.
The Hague Apostille is always issued on the original document in its country of origin, summarising the essential data of the original document, usually at the end of the document or on the back.
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
There are three agencies where you can request it: 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.
Diplomatic legalisation and consular legalisation.
Before submitting the certified translation to any body outside of Spain, you’ll need to get the original document legalised at the issuing country’s embassy or consulate, and the sworn translation will need to be legalised at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.
If you need help on the steps to follow to legalise your documents, please don’t hesitate to contact 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.
