The certified (in France, "sworn") translation gives official status to the translated document, and guarantees that it is totally compliant with the original, frequently referred to as the source document (as opposed to the target language). Only translators who have sworn an oath before a court of law can affix their seal to this type of translation.
These translators are court-approved experts whose job consists of providing judges with a technical opinion on the facts of a case, in order to provide clarification. They are specialists in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, economics and law. Their opinions are not binding on judges who are not bound by their assessments. Court-appointed experts swear an oath in courtThis is not a profession in itself but rather a role entrusted to active professionals at the top of their professions. They are registered on a list drawn up by whichever of the French courts of appeal has territorial jurisdiction over their place of business. High-level professional competence and intellectual and moral rigour are essential to the role of legal expert. These qualities are strictly controlled by the Court of Appeal for each candidate. Ethics is determined by the information provided by the candidate, supplemented by an administrative inquiry. Technical skills are verified through training, references, professional reputation and standing.
Which documents should be translated by an expert translator?
These are documents written in a foreign language that must be translated into French before being presented to the French authorities, in particular to obtain official documents, or French documents requested by foreign authorities.
These include civil status documents (birth, marriage or death certificates), as well as judgments from the civil (divorce, adoption, etc.) or commercial courts. This service can also be used to translate diplomas and degree certificates. To limit disputes, many companies use certified translations for commercial contracts and writs of summons....
In fact, any document with legal value can become a certified translation. In many cases, it avoids the need to question the (uncertified) translation.
To find out whether you need a certified translation (sworn translation) or an ordinary translation, contact the entity for which the document is intended. Any document requiring validation by France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs prior to filing with an authority outside France must be translated by an expert translator approved by a court of appeal or by the French Supreme Court and include the translator's formally-approved signature.
How to recognise a certified translation
A certified translation can be recognised by several features: It includes the translator's signature and stamp, as well as the words "translation certified as true to the original". Obviously, the original language of the document must be specified. The layout and presentation of the original document must be retained. The end of the document must be clearly identifiable to prevent any subsequent additions. The translator must state his/her first and last name, as well as the languages for which he/she holds official approval. As a general rule, only the original document is accepted by the public authorities and the courts. Some countries, such as France, may accept the production of copies, but this is not systematic. In some cases, official translators work from original paper documents only, which can increase lead times.
However, changes in working methods and the speed demanded by the business world are changing attitudes and it is becoming more and more common to work with scanned documents.
Officially certified translations have the same legal value as an official document with French and foreign institutions. Each translation has a unique registration number. A certified (in France, "sworn") translation has no specific validity period. Rules vary from country to country.
Officially certified translations are generally more expensive than ordinary translations and take longer to complete. These parameters should of course be taken into account in your project.
If you need to produce an official document abroad, don't hesitate to get in touch with our teams or by email: contact@legal230.com
We'll take care of your entire project, in over 230 languages, from A to Z, from translation to legalisation and formal certification.