Guidelines For Reliable Birth Certificate Translation

By Ryan Ross


There are times when a person will be required to submit proof of identity by producing various documents that are specific only to them. Situations that have this stipulation may including major business ventures, new jobs, applying for a passport, foreign adoption, marriage, getting a green card, visitor visas, and immigration. For such purposes, it may be necessary to get a quality birth certificate translation that will meet the set guidelines.

Even though there are quite a few reasons why one may need to do this, the main ones are for immigration and travel purposes. For security purposes, the government has individuals provide definitive proof of identification, which this document helps establish. Each of the above actions will have its own set of specifications.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has set standards in place for any documentation they will accept in each of the matters that involve foreign nationals. They take into account that not every country has the same protocols when issuing these documents, so that is always a consideration. For each process, there will be specifications included in the instructions.

Regardless of where the country of issue is, all documents that are not in English are required to be accurately translated before being submitted. This can be done by any individual - other than the beneficiary or the petitioner - who is fluent in both languages. All translations must be accompanied by a copy of the original.

There are some things that need to be closely adhered to in order to avoid any type of complications in this matter. For instance, the document must be translated exactly as is, word-for-word, including every dash, punctuation, stamp, and signature. If any part of the writing is unclear, smeared, or damaged, the translator should mark it as "not legible" rather than skip it or assume what it says.

It is also required that the translated document follow the same visual layout as the original. This means that if the form was in blocked format, the translator should skip spaces on their paper to indicate the separations as they appear on the first. Even the information contained in stamps, seals and signatures should be placed in the same area on both papers.

The person translating any document is required to attest to their qualifications to accurately perform this task. They can do this either at the bottom of their work, or by attaching a separate affidavit. The attestation should state their name and address, that they are fluent in English as well as the other language.

Any documents that are submitted to a facility, such as USCIS, located within the U. S., generally do not require notarization. Those going to foreign offices like embassies or consulates, will need to be notarized for legal purposes.

A petitioner is not required by law to use professional translating services, though it is strongly recommended since any discrepancy may be cause for a delay or dismissal of the case. Whichever option one chooses, it is a good idea to carefully compare and review the accuracy of both the original and translated documents. This is especially important in immigration circumstances as submitting incorrect data may be considered false information that could get the entire petition immediately denied.




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