Guidelines For Reliable Birth Certificate Translation

By Ryan Ross


There are circumstances where a person may need to produce documents, that will serve as proof of identity. This can include situations such as being hired for a new job, embarking on a huge business venture, enacting a foreign adoption, marriage, applying for a passport, visitor visa, immigration, or getting a green card. For some of these purposes, one may need to acquire a birth certificate translation if it is not in English already.

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.

For all matters in which foreign nationals are involved, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has documentation standards in place. These specifications are made with the consideration and understanding that every country has their own protocols in the issuing of the documents. The instructions and guidelines will spell out what is required for each action.

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 one translating the documents is required to provide attestation of their qualifications to perform this task accurately. They may include this on the bottom of the paper, or attach a standard affidavit. Their name, address, and a statement of their dual fluency, should be included in this section.

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.

Although petitioners are nor required to hire professional translating services, this is a strong suggestion as any mistakes or discrepancies could result in undesired delays, or a dismissal, of the case. With either route, one should take the time to do a careful review of both the translated document and the original, looking for mistakes. Anything that is incorrect, even by accident or oversight, could be taken as providing inaccurate information, which might be grounds for denial of one;s petition.




About the Author:



1 comment:

  1. So cool article with best and helpful guidelines for birth certificate translation.

    ReplyDelete