Nowadays, the translation of legal documents, including certified translations, is one of the most requested forms of translation, as there are plenty of situations when a certified translation might be necessary:

In the event that you are planning to move abroad, either for study or work. When applying to schools, universities and colleges in another country, they will probably request a certified translation of any legal documents, such as your diplomas or academic transcripts.
Perhaps you married your Portuguese sweetheart in his country, then returned to your country. In this case, your marriage certificate will need to be registered and processed by your local court, obviously in your language.
If you want to apply for a visa or residence permit in a foreign country, you will be asked to submit official documentation, such as a copy of your birth certificate, among other files. All documents will be required to be submitted in the country’s official language, and translations to be certified.

A certified translation of legal documents must meet certain legal specific requirements (they can vary depending on the country where the document is going to be used). In general terms, certified translations are always accompanied by a signed statement from the legal translator or/and translation company, which attests that you have been provided with an accurate and complete translation of the original document. Sometimes, a document may need also need to be notarised, that is, signed and sealed by a Notary Public, or it may include Apostille, which is a certificate that confirms the authenticity of a signature, seal and/or stamp, legalising the document for foreign use.

Your certified translations may be more important than what you think. Bear in mind that these will be the documents which represent you, and that make your first impression, and they reflect to an extent the reliability of both their content, and the applicant. Consequently, they may greatly influence the outcome of an application.
Take the submission of a marriage certificate for the immigration process as an example. A poorly-done, inaccurate translation, containing misspellings of names or the wrong date format (which is surprisingly a very common mistake), would be reason enough for a delay in your application process, which may lead to legal consequences, or even to your case being denied.

The above are just a few examples when a certified translation may be needed. Other documents include patents, sale contracts, trade agreements, court orders, affidavits, divorce decrees, wills, adoption papers, medical reports, and so on.

All of these documents represent important and valuable events in your life, so you’d better take care of them!

For more information about the translation of legal documents, visit our website.