Tips for recognizing a sworn translation
A sworn translation is an official document that is necessary for carrying out certain administrative or legal procedures. By complying with specific norms, it represents the only way to authenticate documents translated by presiding authorities in France or abroad.
But how can you tell if a translation is sworn? What elements should you consider to be sure that the document was indeed translated by a sworn translator? Below you’ll find all our tips to confirm that the document you’re reading is indeed a sworn translation. These tips deal with the translator’s identity, legal notices on the translation and the document’s nature.
The translator responsible for a sworn translation
Only a sworn translator can do a sworn translation. To verify the authenticity of a sworn translation, you should start by verifying the translator’s identity.
Sworn translation: the official list of authorized translators
First, it’s worth mentioning that not all translators can do sworn translations. To know if a translation is sworn, you can start by verifying the translator’s identity because the translation needs to be authorized.
This means that he or she is a legal expert registered at each court of appeals. Translators authorized to do this type of translations have sworn an oath and work:
- Independently
- Under a judge
This list of experts is updated every year and organized according to specialization, such as:
- Food and agriculture
- Communications
- Real-estate
- Healthcare
- Aerospace
- Intellectual property
Not all sworn translators are specialized in a particular field. However, they all have at least a master’s degree.
Finally, translators who have taken an oath in court can exercise their profession both independently and in a translation agency.
Security measures for sworn translations
Other security measures are added to sworn translations which lets you distinguish them from other translations. These measures offered by translation companies help guarantee the authenticity of a translation project. This includes:
- Secure stapling, such as a staple surrounded by a raised or wet seal;
- The translation agency’s raised seal, in addition to the translator’s seal;
- A link to the secure verification platform;
- A secure QR Code;
When reading a document from a translation agency and you see one of these security measures, you can be sure that you are reading a sworn translation.
Required elements in a sworn translation
To determine if a translation is sworn, it is important to analyze the document itself. Indeed, different elements and obligatory legal notices can identify a translation done by an authorized translator.
Legal notices that must be present on a sworn translation
A sworn translation is recognized by its obligatory legal notices. Indeed, this type of document must present:
- The sworn translator’s signature;
- The sworn translator’s seal;
- The unique registration number;
- The sworn translator’s initials;
- The note “ne varietur”
- A description of the language of origin and the destination language at the end of the document.
Every translation has a unique registration number provided by the sworn translator. The sworn translator is responsible for providing a unique number for these translations. Just like for invoices, these numbers must be sequential and unique.
Apostilles of sworn translations
In certain cases, a translation can present an apostille. It is thus important to understand what this means to identify the translation’s nature.
An apostille lets us authenticate the origin of a French public document to be used in another country. Likewise, this procedure is used to authenticate a foreign document in France. In reality, this can refer to three procedures:
- Legalization;
- Apostille;
- Waiver of formalities
