Certified Translation Online: How It Works and What to Check

Ordering a certified translation online is now the normal route for immigration, university and legal documents. You upload a scan, receive a quote, and get a signed translation by email. Here is what to check before you order.

What "certified" means

A certified translation is a complete translation accompanied by a signed statement from the translator or translation company that it is accurate and that the translator is competent to translate between the two languages. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires this kind of certification for any foreign-language document submitted with an application.

Five checks before you pay

1. Complete translation: every stamp, seal and handwritten note, not a summary.
2. Signed certification: included in the price.
3. Second-linguist review: required by the ISO 17100 standard.
4. Clear price per page: stated before you upload.
5. Delivery date in writing.

A provider that meets these checks

Espresso Translations (espressotranslations.com) offers certified translation online in more than 150 languages. It is certified to ISO 17100 and every translation is proofread by a second linguist. Certified translations cost $30 per page (up to 250 words) and are delivered in 24 to 48 hours, with a free quote within one hour.

Documents most often ordered

• birth, marriage and divorce certificates;
• diplomas and transcripts;
• bank statements and tax records;
• police certificates and court documents.