Certified translations
Certified translations
Regardless of whether it’s an expert’s report, a contract, certificate, passport or licence – documents in foreign languages are often only accepted by agencies (or other authorities) when they are translated by generally sworn and court-certified translators or interpreters.
When is a certified translation legally effective?
A certified translation requires a seal, an attestation clause and a signature to be considered legally effective. The sworn translator hereby confirms the conformity of the translation with the original document and vouches for it.
Certified translation in other countries
A document that is a certified translation in Austria is not automatically valid in other countries. If you have to submit your document in a foreign country, then an additional authentication or apostille is required. The additional authentication confirms the authenticity of the certification. An apostille, however, confirms the authenticity of the signatory’s signature and the seal of certification itself.
For certificates issued in Austria, the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs is responsible. For documents from other countries, please consult the relevant representative body. The authorities/institutions you would like to submit your certified translation to will also be able to help you.
Regardless of which authority has requested the certified translation, it is beneficial to know whether you have to attach the original to the translation, or whether a copy of the document attached to the certified translation is sufficient.
Here are a few examples of certified translations
- Commercial register excerpts
- annual reports or annual financial statements
- Certificates (birth, marriage, death)
- Credentials & Diplomas
- Legal judgments
- Contracts
- Medical reports
Mehr Beiträge zum Thema beglaubigte Übersetzungen:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
For a certified translation, a legally certified translator confirms that their translation matches the original document and is correct by means of an attestation clause, seal and signature. A certified or sworn translation is therefore a legally binding document and is recognised by authorities/official bodies.
If you want to present official documents in a foreign language to the Austrian authorities, they usually have to be translated into German in a certified form (e.g. excerpts from commercial registers or criminal records, credentials, birth certificates).
This also applies if you want to submit Austrian certificates and items of proof at an office or an institute abroad (e.g. contract, annual report, notarised deed, expert report).
We can draw on a sustainable network of sworn and court-certified translators throughout Austria and can therefore offer you certified translations in many language combinations.
Not only do our certified interpreters translate into the most common European languages, such as German, English, French, Italian or Spanish, but also into less common languages – such as Croatian, Serbian, Slovakian or Turkish. As you would expect, we also work together with competent, certified translators for Russian, Chinese or Arabic.
Are you uncertain whether your desired language combination is possible? Then please send us an email and our project managers will be happy to advise you.
The price of a certified translation depends on many factors. Most importantly, it depends on the language combination, the amount of text and subject area. It is calculated either as a flat rate or according to the number of standard lines in the target text. In addition to this, the translator also charges a certification fee.
For a more exact price estimate, please send us your source document by email or via our contact form. We will then check it carefully and send you a non-binding offer as soon as possible.
A certified translation is often needed yesterday rather than today. We work together with experienced sworn translators who will process your certified translation as soon as possible. We will tell you the earliest possible delivery date for your translation project when we send you your quotation.
Only generally sworn and court-certified translators or interpreters with special training to become a court interpreter.
In order to do this training, translators must have successfully completed a degree in translation and interpreting and have two years of relevant work experience. Applicants must then complete a rigorous exam administered by the courts.
Court interpreters must also have outstanding language skills and be able to apply broad specialised knowledge in a field such as law (Austrian and European law and jurisprudence), medicine, or technology.
It may be the case that we have to attach the sworn translation to your original document. This depends on the requirements of the authority you wish to submit your documents to. So that we can deliver your certified translation as soon as possible, we recommend you find out in advance whether attaching the translation to a copy (scan) is sufficient.
For the quotation and the translation itself, it is enough to send a scan of the original document(s).
As a rule, certified translations are issued on paper. This involves attaching and then sealing the original document (or a copy of it), the attestation clause and the translation.
However, it is becoming more common to use electronic signatures to confirm translations. Currently, we can offer you digital certified translations into Bosnian, Croatian, Danish, English, French, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian and Spanish.
Digital certifications are particularly useful when you want to deliver your document electronically to somewhere abroad (e.g. tender documents, university admission papers). Another advantage is that nothing has to be delivered by post, which can save a little time.
We recommend that you find out in advance whether digital certification is applicable in your case.
The apostille serves as confirmation of the validity of documents, certificates and signatures in international legal correspondence. It is a simplified form of legalisation and is valid among states that have signed the Hague Apostille Convention.
Whether your documents require an apostille depends on the requirements of the authorities in the target country. To be able to deliver your project as quickly as possible, we recommend that you ask about these things in advance.
For certificates issued in Austria, the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs is responsible. For documents from other countries, please consult the relevant representative body. The authorities/institutions you would like to submit your certified translation to will also be able to help you.
