Can you translate and notarize documents yourself? Can you do notarized translations yourself?

The question of whether or not self-translation and notarization are possible is frequently asked by many people. You can do the translation yourself to serve your personal reading comprehension needs. However, to meet the requirements of accuracy and legality, your documents and papers need to be translated by experienced translators.

Notarized self-translation – Understand what notarized translation is.

Notarized translation is the process of certifying the signature of a translator (a translation collaborator) by a judicial officer at a district-level Department of Justice or a notary at a notary office.

This notarized translation process includes two steps:

• Step 1: Translate the text from the source language to the target language
• Step 2: Notarize the translation to confirm the accuracy of the content compared to the original and to comply with Vietnamese law.

Based on the unit that performs the certification of translation, we can divide it into two types, including public and private notarized translation.

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Notarized self-translation – Understand the importance of notarized translation

Notarized translation is an important procedure used by the state to monitor the legality of transactions. Therefore, many transactions require documents after translation to be notarized such as contracts, land use right certificates, etc.

The document will also have more legal weight if it bears the notary’s signature and seal when you work with foreign partners, even if it is not on the list of documents that must be notarized by law.

Is it possible to self-translate and then notarize?

Is it possible to do a notarized translation yourself? The answer is yes if you meet the following conditions:

•  According to the provisions of Clause 1, Article 61 of the 2014 Notary Law, translators who translate documents from Vietnamese to foreign languages or vice versa for notarization must be collaborators of a notarial practice organization.
• Collaborators must have graduated from a university of foreign language studies or another university and be fluent in the corresponding language. In addition, the translator needs to be responsible to the notarial practice organization for the accuracy and suitability of the content of the document he/she made.

In short, translations made by individuals are only for personal use, and if you carry out administrative procedures that require a notary seal, it will be difficult.

Reasons not to self-translate and notarize documents

Document translation is crucial if you have to interact, collaborate, and trade with foreigners. However, you should not self-translate and then notarize documents for the following reasons:

• The content of specialized translations may not be accurate, and the sentences are difficult to convey smoothly. Therefore, it is difficult to get a notary seal.
• You have difficulty carrying out the notarization procedure because of the lack of conditions on legal status.
• You are not a professional translator, so the ability to proofread and edit the translation so that it is close to the original format can be very difficult.

The notarized translation should be done at reputable agencies to save time and ensure accuracy

Instead of self-translating and then notarizing, you should look to translation services, as these places have translators who can help you ensure the accuracy of the text content. You can choose from the following 3 notarized translation units:

Translation companies

These companies have a team of experienced translators with good language and translation skills, so the accuracy and translation turnaround time performed by these units, whether for simple or complex documents, are highly valued. Besides, these companies also register their translators with notary offices. Therefore, in addition to translation, the unit can also perform the task of applying for a notarized seal.

Notary offices

The translation process at the notary office is carried out by translation collaborators who have contracted with them. Compared with translation agencies, the translation capacity of notary offices is not appreciated for translation speed and accuracy because it is difficult for them to control collaborators. So, if the documents are short and simple, you can do translation at this unit.

Notary Offices of the Department of Justice

The district-level Justice Department is also the unit that offers notarized translations, and the translation process is also done through registered collaborators. Similar to notary offices, its translation capacity is also not as highly valued as that of translation service providers.

Need an accurate notarized translation? Let Tomato help you!

Generally speaking, if you perform a notarized translation on your own, you will encounter numerous challenges in ensuring the document’s accuracy and format, as well as in the process of applying for a notary seal. Therefore, to save time as well as ensure 100% legitimacy, you should ask for the help of professional notarized translation units.

Among the many translation companies on the market, customers can trust the service of Tomato Media Translation. We are pleased to have accompanied numerous domestic and international partners as a notarized translation agency. We provide the translation service for various types of documents:

Personal papers

• Birth certificate, curriculum vitae, citizen identity card, identity card, passport, household registration book
• Transcripts, certificates, school reports
• Marriage certificate
• Job application, study abroad application, visa application
• Medical records, prescriptions
• etc.

Other documents

• Accounting and auditing documents
• Invoices and receipts
• Goods delivery notes
• Types of contracts, reports
• Certificate of Origin
• Product disclosure
• Certificate of intellectual property rights
• Certificate of Food Hygiene & Safety
• etc.

In addition to offering a variety of translation services, Tomato has a strong team of translators and can translate into more than 50 languages, including those that are common and uncommon, like Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Polish, Portuguese, and German.

Furthermore, we are able to provide accurate translations for all of your documents, regardless of the area of knowledge they are in, because of our translators, who have in-depth expertise in a variety of specializations.

Tomato Media Translation – notarized translation beyond professionalism

Because of our many strengths in both human resources and customer care services, customers have consistently trusted Tomato Media for more than 5 years:

Using the notarized translation service at Tomato Media is the optimal solution to help you save time, money, and effort while still ensuring that the received translation has absolute legal value. Therefore, if you need a notarized translation, you can go directly to Tomato’s offices or send requests and documents via zalo: 0938 596 333 (Tomato Media) or email: info@tomatomediavn.com.

FAQ about notarized translation services

Here are the frequently asked questions about notarized translation that we have compiled:

What is the notarized translation turnaround time at Tomato?

A notarized translation includes two stages: translation and notarization. Therefore, the time to hand over the notarized translation depends on the progress of these two stages.

With a translation speed of up to 20,000 words per day, the translation time at Tomato is optimized to ensure the fastest turnaround with guaranteed translation quality. Therefore, Tomato commits to delivering translations within the committed deadline and satisfying urgent translation needs within a few hours.

Notarization time depends on the choice of private or public notary services. The private notary office usually has a quick response time; you can even get it within the same day. On the contrary, if the translation needs public notarization, it will take longer to wait, as it depends on the working hours of the Department of Justice (7:30 a.m.–17 p.m., Mondays to Fridays), and the time to hand over the results can take 3 – 4 business days.

Therefore, if you have an urgent need for a notarized translation, you should send documents to Tomato early for the best support.

Does Tomato’s notarized translation need the original?

When translating, you may not need to send the original to the translation unit but just send the scanned copy via email or Zalo to us. However, in order for the application for a notary seal to be accepted, the notarization law states that the original must be attached to the translation.

Are the prices of notarized translations expensive?

Notarized translation costs include the translation fee + the notary fee. The translation fee may vary depending on the difficulty of the document, the language to be translated, and the required delivery time. Tomato Media commits that translation costs at our company are always competitive without extra fees and completely commensurate with the values that customers receive.

The notary fee can be calculated according to the service fee listed at the notary office.

The quotation below is for reference only:

*** The quotation is for reference only

Unit: (VND/Page)

The quotation is optimized with excellent translation quality

You can save money by performing a notarized translation yourself, but it takes a lot of time to ensure accuracy in the specialized terminology and legal status confirmation in order to notarize translations. If you are having difficulty with the notarized translation process, Tomato Media is always ready to assist you. If you have documents that need to be translated and notarized, contact Tomato right away!