How to get Birth Certificate translated in English

by Navneet Sood · 03/01/2016

How to get Birth Certificate translated in English

July 3rd, 2021

Navneet Sood

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If you have a birth certificate, marriage certificate or any other document that is not originally in English, and you need to submit that document for immigration purposes, anyone who is fluent both in English and the language of the certificate can translate and provide the original translation along with the translated document alongwith copy of the original document. However, please note that the petitioner or the beneficiary can not translate on the documents itself. It must be translated word for word and to be certified by way of affidavit for the translated document in the format below:

Affidavit of Translation

STATE OF ____________________________

COUNTY OF ___________________________

I, (Name of the Translator), am fluent in English and ( Language of the Document). I hereby certify that I have translated/verified the following document(s) which is/are attached to this Affidavit:

________________________________________________________________________

I further certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the attached document(s) in English is/are true and accurate translation of the attached document(s) in (Language of the Document).

_______________________________________

(Signature of Translator/Verifier)

_______________________________________

( Name of the Translator/Verifier)

Subscribed to and sworn before me this _____th Day of Month, Year, by (Name of the Translator/Verifier).

_______________________________________

(Signature of Notary Public – State of __________)

_______________________________________

(Print, type or stamp commissioned name of Notary Public)

Tips For any documents not in English:

You must provide an English translation.
Exception : You do not need to translate your passport if the passport is primarily written in a language other than English.
The document must be translated entirely and directly, including signatures, dashes, seals, stamps etc. If something is not clear, the English translation should say “not legible”.
The translation must match the visual format of the document. e.g., the translation of an official seal must appear in the same place on the page as where the seal appears on the actual document.
Even though you can’t translate the document yourself, please make sure that the translation is accurate.
There have been instances where the official government or notary translators do not know basic English and there are numerous mistakes in the translation. You don’t necessarily have to use to professional translator.
However, the translation must be accurate. If there appears to be errors in translation (e.g., because there are so many English misspellings, sentences do not make sense), you may be required to send your documents to a translation service.
If the document is being submitted in the U.S. (for example, to USCIS), the translation does not have to be notarized. If the document is being submitted outside the U.S. (for example, to the Embassy or Consulate) , it must be notarized.

In India Birth Certificates, Death Certificates and/or Marriage Certificates are issued in the regional languages like Punjabi in Punjab, Hindi in Haryana, Tamil in Tamil Nadu. But the Registrars issue the English Version of the certificates on demand as while applying for VISA to European countries or US, it is compulsory that your certificates and documents must be in English, the accepted international language. What should one do immediately:

Get the English Version of Certificates immediately as it may become difficult to obtain such certificates at later date when one is away from the place of his or her birth.
Keep the translated or English Version of Birth Certificates and other Certificates in DigiLocker so that the same can be accessed anytime anywhere in the world without tracing the originals.

How to get Birth Certificate translated in English