Translation

[londonhornet 0]

Hi

I think I am very close to my interview date, and have suddenly had a bit of a panic attack!! My wife and her family are Puerto Rican US citizens, and although my wife is fluent in both Spanish and English, a couple of supporting documents are in Spanish (such as my mother in laws evidence of financial income). They are not documents such as Birth Certificates etc, but do evidence the fact that my MIL earns 'x' amount per year and is employed by so and so...

Is it worth finding somewhere to get these translated, or can my wife translate the letters into English as she is fluent in both?! I've read through several posts on these forums and some state people do them themselves others take them to get notarized/certified etc etc... Please help!!!

Thank you everyone

[pushbrk 12,212]

Hi

I think I am very close to my interview date, and have suddenly had a bit of a panic attack!! My wife and her family are Puerto Rican US citizens, and although my wife is fluent in both Spanish and English, a couple of supporting documents are in Spanish (such as my mother in laws evidence of financial income). They are not documents such as Birth Certificates etc, but do evidence the fact that my MIL earns 'x' amount per year and is employed by so and so...

Is it worth finding somewhere to get these translated, or can my wife translate the letters into English as she is fluent in both?! I've read through several posts on these forums and some state people do them themselves others take them to get notarized/certified etc etc... Please help!!!

Thank you everyone

Anyone fluent in both languages can certify the translations are correct. I generally advise the petitioner to do the work and have a bilingual friend check it over and certify it but there's nothing that says the petitioner can't do it themselves.

[londonhornet 0]

Anyone fluent in both languages can certify the translations are correct. I generally advise the petitioner to do the work and have a bilingual friend check it over and certify it but there's nothing that says the petitioner can't do it themselves.

Thank you pushbrk - My wife will more than happily tranlsate anything that needs doing, its just I saw this on the official website which concerns me:

All documents not in English must be accompanied by certified English translations. The translation must include a statement signed by the translator that state that the translation is accurate, and sworn to before a Notary Public.

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

Jamie -- all it means is that she'll need to get the translation sworn to as a true and accurate translation at a notary public. She is competent to translate since she speaks Spanish and English fluently. I think you mentioned before she's back in the US looking for work, right? If she is, MUCH easier than getting it notarised in the UK -- US notaries are more plentiful and charge lower rates than in the UK. Trust me, I almost qualified as a notary back in London (I had to abandon my two-year course because we left the UK) and the amounts I could have charged once qualified were obscene. If you do need to have it done back in the UK, shoot me a line and I'll see if I can recommend someone. It is possible to have documents notarised at the Embassy itself, but you really do not want to be doing this on the day of the interview and I believe you need to set up an appointment to do this now. If you're in the London area, and your wife can take some time off to go to the Embassy, this could be a low-cost solution.

I'm also moving this from the K3 forum, since you're filing DCF and not for a K3, and this is not a K3/DCF/visa specific issue. I'm moving it to Embassy/Consulate discussion since this involves documentation dealt with at the consulate stage.

[londonhornet 0]

Jamie -- all it means is that she'll need to get the translation sworn to as a true and accurate translation at a notary public. She is competent to translate since she speaks Spanish and English fluently. I think you mentioned before she's back in the US looking for work, right? If she is, MUCH easier than getting it notarised in the UK -- US notaries are more plentiful and charge lower rates than in the UK. Trust me, I almost qualified as a notary back in London (I had to abandon my two-year course because we left the UK) and the amounts I could have charged once qualified were obscene. If you do need to have it done back in the UK, shoot me a line and I'll see if I can recommend someone. It is possible to have documents notarised at the Embassy itself, but you really do not want to be doing this on the day of the interview and I believe you need to set up an appointment to do this now. If you're in the London area, and your wife can take some time off to go to the Embassy, this could be a low-cost solution.

I'm also moving this from the K3 forum, since you're filing DCF and not for a K3, and this is not a K3/DCF/visa specific issue. I'm moving it to Embassy/Consulate discussion since this involves documentation dealt with at the consulate stage.

Meagan - Tati is over here in the UK with me at the moment for the next 2 weeks, then she is going off to the States to job hunt. We're an hour from London city. If you can think of anyone that wont cost me my house to notarise the docs then please let me know!! Uffff... the hassle continues....!

[pushbrk 12,212]

Thank you pushbrk - My wife will more than happily tranlsate anything that needs doing, its just I saw this on the official website which concerns me:

All documents not in English must be accompanied by certified English translations. The translation must include a statement signed by the translator that state that the translation is accurate, and sworn to before a Notary Public.

No, it does not mean that. US Notaries cannot attest to a translation being accurate. They attest to a signature being that of the person named.

Translations do not need to be notarized for USCIS in our context. If the OP would provide the link, we can probably clear things up. Perhaps it's simply an out of date reference.

[londonhornet 0]

No, it does not mean that. US Notaries cannot attest to a translation being accurate. They attest to a signature being that of the person named.

Translations do not need to be notarized for USCIS in our context. If the OP would provide the link, we can probably clear things up. Perhaps it's simply an out of date reference.

Here you go... If you hit 'translations' there is a small explanatory paragraph.

http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/iv/ds2001.html

[pushbrk 12,212]

Here you go... If you hit 'translations' there is a small explanatory paragraph.

http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/iv/ds2001.html

I'm afraid I see no mention of translations at this link.

[londonhornet 0]

I'm afraid I see no mention of translations at this link.

If you scroll half the page down to the blue writing where the bullet points are, translations are at the bottom.

[pushbrk 12,212]

If you scroll half the page down to the blue writing where the bullet points are, translations are at the bottom.

These are the bullet points I see.

Birth Certificate

unavailable

under a different name

born in India or Pakistan

Adoption Certificate

Please provide the direct link.

[Mononoke28 134]

Here you go... If you hit 'translations' there is a small explanatory paragraph.

http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/iv/ds2001.html

For the most part, the USCIS, the NVC and most US embassies do not require translations to be notarized, only certified by the person who did the translation. Since you found this info in the US Embassy in London site, contact them directly to find out how accurate that statement is. If they say you still need them notarized, then your wife can at least do the translation. If not, then there is nothing to worry about.

Diana

[lucyrich 19]

It's worth noting that the USCIS maintains one consistent set of rules for translations (which, BTW, don't include using a Notary), but those rules don't have any effect on the consultates, which are part of the Department of State. Each consulate sets its own rules for translations, and they vary quite a bit from one consulate to another. So if you find some instructions on the consulate's website, follow them. Otherwise, contact the consulate directly for instructions regarding translations.

I had no problem reading that paragraph on the page linked. I cut and pasted it from the embassy website to here:

All documents not in English must be accompanied by certified English translations. The translation must include a statement signed by the translator that state that the translation is accurate, and sworn to before a Notary Public.

Obviously a notary can't attest to the accuracy of a translation, but that's not what the paragraph says. It says the statement must be signed by the translator, the statement must state that the translation is accurate, and the statement must be sworn to before a Notary Public. That's what Notaries Public do. A person signs and swears to a statement before a Notary Public, and the Notary public notarizes the signature.

That paragraph doesn't say anything about who is allowed to do the translation or what their qualifications must be. Just that the translator has to sign a statement stated that the translation is accurate, and swear to that statement before a Notary Public.

[londonhornet 0]

Guys thank you all for taking the time to assist me/us.

What I think we are going to do - (unless any of you think this is a bad idea..!)

I'll have my wife translate all documents from Spanish to English and provide a covering statement to each document that she is fully bilingual in both Spanish and English. I'll have her sign and endorse each document in front of another Spanish speaking bilingual friend and they can both provide full contact details should the Embassy need it verifying. If this can be done in front of a solicitor as an independant witness to reinforce it being genuine then that can also be done.

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

Okay Jamie, I think I have some really confusing news for you. Read at the very bottom of this page: Document Checklist

Translations - All documents not in English must be accompanied by certified translations into English. Translations must be in single copy and certified by a qualified independent translator that the translation is accurate.

Certified, not notarised. But the link you provide (I think I understand the problem pushbrk is referring to -- I could only see the link in Firefox, but not when I used Chrome) is in conflict with this. If you feel like spending a few quid, this might be one of the exceedingly few times a call to the extortion line might be worth it since the website is unclear.

If Tati has the time before she leaves, and it turns out they DO need to be notarised, try getting up to the Embassy to get these notarised. She will need to use the Special Consular Services unit at the Embassy -- info on how to book and what to bring are here. She needs to bring her passport with her to enter -- you will not be allowed to enter since you have no official business. It cost $30, which is a bargain. The UK system is a two-step process of notarisation and then apostillisation at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and takes time and costs far more. The next appointment available is apparently next Friday at 9.30am.

If this doesn't work AND you still need a notary in the London area, let me know what town you're in. London notaries can and do charge a lot more than those outside of the city, so it's in your interest to stay closer to home.

[pushbrk 12,212]

Guys thank you all for taking the time to assist me/us.

What I think we are going to do - (unless any of you think this is a bad idea..!)

I'll have my wife translate all documents from Spanish to English and provide a covering statement to each document that she is fully bilingual in both Spanish and English. I'll have her sign and endorse each document in front of another Spanish speaking bilingual friend and they can both provide full contact details should the Embassy need it verifying. If this can be done in front of a solicitor as an independant witness to reinforce it being genuine then that can also be done.

Yes, it's a bad idea. If the instructions are valid and it appears they are, follow them. Either your wife or her friend should add a statement to the translation itself and then sign the statement before a Notary Public. Consulate tend to want exactly what they ask for. It will not hurt to contact the Consulate to verify the instructions.