format of translated documents

[onlyolga 0]

Hello all... I am preparing our I-129F petition package. My question pertains to the format of documents for evidence that we have met personally, as well as other required documents. What I would like to find out is this... how did others translate their documents. For example, my fiancee's birth certificate and my hotel voucher documents are in Russian. If my fiancee (who is fluent in both Russian and English) were to translate the documents (also attaching a translation certification statement), how would it be shown what word or phrase of the original document corresponds to the translation? Did others "replicate" the original document with English translations substitued in the place of the words in the original language? Would you draw an arrow between the original language word/phrase to the corresponding Engliah translation typed on a copied page? I did call the Nat'l Customer Svc. Cntr. 1-800 phone #, but was told that they were not permitted to tell me since it would be telling me what to state on the form and that was against their policy. I was told that this was up to my discretion on how to handle this.

On a sidenote... on the G-325A form, the last date of the page (next to the applicant's signature) is entered correct, (i.e. 11/14/2011) on the pdf form; but when it is printed, it shows as "11/14/201". The last digit of the year is not printed. Did others simply handwrite the date in this entry field? I may bave to find who in USCIS could make this change on the G-325A pdf form so that they might make the correction so others won't have this error.

[Gary and Alla 3,696]

Hello all... I am preparing our I-129F petition package. My question pertains to the format of documents for evidence that we have met personally, as well as other required documents. What I would like to find out is this... how did others translate their documents. For example, my fiancee's birth certificate and my hotel voucher documents are in Russian. If my fiancee (who is fluent in both Russian and English) were to translate the documents (also attaching a translation certification statement), how would it be shown what word or phrase of the original document corresponds to the translation? Did others "replicate" the original document with English translations substitued in the place of the words in the original language? Would you draw an arrow between the original language word/phrase to the corresponding Engliah translation typed on a copied page? I did call the Nat'l Customer Svc. Cntr. 1-800 phone #, but was told that they were not permitted to tell me since it would be telling me what to state on the form and that was against their policy. I was told that this was up to my discretion on how to handle this.

On a sidenote... on the G-325A form, the last date of the page (next to the applicant's signature) is entered correct, (i.e. 11/14/2011) on the pdf form; but when it is printed, it shows as "11/14/201". The last digit of the year is not printed. Did others simply handwrite the date in this entry field? I may bave to find who in USCIS could make this change on the G-325A pdf form so that they might make the correction so others won't have this error.

You can handwrite any or all of the G-325a as long as it is legible.

You do NOT need her birth certificate for the petition (I-129f) and it does not provide any benefit to include it. Keep it for the consulate interview where a translation will not be needed (both Moscow and Kiev did away with that requirement)

Likewise you do not have to provide hotel receipts if you have other documents. I used ONLY copies of boarding passes, passport stamps and ONE photo to prove we had met in person.

All that said...

Alla does translations from Russian and has done many for the Moscow and Kiev consulates and USCIS. She sets up a fairly representative "format" that more or less copies the layout of the original document. She uses various symbols to replicate stamps and such and prints inside this symbol what it represents "Seal of the Village Soviet, Village of Yakutsk" or whatever.

She attaches this to a copy of the original document.

[ONA 133]

I translated my Birth Certificate and my Police Certificate myself (for the interview).

I DID NOT translate the evidence of relationship and meeting in person - some of it was in Russian. The only thing they looked were the pictures, but I never heard of the Embassy having problems with vouchers in Russian or train tickets in Russian or something.

Edited November 15, 2011 by ONA

[ONA 133]

You do NOT need her birth certificate for the petition (I-129f) and it does not provide any benefit to include it. Keep it for the consulate interview where a translation will not be needed (both Moscow and Kiev did away with that requirement)

While the translation is not needed in Kiev (if the document is in Ukrainian or Russian), it IS needed in Moscow.

Alla does translations from Russian and has done many for the Moscow and Kiev consulates and USCIS. She sets up a fairly representative "format" that more or less copies the layout of the original document. She uses various symbols to replicate stamps and such and prints inside this symbol what it represents "Seal of the Village Soviet, Village of Yakutsk" or whatever.

I did not try to replicate the stamp, I wrote exactly what the stamp said, something like: "/STAMP/ Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation".