Format of translation

[Zoe&Chris 5]

Hi,

I need to get my French police report translated, and I'm planning to get my mom to ask her french teacher at school to do it for me. From what I've read, this is fine as certified means that that statement "I am fluent in ...... and proficient to ... blah" is on it.

I know about writing that certification statement, but I wasnt sure exactly how the translation is usually done. Here's what I mean - do you photocopy the report and then have them write the english in under each line on the photocopy? Or do you have them write the english translation on a blank page and staple it to the document? Or do they write on the original? If it was just on a blank page then I don't know what ties it to the original (as you could undo a staple or staple it to something else) but I wasn't sure if it would look too messy written on the photocopy.

Can someone who's taken in a translated copy to London recently tell me what they had done, and what it looked like?

I don't want to pay for professional translation as I only lived in France 6 months and I don't need the police certificate unless its 12 months, but I want to be prepared with it anyway (covering all the bases!).

Thanks!

Zoe

Edited May 22, 2013 by Zoe&Chris

[claire and joe 2]

My translator did my divorce papers in the exact same format as the original but on a separate paper (don't mess up the original) and then did the paper to say who he was ....

You could get them to sign the translation too ......

Id imagine the London Embassy have seen these report from all over and would spot some thing suspect !

Claire .

[agnesb 47]

I had mine translated by a certified translator (not a notary so it didnt cost a fortune) and basicaly they have made a copy of the orginal and on a new blank page translated the document in a similar formating to the orignal i.e. if there was a title in the midle they would also write the translated title in the middle and so on, and also translated the stamps. They then stampted both photocopy and translation at the back with date and signature (and their business stamp but thats again not relevant for self-certified translator).

To comple the transaltion they would write a statement on a separate page saying they are certified translators, member of (some linguistic institiution) they have seen an original and confirm this is a true transaltion etc and again stamped and signed.

[DaisyD 12]

I had my interview on Monday and honestly you really don't need the French certificate if you were only there for 6 months. I was in France for exactly one year but my first 2 months were in a hotel and so did not appear on the question about places where you had lived for longer than 3 months, so they were reluctant to take my police certificate when on paper I was there less than 1 year, I did eventually give it in at the second part of the interview but could have got away with not having it. For 6 months you do not need it. You will be fine.