In the end, we are all aspiring to a more prosperous life that can provide us with the financial benefits our loved ones require and the job opportunities needed to continue our professional ascension. However, in many cases, starting a new, better life requires us to leave our homeland behind and immigrate to new territories that can offer more opportunities for personal and career development. Are you fluent in English, and do you benefit from the academic knowledge required to continue your career in a new, more prosperous country? In such a case, you’re probably interested in immigrating to the United States.
Annually, the US becomes the final destination of hundreds of thousands of highly qualified individuals on the lookout for a more financially prosperous life. However, to immigrate legally, your documentation will need to be adequately translated into English and be accompanied by a certificate that attests to the accuracy of the performed work. Are you, for example, deciding to immigrate from an Asian or European country, and are your birth certificate, qualification diplomas, or marriage papers written in your first language? In that case, to avoid having problems with the immigration authorities and obtain your visa, your paperwork will have to be interpreted by an agency that provides USCIS-certified translation services.
It’s All About the Quality of the Work Performed
The nationally attested USCIS-certified translation services provided by certified translators are more complex than the ones offered by amateur linguists. So, for these reasons, they are also, typically, a bit more expensive. Ultimately, the cost of certified translations is influenced by the quality assurance seal provided by the translation agency and the guaranteed accuracy of the work performed. ISO 17100-certified translation agencies employ only individuals with precise knowledge of the legal terminology utilized in US-approved documentation translations.
The translators hired by such companies will be up-to-date with the USCIS translation standards, and they will accompany their work with an official certification that will be admissible in court and have a legally binding status. What will this certificate include? For one thing, it will contain the contact information of the translation agency that performed the interpretation of the document and the full credentials of the translator, including his signature and the completion date of the work. On top of that, the certificate will affirm the translator’s qualifications and include a signed statement that asserts the accuracy of the completed text’s linguistic transformation.
What Is Different About These Translations?
In short, the accuracy of the performed work and the legally binding nature of the documentation being translated. In the United States, for your official paperwork to benefit from an official legal status and be admissible in cases of a judicial matter, it will need to be translated into English by a language-interpretation agency that offers USCIS-certified translation services. Sure, if you are immigrating from an English-speaking country such as New Zealand or Ireland, your documents will not be required to go through this process. However, if you are coming from a territory in which English is not an official language, certified translation services will be a necessity.
USCIS-certified translations are required if you want to apply for a long-term VISA application, and you need to present proof of your identity or academic qualifications. Likewise, certified translations will be necessary if you are being tried in a judiciary settlement, if you are applying for political asylum, or if you want to interact with other governmental agencies besides the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. In fact, certified translations are a necessity regardless of the US government branch or institution you want to contact. Yes, official, certification-accompanied translations will be more expensive than conventional, non-certified ones. However, they are necessary for any potential interaction with US authorities.
What Documents Need to be USCIS-Certified?
In the US, the list of documents that certified translations must accompany is significantly more extensive than the number of forms and papers that are exempted from this practice. Do you want, for example, to immigrate to the US or renew your visa? If so, you will have to provide a certified translation of your personal identification documents. The same is true for your academic and work-related qualifications. From birth certificates to divorce rulings or previous immigration records obtained from other countries, any document with potential juridical importance will need to be accompanied by an official translation with a certificate of accuracy for the performed work.
There are, however, some exceptions. Is the initially provided documentation accompanied by annexed paperwork written directly into English? If so, those papers will not be required to be accompanied by a certification letter, as there is nothing to translate. English-language documents, regardless of dialect differences, do not need to be professionally translated. The same also applies to documents previously translated by US institutions. That said, by and large, if you are planning to interact with the US authorities and you are living in a country where English is not an official language, you will be, in almost all cases, required to present USCIS-compliant certified translations of your submitted paperwork.
A Necessary Investment
USCIS-certified translation services are the only way for your paperwork to respect the translation regulations imposed by the USCIS. For miscellaneous reasons, was your documentation not interpreted using the services of a certified translator? If so, your immigration application might be postponed or downright rejected. USCIS-approved translations benefit from a certificate that attests to their accuracy and can be carried out only by qualified translation agencies familiar with the legal terminology utilized by US courts.
USCIS-certified translation services can be utilized for visa or immigration applications, can be submitted to academic institutions for J-1 visas, and are required for court cases that relate to the immigration status of the defendant or their educational and work qualifications in the country of origin. Yes, certified translation services can sometimes be expensive and take a while to complete. However, in the long term, they are the only way to enter the United States legally and be free from potential judiciary persecution.
