Service decision guide
Certification addresses the translation. Notarization is a separate signature or document process.
A certified translation and a notarized translation are not interchangeable terms. Lincua can provide a signed certification of translation accuracy and may arrange notarization when requested and available. The organization receiving the document determines what it needs.
At a glance
A written translation accompanied by a signed statement addressing completeness, accuracy, and the translator's competence for the work.
Check: Confirm the recipient's required wording, language pair, document scope, and delivery format.
A separate notarial act connected with a signature or document process; it does not itself assess the linguistic accuracy of the translation.
Check: Ask the recipient whether a notarized signature is required in addition to a translation certification.
A certification statement concerns the translation deliverable. Notarization concerns a different step involving a signature or document process. Adding one does not automatically satisfy a request for the other, and neither guarantees that a receiving organization will accept a document.
Requirements can differ by agency, court, school, employer, or other recipient. Ask what document, language, certification wording, notarization, and delivery format they require. Share those instructions with Lincua before the scope is confirmed.
Lincua offers certified document translation for USCIS-related submissions, but it does not provide immigration legal advice or determine whether an agency will accept a particular document. The USCIS document translation page explains Lincua's service; follow the receiving agency's current instructions for your filing.
Requests may concern a birth certificate, marriage certificate, diploma, transcript, or another written record. Tell the team the source and target languages, document type, approximate length, intended recipient, deadline, and any written instructions. Contact the team before sending sensitive records so the delivery method can be confirmed.
Before you request
Helpful answers
No universal rule applies. Confirm the current requirements with the organization receiving your document.
No. A notarial act is distinct from the translator's statement about the translation's completeness and accuracy.
Notarization may be available when requested. Tell the team what your recipient requires so availability and scope can be reviewed.
No. The receiving organization decides whether a submitted document meets its requirements.
Next step
Review Lincua's translation service and ask the receiving organization what it requires before requesting a quote.
