A sworn translation is a translation that is certified, signed and stamped by a Sworn Translator/Interpreter, which gives the translated document official status. This means that a sworn translation can be accepted as valid evidence in legal proceedings, can be presented to the Administration or to any other institution that requires an official translation, such as a university, for example. Sworn translations are usually needed to validate studies, to receive pensions from abroad, to declare invoices for goods purchased in another country, homologations, employment records, letters of recommendation… and many others.
The sworn translator recognition is granted directly by the State, specifically in our case, by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. Those of us who hold this designation are qualified and authorised to provide sworn translations with international recognition.
The requirements for a sworn translation to be valid are as follows:
The certification model of the Spanish Official State Gazette of 6 August 2020 is as follows:
Sworn Translator Certification
«Mr./Mrs./Ms. …………………………………………… (name and surname), Sworn Translator-Interpreter of ………………(language), under the certification granted by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, hereby certifies that the foregoing is a true and exact translation into ………………(target language) of a document drafted in …………… (source language). In …………… (place), ….……….. (date)»
Signature and official stamp
The only information that the stamp of the sworn translator and interpreter must contain is the following:
(NAME AND SURNAME)
Sworn Translator of (LANGUAGE)
No. (REGISTRATION NUMBER)
If you need to officially translate a document, please contact me and I will help you with the whole process. However, if you want to find the professional you need on your own, you can access the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation’s search engine for sworn translators and interpreters.
The translators listed in this directory are authorised to provide sworn translations and interpreting services with national and international validity. The location of the professional is not the most important thing, as everything can be done remotely.
You can access the official Spanish Sworn Translators-Interpreters finder by clicking on the following link:
The purpose and responsibility of the sworn translator-interpreter is to certify the content of the original document. If the document you want to translate is to be submitted to a public entity or a university, for example, what you need is an official translation, which can only be done with the stamp and signature of a sworn translator-interpreter.
They are official translations of documents that are required by certain authorities (ministries, courts, academic institutions) and which, in order to certify their validity as a translated document, require the stamp and signature of an official sworn translator-interpreter accredited by the government.
Sworn translators and interpreters have an official certificate and stamp, which means that they are recognised by the country where they work. Their translation is therefore considered legally acceptable. This means that a sworn translation can be used as evidence in court, unlike other translations.
Yes, Spanish sworn translators and interpreters are recognised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, so their certification and stamp are official and internationally valid.
The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation is responsible for the recognition of sworn translators. At the moment, this qualification can only be obtained by means of homologation, if you already have an equivalent recognition from another country, or by public examination, after passing a series of qualifying exams.
The task of sworn translators is to translate documents and certify that the translation is true and faithful to the original text. To do this, they must add the certification of the sworn translation to the end of their translation and put their official stamp, with date and signature, on all pages. This is stapled to a copy of the original on which they will also place their stamp and date, although their signature is not required on all pages.
No. Each sworn translator-interpreter is usually authorised to translate in one language combination (e.g. German-Spanish). However, there are some who have several appointments and can translate more than one language combination, although this is not the most common. To find someone who can translate our document, we have to look for a professional who works in that particular language (and therefore appears on the official Spanish Ministry’s website under the language we are looking for).
Yes. Since very recently, sworn translations are also valid in digital format (PDF) as long as they have the sworn translator-interpreter’s digital certificate. If you wish to receive the document in digital format as well as the hard copy, we will send it to you by private courier.
No. Nowadays (especially after the Coronavirus pandemic) almost everything can be done remotely. In the past, sworn translations were only valid in paper format, but nowadays the digital version with an electronic certificate is accepted, which reduces delivery costs and increases the range of professionals we can contact, as it is not necessary to live in the same place as the sworn translator-interpreter in order to request a sworn translation.
No, the process can be carried out completely remotely. To send the documents, all you need to do is send us an e-mail with the files. To receive the sworn translation, you can choose only the digital version with an electronic certificate or, if you need a hard copy, you will receive it within 24 hours at the address you request, via a private courier company.
The price of sworn translations will depend on the language combination, the type of text and the length. The price is usually quoted per page and oscillates between €40-60/page, although the price will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on other factors, such as delivery time or language.
Sworn translators are language professionals who are accredited by the Government to certify the accuracy of a translation. They can therefore attest that what is written in one language is the same as what is written in another language. Notaries, on the other hand, are legal professionals with the power to attest, i.e. to approve and determine that the legal documents in question are true. These are two very different professions.
The Hague Apostille was originally set out in the 12: Hague Convention of 5 October 1961, Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, more commonly known as the “Apostille Convention”. It is an annotation that is attached to a legal or administrative document that has been issued in one of the signatory countries of the Hague Convention, as is the case of Spain. This Apostille certifies the validity of the signatures on the document without the need for any other legalisation procedure. In other words, it simplifies the administrative or legal procedure that is being carried out.
Sworn translators do not carry out the Hague Apostille procedure, this must be requested from the competent authority in each country. Each member of the Convention apostilles its own documents. In Spain, the Ministry of Justice is responsible for the apostille.
Sworn translations do not need to be legalised at this Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, but this does not mean that the original documents should not be legalised or apostilled.
On the other hand, it is important to note that the Apostille is only valid in the countries that are part of the agreement. To find out which countries are signatories, you can consult the following link:
Ariadna Montiel Translations has been in the market for more than a decade, offering high quality sworn and regular translation services. Since then, we have been working from Germany, Austria and Spain, first from Barcelona and currently from A Coruña.
