How did you translate Birth Certificate for Marriage Visa?

argtat says on Oct 3, 2004, 15:23:

in regards to apostille the documents as far as it says on the package sent to your fiance , if this is a fiance visa you are talking about need to be translated only if they are in a language ather than english or spanish

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JT says on Oct 3, 2004, 15:41:

The visa is for me to marry in Colombia The question actually is refering to the marriage visa I am applying for so I can marry my Colombian fiancee in Colombia.

I just want to know about how a translation of my birth can get notarized. Do I have to send a spanish translation back to the county clerk? Or who notarizes spanish translations of birth certificates? Thanks! -JT

JT

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Patrick says on Oct 3, 2004, 16:25:

Here is what you should do. Get an apostil on your original Birth Certificate. Go to an Official Translator and have it translated from English to Spanish, making sure that the translator is also a Notary. You should be able to find one in the Yellow Pages or on the Net. The Official Translator will translate your birth record as well as the apostil seal. No state that I am aware of will put an apostil seal on a document that they did not issue. Take them both with you when you go to Colombia. Remember they will keep your birth record at the marriage license office in Colombia as part of their record. So, if you need it for any other reason make sure you get enough original copies. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

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tiopipe says on Oct 3, 2004, 18:45:

A question?Are you sure you have to translate english into spani I married my Colombian wife in the US in 2000, and we returned to Colombia to marry in Barrranquilla in 2001 without any problems or translations. All that was required was a document from our local catholic church in the US...so I'm wondering if you have to do this or not.

If you do, you probably want a translator who is approved by the American Embassy in Bogota, so that when you go to get a visa for your wife to come back to the states you don't have "unofficially" translated documents floating around and causing confusion. The offical translator in Barranquilla (close to Cartagena) is Michael Taboada Renard, whose telephone in BAQ is 355 9864 or 355 9865. As he is an approved translator for the embassy, maybe a direct call to him will help to explain this.

Good luck

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calena says on Oct 3, 2004, 18:46:

All you need for the translation.. All you need is to get the birth certificate translated and notorized...then have the notorization (and the original) appostilled. The apostille has to be done in the state the document is notarized in. The original has to be apostiled in the same state it is issued in. The apostille is basically just a certification that the notarization is valid.

They will want an apostille on all documents, such as the police certificate, not just the birth certificate.

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2retirensa says on Oct 4, 2004, 01:17:

Can you tell me how to have a birth certificate translated, notorized, and apostilled in the state it was issued in (Ca) when one lives in another state (MO)? Thanks

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JT says on Oct 6, 2004, 20:41:

2retirensa, The County Clerk acts as the notary I got my birth certificate issued from the town clerk where I was born in New York State. It needs to get certified by the County Clerk. Then, I send it to the NY State Dept. for the Apostille. Thats all I had to do.

There is another way I could have gotten my BC from NY state, w/o getting it from the actual town where I was born. I forget the name of the department. Maybe its the health dept.

JT

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FredGarvin says on Oct 7, 2004, 07:03:

I am also planning to be married in Colombia. Exactly what is the "Police Records" that you need to acquire? Where to obtain this?

Thanks,

FG

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JT says on Oct 8, 2004, 00:53:

Ask your consulate if local police record is good enough. The chicago consulate told me that my police record could be from anywhere. I've only lived here a year. But I went to the local police dept. Went to the "records dept". Payed $7.00 and had the police report. The one they gave me had a stamp instead of a real signature of the head of the records dept. So I had them give me another with a real signature, and asked them to notarize it. They found a notary there who notarized it. I had made a spanish copy of the record, but they woulnd't sign and notarize it. The consulate told me it didnt matter, just get the Apostille on the English copy. Now I have to call the consulate again and ask if he wants me to get the spanish translation notarized and apostilled.

JT

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JT says on Oct 8, 2004, 18:08:

Do Oficial translators exist in USA? When people say they found an Oficial Translator, do they mean a Professional Translator? Because I'm not aware that the US government certifies translators?????

As far as the "Certified Translator" thing goes: Here is what one translator told me when I asked if his ATA certification was recognized by the US government and/or other governments. He lead me to believe that there aren't any "Certified Translators" in the USA because the Government doesn't regulate that. Here is what he emailed me:
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Regarding certification: As far as I know, there is no government agency in the US that certifies translators; when agencies such as INS ask for a "certified" translation, what they are looking for is for the translator to include a statement certifying that the translation is accurate, with the translation signed by the translator and then notarized. So a translator does not have to be "certified" in order to "certify" his/her translation.

This is different from other countries in Europe and South America, where one can become a "sworn translator" which basically is a government stamp of approval on the translator's qualifications and which therefore extends to his/her work.

In the US, ATA is the only widely-recognized certification credential for translators. It gives the consumer a good idea of the quality of translation that they are receiving.

(Of course, interpreter certification is an entirely different issue.)

Oh, I forgot to answer another part of your question: foreign officials/governments have their own requirements for certified translations. Sometimes they want someone that has been certified by their own country; sometimes they want someone that has been approved by their consulate in the U.S.; sometimes they just want the translator to provide a notarized statement of translation so that the notary public's signature can be apostilled. You'll have to check with the officials who will be receiving the documents you want translated.

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So , when you say that a certified/oficial translator did your translation, how did you know he was certified, and certified by whom? I'm just concerned becuase the Notary I'm working w/ in Cartagena says they have to be certified, but I'm thinking 'if there aren't any certified translators here in the US, how does she know whether they are or not? Thanks!

JT

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