If you’ve wondering what certified translation is or how do you get certified translation in Japan, you’re in the right place – This guide, developed by Japan, Tokyo based Certified Japanese Translation Service, provides everything you need to know to get started.

There is no small amount of confusion -even among purported translation professionals- surrounding this term.

First, let’s dispel with these to ensure you get the right type of translation for your requirements.

The term “certified translation” is often used interchangeably with “official translation” and “sworn translation”. Providing clarity, Certified Translation is:

• A subset of Official Translation (new window)
• Similar, but with important differences, to Sworn Translation (new window).

So, what exactly is certified translation? It is a method of:

Certifying -guaranteeing- the authenticity of a translation.

The obvious follow-on question here is:

Who can certify a translation?

The answer to this question not only clarifies the confusion surrounding certified translation, but it also indicates an important difference to sworn translation. Certified translation is certified by a:

• Professional Translator
  In common law countries, generally English-speaking countries, such as the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore etc., translations can be certified by ANY professional translator (company or individual) simply by including a statement –Statement of Certification– attesting to its accuracy (i.e., self-certifying). There is no official test or accreditation required to provide this service.

Statement of Certification

The Statement of Certification (also known as a Certificate of Accuracy) is a document that attests to the accuracy of the translation, and is issued by the translator, be that a translation organization (company) or individual (freelance). The importance of this statement cannot be overstated — It really is at the heart of what defines certified translations, which essentially says:

“We believe this translation is accurate”.

There is no pre-defined format required; however, it must be printed on company letterhead and, at a bare minimum, must include the following in order to be accepted:

• Date issued,
• List of documents translated,
• Name and contact information of the translator, and
• Official company seal or representative signature.

The Statement must be worded similar to the following:

“I declare that the translation of the attached document(s) are to the best of my knowledge and belief a true and faithful rendering of the original document(s) done to the best of my ability as a professional translator.”

Here’s an example of a Statement of Certification (new window)

Please keep this most important bit of information in mind at all times when ordering Japanese certified translation:

Without a Statement of Certification, you don’t have certified translation. It’s as simple as that!

This is a Red Flag — Read the A Red Flag in Japanese Certified Translation article just in case you still doubt the importance of this point!

Clearing Up Misconceptions

1. Only certified translators can provide certified translation.
   ANY professional translator can provide certified translation, as long as it is in the right format (as described above). See Related Topics below for more information on Certified Translator.
2. Certified translations need to be notarized.
   Notarization is only necessary when the organization evaluating your translated documents specifically requests it. In fact, since it is so expensive and time consuming, especially in Japan where the notary public’s office falls under the Ministry of Justice, you should avoid notarization where possible. Click here to beef up on notarized translation (new window – coming soon!)

Related Topics

• What Official Documents Need be translated and certified?
• What is a Certified Translator?

And, finally, I would like to leave you with our oft repeated mantra:

Save yourself time, money and energy by getting your facts directly from the official authority (i.e. organizational level) that will be evaluating your translated documents.

Need more information on Certified Translation? Click here for Certified Japanese Translation FAQs

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About the Author
Ivan Vandermerwe is the CEO of SAECULII YK, the owner of Tokyo based Certified Translation Service Japan Visit SAECULII for the latest professional case studies, articles and news on Japanese Translation Services

Copyright (C) SAECULII YK. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this article is permitted with inclusion of the “About the Author” reference as is (including text links, japan-translators.saeculii.com/english/services/japanese-certified-translations.cfm), and this copyright information. Articles may not be altered without written permission from SAECULII YK.