A birth certificate issued in two languages, a multilingual diploma supplement, or a company document bearing a stamp in a third language: multilingual documents are common in international dealings. Do you need a sworn translation from every language that appears on the document? Usually not. What matters is the receiving institution’s requirements, whether the language versions match, and whether every part of the document is relevant to your case.
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What is a multilingual document?
A multilingual document contains text in at least two languages. It may present the same text in parallel language versions, most commonly in a bilingual document. Alternatively, only part of the document, such as a stamp or annotation, may be in another language.
Such documents are used by international companies, universities and public authorities. Examples include company agreements and articles of association, civil status records, diplomas, diploma supplements, driver’s licenses and certificates.
In countries with more than one official language, documents often contain several language versions. Belarus is one example, with documents in both Russian and Belarusian. Universities and companies also often prepare documents in both the local language and English to make them easier to use internationally.
Which language should the sworn translation be made from?
There is no single rule for every document. First, check whether the authority, court, university, employer or other receiving institution specifies which language version must be translated.
If it does not, compare the versions. When they contain identical information, a translation from one language is usually enough. You can often choose the option that is simpler, faster or less expensive. Any remaining text in another language is then marked appropriately in the translation. For example, if a Belarusian–Russian birth certificate contains the same information in both languages, you could consider a sworn translation from Russian.
If the versions differ, or important information appears in only one language, more than one translator may be needed. In that situation, a translation agency can coordinate the work as a single order.
Can a sworn translator translate a passage in another language?
A sworn translator is authorized to produce and certify translations for the language in which they are registered on Poland’s list of sworn translators. A passage in another language therefore needs to be handled accordingly. The scope of these qualifications is set out in Poland’s Act on the Profession of Sworn Translator.
For example, an agreement may have French and English versions but bear a stamp in English. In that case, the best option is to order a sworn translation from English. Even if a sworn translator of French understands the stamp, they are not authorized to translate it as part of their certified work.
How can you reduce the cost of translating a multilingual document?
You do not always need to order a full translation from the document’s main language. Consider a company’s articles of association presented in parallel Japanese and English versions, with additional annotations only in Japanese.
If the two main versions match, it may be possible to translate the full text from English and ask a sworn translator of Japanese to translate only the additional passages. This may cost less than translating the entire document from the less commonly requested language.
The best approach depends on how the document will be used and the requirements of the institution receiving it.
One translation agency, multiple languages
With multilingual documents, the main challenge is often coordinating several specialists while keeping the translation consistent. Our agency works with more than 50 languages, so we can coordinate the entire order for you.
We review the document before preparing a quote, assess which language versions need translating and propose an approach suited to its intended use. This saves you from having to find several translators and define each person’s scope of work yourself.
If your document contains two or more languages, send us a scan. We’ll assess which language is best to translate from and whether all the language versions really need to be translated.