Notarization for Certified Translations

Basics of Notarization

A notary public is a public servant appointed by state government to witness the signing of documents and to administer oaths. According to the National Notary Association, "Notarization is the official fraud-deterrent process that assures the parties of a transaction that a document is authentic, and can be trusted." For our purposes, we use a notary public to verify the identity of the authorized signer and to witness the signing of the Certificate of Translation Accuracy on a certified translation.

Each state has specific laws governing notarial acts, but interstate recognition of notarial acts is well established. A notarization that is performed legally in one state is valid in all other states.

Notarization requires both parties; the notary and the signer of the document to be physically present for the notarial act to be valid. Since our order fulfillment team is centrally located in Louisville, Kentucky, we use Kentucky-commissioned notary publics and follow Kentucky's notarial laws.

The notary will verify the identity of the signer, witness them sign, then the notary will sign and stamp the document to complete the notarial act. The notary will also record the act in their log to maintain a permanent record in case there is a question about the notarization in the future.

Notarization of a Certified Translation

It's critical to understand that the notary public isn't authenticating or verifying the work of the translator. The notary public is authenticating the signer of the translation certification that comes with a certified translation. This creates a chain of authentication and validation that receivers of the translation can rely on.

That chain is as follows:

1. An authorized signer from RushTranslate will sign the Certificate of Translation Accuracy, authenticating and validating the work the translator has completed.
2. The notary public authenticates the signer of the Certificate of Translation Accuracy by verifying their identity and witnessing them sign the certificate.
3. Optionally, for use outside of the US, you can obtain an apostille from the Kentucky Secretary of State, which authenticates the notary. Follow this guide if you need to obtain an apostille for a notarized certified translation.

Once that chain of authentication and validation is complete, any receiver can be confident of the authenticity of the translation. We are also available to independently verify that a translation from RushTranslate is authentic and unaltered if there is any doubt. Please contact our support team for assistance.

Keep in mind that the notary is authenticating the signer from our company so it is not possible to have the certification notarized except through us as the notary and authorized signer must be present in the same location for the notarial act to be valid. Sometimes clients want notarization in a specific state, but that isn't possible as explained above, but it also isn't necessary since we provide a notarization that is valid in all 50 states.

Along those same lines, if you need an apostille, you will only be able to obtain it from the Secretary of State of Kentucky as only the state that has commissioned the notary can authenticate the notary. Much like the notarization, an apostille issued by Kentucky is as valid as an apostille issued by any other state or country.

Digital vs Physical Notarization

We provide both digital and physical notarizations based on your requirements. Both delivery methods are equally valid in all 50 states, but some receivers independently require the original hard copy with wet ink signatures and stamps. Please check with your receiver to verify their requirements.

When placing your order, you can select notarization, which will be delivered as a PDF by default. You can also opt to have a hard copy shipped to you, in which case we will provide both a digital version via PDF and the original hard copy mailed to you with wet ink signatures and stamps.

Our Notarization Process

When you order notarization for your certified translation, we will require you to review and approve the translation before it is notarized and shipped if a hard copy is purchased. This ensures all revisions are complete and the translation is finalized before notarization.

When the translator has finished translating your documents we will notify you via email that they are ready for your review and approval. Once approved your order will go into the queue for notarization.

We have approved orders notarized in batches twice daily Monday through Friday. Please plan your order timeline accordingly as we are unable to notarize documents outside of those batches.

Uses for Notarized Certified Translations

Notarized certified translations are required by many receivers as a way to authenticate the translation. Please check with your receiver, but examples of receivers that typically require notarization include credential evaluation services, universities, consulates, courts, some government agencies, and foreign countries.

A common use case for certified translations is submittal to UCSIS for immigration purposes. USCIS does not require notarization, just the standard signed certification we provide.