Notarization Translation is, well, translation that’s been notarized – Not much leeway for confusion!

However, there’s plenty confusion about what exactly it is that is being notarized.

But, first, what is Notarized Translation? It is:

• A subset of Official Translation (new window)
• A method to make a certain type of translation 'official' for international use and for providing accountability (of the translator), and
• A type of translation requiring Certified Translation (new window) and Sworn Translation (new window).

The obvious follow-on question here is:

Who can notarize a translation?

The answer to this question is a Notary Public. It is important, though, to understand what exactly it is that is being notarized:

• A declaration in the form of a Statement by the translator that has been signed & sealed by the Notary, or
• A declaration in the form of a Statement by the Notary pertaining to the (authenticity of) original document(s) and the translation.
  
  Side Note
  In Japan the Notary Public office falls under the Legal Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Justice.

How is Notarized Translation done in Japan? There are 2 methods, both of which we have experience in:

1. Get our translated documents notarized at your closest Notary Public office, if they provide notarization declarations in English.
2. Get the original documents notarized at your closest Notary Public office, which we will then translate (including the notarization declaration).

Here’s an example of Japanese notarization -- An actual notarized document we translated.

Japanese Notarized Translation
(The bottom half of this private document is also legalized with Apostille – See Apostilled Translation)

Clearing Up Common Misconceptions:

1. A notary public -guarantees- the authenticity of a translation.
   Notaries are NOT linguists; thus, they are not qualified to verify translation accuracy. The job of the notary public is to simply bear witness to the signing of the Statement by the 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

About the Author
Ivan Vandermerwe is the CEO of SAECULII YK, the owner of Tokyo based Certified Translation 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.