Certified Japanese Translation Services in Tokyo, Japan
Comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions - Get all the answers to your Japanese-to-English official translation questions right here
Getting official certified translation right from the go get will save you time, money and effort. Therefore, always keep front and center our certified translation GOLDEN RULE:
Understand the requirements at the organization level (in the country) where you'll be submitting your translated documents.
Certified translation is one type of official translation. Official Translation comes in four flavors:
Certified Translation
Sworn Translation
Notarized translation
Apostilled Translation
Certified translation is certified with a Statement of Certification (also known as a Certificate of Accuracy) attesting to the accuracy of the translation, which is issued by the translation company (i.e., self-certifying). This type of translation is prevalent in common law countries, which generally are English-speaking countries and Japan.
Certified translations are required for official & legal documents issued in foreign languages when making, for example, travel visa applications.
What is a Statement of Certification, and why is it needed?
Certified Japanese translation must be issued with a Statement of Certification -also called a “Certificate of Accuracy”- to be accepted by official & governmental organizations. At a bare minimum the Statement of Certification must be issued on letterhead, include a declaration of accuracy and a list of translated documents, be dated, display contact information and have the translating company’s stamp/seal affixed.
Here's an example of a Statement of Certification
Translated by Professionals & Certified
Accurate. Certified. Accepted. Anywhere
This is more of an issue of prevailing customs and norms in the country where your Japanese to English certified translation is being handled. In western countries a signature is used to authenticate documents. In Asia, on the other hand, the preferred method of authenticating official and legal documents is with a hanko (a generic term in Japanese meaning stamp or seal). The reason is that historically in Japan, as in most Asian countries, signatures are not accorded significant importance (being perceived as easy to forge).
At SAECULII Y.K. we use the official company seal, which is registered with the Japanese Ministry of Justice.
If the company is the translator, then the translating company must be listed on the Statement of Certification (more specifically, the Statement of Certification must be issued on the translation company's stationary with full contact details).
Folks often insist that the actual person doing the translation be included; however, this is simply not practical. The reason why is that, if you engage a professional translation company (and why would you not for such important translations?), a whole team of translation professionals is assigned to your translation to ensure accuracy - a translator, proof-checker and editor. So, the question then becomes 'Who do you include on Statement of Certification?'
A certified translator is a translator who has earned a certificate in a specific field of translation, such as finance or business, etc. That is, it does NOT mean a translator accredited to provided "certified translations".
The better question is
"What accreditations are required for the translation of my personal documents?"
Different countries have different requirements for certified translations; thus, it depends on the country where you’re submitting your application.
For example, in both Japan and America -which do not have government sanctioned licensing or accreditation for translators- licensing is not a requirement to provide certified translation services.
In general terms there are two scenarios where a translated document will require certification:
Translated personal legal documents submitted for an official application, for example for visa, immigration, or loan applications. This may include documents such as birth certificates, family registers (koseki), residence certificates and financial information.
Translated commercial legal documents submitted for an official application or when required by partner companies. This typically includes articles of incorporation, financial information and legal contracts.
If you're not sure what documents need translation, see our Golden Rule.
Do you provide embassy translation services?
A significant amount of the official certified translations we deliver are submitted to embassies, consulates and immigration departments and services, globally.
Most, if not all, certified Japanese to English translations are handled online due to convenience and cost savings.
FAQ - Certified Translation Service
Where do I start?
Different countries have different requirements for certified (official) translation. And, even when a standardized procedure may be in place for a given country, different official and governmental organizations within that country will have different requirements. (Note that certified translation is different from sworn translation.)
Therefore
First, see our Golden Rule.
Next, contact SAECULII for a quote with a soft copy of the documents that need to be translated and certified.
If you require additional copies, simply let you project manager know how many copies you require before placing your order and it will be arranged (additional fees apply).
Obviously, emailed softcopies of official translated Japanese documents are desirable since delivery is more efficient, not to mention cost effective. However, harking back to our Golden Rule: Understand the requirements at the organization level where you'll be submitting your documents.
Unless otherwise specifically requested, at SAECULII translated documents rendered in PDF format are emailed.
Upon request, we will also post hardcopies to your preferred postal address, globally (postage fees apply).
However, you should note that any company not prepared to certify its own translation work is a red flag. The reason many translating companies will not, or can not, certify their own translation is that they use machine translation -- They know poor quality machine translation is not acceptable to official organizations and, therefore, they refuse to provide you the necessary certification.
So, don't waste your time and money -- Always go with the folks that certify AND guarantee their services!
Can redacted legal documents be certified?
We do not translate or certify translations of parts of identification documents. This includes documents with redacted sections.
The reason why is that certified translation requires everything on a document to be translated and, as such, relevant authorities generally do NOT accept partially translated and redacted documents.
A translation is notarized when a Notary Public authenticates documents.
(Note that there’s a general misconception that the Notary Public is verifying the accuracy of the translation. Since Notary Publics are NOT linguists, this is not true.)
You should, however, understand that the process of notarizing a document is very expensive in Japan. The cost varies between 14,000 yen and 30,000 yen depending on the document that needs to be notarized. This is because the Public Notary’s office falls under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Justice, so there's a kind of monopoly at work.
Therefore, at the risk of being repetitive, understand the requirements at the organization level where you'll be submitting your documents, before you request this service of SAECULII.
Please see the FAQ above for notarization options.
Will my application be accepted?
Our translated documents are 100% guaranteed -- If there is an issue with our translation we will re-work the documents free of charge, or you can get your money back. However, none of our translated documents have ever been reject by any governmental agency, anywhere.
Having said that, we do not process your application so it is inappropriate -as so many folks do- to ask us if "my application will be accepted or rejected"!
As long as you follow the instructions of the organization you're submitting your documents to, there is no reason why documents we have translated will be reject.
The simple reason why is because our seal is NOT part of the original document. In addition, all documents we translate are clearly identified in the Statement of Certification, which does have the official SAECULII Y.K. seal affixed.
Regardless of what lawyers or immigration consultants claim, this has never been an issue with official organizations in the several DECADES that we have been providing certified translations.
That is your responsibility -- If you want your application approved, then YOU need to ensure the documents provided SAECULII for translation are a Certified True Copy of the Original!
Our job is to certify that the translation we do is a “true and faithful rendering of the original”.
(In addition, short of inquiring at the issuing authority -which creates additional issues such as the need for proxy authorization to view private legal records- we have no way of ensuring that the documents YOU provide us to translate are authentic.)
Sure, translation companies have plenty of experience translating personal legal documents for all manner of applications. However, you should understand that:
Translation companies do NOT evaluate your application, and
Each application by the relevant authority is handled on a case-by-case basis.
Therefore, save yourself time, energy and money by getting your facts directly from the authority that will be evaluating your application.
