What is a Certified Transcript or translation?

A certified and notarized transcript (or translation) is one that has been declared and sworn to be accurate by the agency or transcriptionist/translator who did the work. This gives a degree of assurance that the final product is true and complete to the best of the companies' ability and is usually required for certain types of transcription/translation such as that required by courts.

Why is Transcript Certification Necessary?

Certification makes it more difficult to contest the accuracy of the account or what was stated. This could be especially important for legal proceedings. Any transcripts involving law enforcement especially when interagency relations are required can be of major benefit to an investigation, whether the information is used for the prosecution/plaintiff or the defense in a legal matter.

When legal matters occur that cross national borders, proper documentation can help alleviate problems that could occur where no certification or notarization exists. A notarized transcript significantly improves the chances for acceptance by government bodies in international legal issues.

If a problem arises due to a poor translation or transcript, certification offers some refuge. It shows that you were operating in good faith and with trust in your sources when you can produce the seal. Reporting on a story or providing testaments to back your position can do more harm than good if it is later found that the source material was contrived or corrupted in some form.

Benefits of Certified Transcripts

The biggest benefit of certification is peace of mind that you have accurate and complete information from which to work. It is also true that it gives a more defendable position but being careful in and of itself can do almost as much. Transcription/translation certification is all about insuring that someone else's mistake or dishonesty doesn't become your downfall. It can happen that mistakes or small omissions might be made by your transcription service. It stands to reason that a transcription company that will stand behind their work so far as to actually certify the transcripts will put more than the average amount of effort into ensuring they don't make fools of themselves or their clients. Finding a company that provides certified transcription shows they take their duty to their clients seriously.

Selecting a Certified Transcription/Translation Service

The more important a transcript is, the more damage can be done if mistakes are made or the material is mishandled. When selecting a transcription service you should look for and look into any consumer complaints that may exist. Likewise, consider the image of the organization and the professionalism of the employees you communicate with; and asking for some kind of testimonial or reference is not unheard of.

The location of the company or the notary public is generally not important. For all intents and purposes notarized documents are recognized both nationally and internationally. The court case for which your certified translation is required may be in the state of Florida but you can rest assured that it will be accepted even if notarized in Wyoming or New York. Depending on the circumstances there are sometimes issues with international notarizations so be sure to check with whoever will be accepting the documents.

You may not need a top of the line bonded and insured corporation to transcribe and certify the minutes of the girl scout meetings you attended when you were a child but if there will be consequences beyond irritation and whiteout then you should definitely care about and be careful who you trust with your transcriptions.

*Note - some transcription and translation companies distinguish between certified and notarized documents. For these companies, a certified document is one for which they include a certificate attesting to the validity or accuracy. A notarized document is simply one that is accompanied by a certificate that is also notarized. Other companies don't make this distinction. All certified documents are also notarized.