Use of Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
Thread poster: isabelid
isabelid
isabelid
United States
English to Spanish
Apr 10, 2019

I was asked by a friend to translate a couple of legal documents for a visa request (apostille, criminal background, birth certificate, etc). I have recently found the amazing capability of Acrobat Pro DC of converting scanned pdf documents on editable pdf documents, preserving the format, font, signatures, seals/stamps and such. I translated a couple of them and I even included a watermark on the forms indicating it is a "Translation" but now I am second guessing myself...can you do that? or be... See more
I was asked by a friend to translate a couple of legal documents for a visa request (apostille, criminal background, birth certificate, etc). I have recently found the amazing capability of Acrobat Pro DC of converting scanned pdf documents on editable pdf documents, preserving the format, font, signatures, seals/stamps and such. I translated a couple of them and I even included a watermark on the forms indicating it is a "Translation" but now I am second guessing myself...can you do that? or being official documents I shouldn't be using the original as my translation template. What are your thoughts on this?
Thank you in advance!!
Isabel
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Khalid Sabili
Khalid Sabili  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 08:04
English to Dutch
+ ...
I'd be... Apr 10, 2019

isabelid wrote:

I was asked by a friend to translate a couple of legal documents for a visa request (apostille, criminal background, birth certificate, etc). I have recently found the amazing capability of Acrobat Pro DC of converting scanned pdf documents on editable pdf documents, preserving the format, font, signatures, seals/stamps and such. I translated a couple of them and I even included a watermark on the forms indicating it is a "Translation" but now I am second guessing myself...can you do that? or being official documents I shouldn't be using the original as my translation template. What are your thoughts on this?
Thank you in advance!!
Isabel

I'd be very careful using signatures and seals from official documents in your translations.

You can use [signature] [logo] [official stamp/seal] [description of image] for example to avoid this.


Sonia Cunha-Goldner
Viviane Marx
Recep Kurt
Adam Warren
 
isabelid
isabelid
United States
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Apr 10, 2019

Thank you Khalid! That's what I was thinking after taking a second look at the document...I don't want it to look like I am trying to forge an official document
I don't have experience with legal documents at all. I only do translations on patient education material for the Healthcare system I work for, so I am a bit lost when it comes to the do's and dont's on the legal field. Appreciate your input!


Khalid Sabili
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 08:04
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Isabel Apr 10, 2019

isabelid wrote:
I am [having second thoughts]... can you do that? Or being official documents I shouldn't be using the original as my translation template.


I see no problem. What would the reasoning be for why this might be a problem? You're trying to create a copy of the file, in another language. Obviously some things can't be copied, e.g. logos, signatures, etc, but copying the layout and fonts etc. should be perfectly fine, whether you do it manually or by way of a program. Right?


 
Sonia Cunha-Goldner
Sonia Cunha-Goldner
United States
Local time: 03:04
English to Portuguese
Certified Legal Translation Apr 10, 2019

Hi Isabel,

Usually, documents for Visa processes have to be translated by a Certified Translator, and the translation is delivered with the original and the certified translated copy. What is certified is the translation, not the original. If the client says that the translation does not have to be made by a certified translator, you can translate and certify your own translation by inserting a note saying:

"I, (your name), a professional translator hereby certify tha
... See more
Hi Isabel,

Usually, documents for Visa processes have to be translated by a Certified Translator, and the translation is delivered with the original and the certified translated copy. What is certified is the translation, not the original. If the client says that the translation does not have to be made by a certified translator, you can translate and certify your own translation by inserting a note saying:

"I, (your name), a professional translator hereby certify that the abovementioned
document has been translated by me and that, in my best judgment, the translated text truly reflects the content, meaning, and style of the original text and constitutes in every respect a correct and true translation of the original document.

This is to certify the correctness of the translation only. I do not guarantee that the original is a
genuine document, or that the statements contained in the original document are true. Further,
I assume no liability for the way in which the translation is used by the customer or any third party, including end-users of the translation.

A copy of the translation is attached to this certification."

Typically, a simple translation is not accepted, and NO you should not use the original as a template for your translation. That would constitute forgery of a public document. You can use the words that are presented on the stamps, but they do not need to be on the same format. You can insert a box and include the word-by-word translated text.

I hope it helps.

[Editada em 2019-04-10 12:51 GMT]
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Khalid Sabili
isabelid
DZiW (X)
 
isabelid
isabelid
United States
English to Spanish
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! Apr 11, 2019

Thank you all for your replies and input. Sonia, the information you provided is very helpful!

 


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