Buying or Moving to France: Do I Need a Certified Translation?

A certified translation is a translation of a document that comes with an official statement confirming its accuracy and completeness. This statement, commonly referred to as a “certificate of accuracy” or “certification”, is signed by the translator or translation agency responsible for the work. The certification consists of a declaration that the translated document is a true and accurate representation of the original document. It lists the translator’s credentials and contact information; it is dated and signed by the translator or their agent.

It is worth noting that a certified translation differs from a notarised translation. While the latter involves a notary public witnessing the translator’s signature, a certified translation focuses on the accuracy and completeness of the translation itself. Not all certified translations need to be notarised.

Why are certified translations important?

Certified translations play a crucial role in many official processes and situations, such as immigration, academic applications and, last but not least, legal proceedings. They carry out more weight than regular translations because they are guaranteed to be accurate. For this reason, many government agencies, courts and educational institutions require certified translations of official documents

If you are planning to move to France and to take on a professional activity there, you will need to have your CV translated accurately as well as all the copies of your academic diplomas and UK police records certificate. If you intend to apply for French nationality, the French authorities will need to see certified French translations of various official documents (that are less than 3 months old), such as your British birth certificate, your parents’ birth certificates, your marriage certificate if it applies, your UK police records certificate from ACRO and various other documents such as bank statements, utility bills etc.

Such translations may only be carried out by professional translators who are approved by the French authorities and either listed on the French Consulate’s website in London or are registered as  “traducteurs assermentés” (sworn translators) with their local Court of Appeal in France. Before embarking on any legal procedure, it is crucial that you check the credentials of the translator or the translation agency to make sure that these are accepted by the relevant authorities. Certified translations should only be done by qualified professionals with solid translation expertise and relevant accreditation. It is a myth to think that any bilingual person can provide a certified translation or that a simple automated translation will be recognised by official institutions.

Choosing non-certified translation services in a bid to save money is a false economy. The saying “Buy cheap, pay twice” is very true when it comes to the procurement of translation services. Non-certified translations, or free machine-translations, can pose significant risks without a guarantee of accuracy. The translations may not hold any validity in legal contexts, potentially affecting outcomes in court cases or contractual disputes. Any potential misinterpretation in a translation may lead to devastating misunderstandings that may hinder processes, causing delays in the progress of your matter.

Accuracy in translations is not just about getting the words right. It is about conveying the exact meaning, tone, register and intent of the original document. Even a small mistake can have serious consequences, especially in a legal context.

If you are buying a property in France and request that a survey is carried out by a local firm, the report will likely be written in French. Before committing to purchase a French property, it would be very wise to have the survey translated into your mother tongue by a professional translator. For the sake of a few hundred pounds, you could save yourself a considerable amount of money and hassle if you cannot understand issues raised in the survey, such as the presence of asbestos, lead, easements, non-compliant electrical installations, a faulty sewage system, a leaky or dangerous roof, land that is prone to flooding etc. Armed with such information, you may prefer to pull out of the purchase or negotiate a lesser price to take into account any repairs or upgrades that may be required to make it compliant with current safety and environmental norms.

Wills

If a family member or friend has passed away owning assets in France with a Will written in English, it will be necessary to have it translated into French and filed with the notaire carrying out the succession in France. A certified translation will be required. Equally, if there is only a French Will and it covers the UK, it will be necessary to have it translated into English by a certified translator so it can be used in the UK.

Powers of Attorney

If you have an elderly relative with assets in France and you already have a Power of Attorney in place in the UK to manage their finances, it may be possible in some circumstances that it can be used in France (although this is not a straightforward procedure). In these cases, you will certainly need a certified translation of the relevant document.

These are just a few examples of circumstances where you would need certified translations for official purposes. Here at Stone King, we realise that in an increasingly globalised world, the demand for translation services has never been so high.  With this in mind, we are proud to offer in-the-house certified French/English translations as part of our international and cross-border legal services.