Frequently Asked Questions
Who is a certified translator and how can I find one?
A certified translator is a member in good standing of a professional translation association in Canada or abroad. Their certification must be confirmed by a seal or stamp that shows the translator’s membership number. All stamps and seals that are not in English or French must also be translated. Any family member, representative or consultant of the applicant who may be a lawyer, notary or translator is not permitted to translate documents. A translator in the process of receiving their certification/accreditation is not considered a certified translator.
Here in the province of British Columbia, the only professional translation association is STIBC (The Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia). You can access their official website and directory by clicking HERE .
How to obtain a certified translation?
If you need certified translations, you may begin by submitting clear scans of the original documents HERE . Please also indicate the purpose of the translation (for example, for immigration, legal, or academic use), so the translator can ensure the format aligns with the requirements of the receiving institution.
If your documents contain names written in Chinese, kindly provide the correct English spellings for all first and last names. Once the translator has reviewed the materials, he will confirm the price and expected turnaround time. Payment may be made by Interac e-Transfer, credit card, or Apple Pay. The translator will then prepare the translations and send you a draft for review. You may suggest corrections if needed. After your approval, the translator will finalize the files and send you the certified translation as a PDF file. If you would like a paper copy, I can mail it to you upon request. As per STIBC and ATIO ethical guidelines, your documents remain strictly confidential.
How much does a translation cost?
The cost of translation varies depending on the scope of work, size of files, turnaround time, level of expertise involved, and more. Please reach out to me by clicking HERE , and I would be happy to provide a free, zero-obligations quote within 24 hours.
How do you ensure the quality of the translation?
As a certified member of both the STIBC and ATIO, our designated certified translator succeeded in the translation examination conducted by the CTTIC, which is designed to demonstrate a candidate’s professional skills. His exam result shows that he is able to practice his profession independently, and to produce a faithful, idiomatic translation that requires little or no revision.
Every work of translation is carried out and proofread by our designated certified translator personally. This means that no other person is engaged to translate, review, subcontract, or otherwise perform the translation work. Like any modern professional service, ordinary digital infrastructure may be used for communication, document preparation, PDF handling, payment, certification, and verification purposes. Client documents are handled with confidentiality and professional responsibility at all times.
For how long will the translations remain effective and valid?
A translation cannot change over time, and should be valid indefinitely unless the original document has changed or has expired. If the signature of a certified translator or notary has expired, it does not invalidate the translation. As long as the translator’s certification was valid at the time of signature, the translation remains valid. The only time the translation would expire and a new one would be required is if the original document has expired or has changed and the applicant submits a new document.
Can I go paperless without hardcopies?
In BC and Ontario, certified translations may be digitally certified and stamped. Digital copies are suitable for email and online submissions, while hardcopies may be required for certain mail or in-person submissions. A digitally certified translation is typically delivered as a PDF and is intended for electronic submission. Please avoid modifying the file. If you require paper copies, I can produce and stamp them on paper upon request.
Can I request that all documents and records be permanently deleted after completion?
Client documents and related records are handled responsibly and confidentially at this service. However, certified translation work, related correspondence, submitted materials, final work products, payment records, and service-related records may need to be retained for record-keeping, reference, professional documentation, verification, and dispute-prevention.
For this reason, it cannot be agreed in advance that all records, documents, correspondence, derivatives, or work products can be permanently erased after a fixed period or after completion of the service. Thus, complete erasure of all traces from business records or systems cannot be guaranteed.
Can I modify, redact, combine, or edit a certified translation after it has been issued?
No. Certified translation packages issued by this service are provided as finalized documents. They are not intended to be altered, redacted, modified, combined, or edited by the client after certification, as doing so may affect the integrity and validity of the certified translation package. We do not provide unprotected certified translation files for clients to modify after certification.
Can documents with missing, cropped, blocked, or illegible text be translated?
Source documents must be complete, visible, and legible.
If characters or portions of the text are missing, cropped, blocked, obscured, or illegible, the document may not be suitable for certified translation.
A document would need to be reviewed before any determination can be made. If text is missing, cropped, or illegible, the document may be declined, or any limitations may need to be reflected in the translation where appropriate.
For this reason, clients should not submit documents with cut-off, covered, incomplete, or unclear text unless prior review has been requested.
Read More:
What is a STIBC certified translator?
What is an ATIO certified translator?