When you need a certified translation for an apostille
You need one when the office abroad works in a language other than English and asks for your documents in its language. That is most of them: consulates, civil registries, courts, universities and immigration offices in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Mexico, France, Germany, China and many more.
The apostille itself doesn’t replace a translation. It only confirms that a Massachusetts official or notary signed the document. The people reading your birth certificate in Rome or Lisbon still need to understand it.
Translate before or after the apostille?
It depends on the receiving authority, and getting the order wrong is one of the most expensive mistakes in this work. There are three common patterns:
| What the office asks for | Order of steps |
|---|---|
| Apostille on the original, translation of everything | Apostille the original first, then translate the document and the apostille together. |
| Notarized translation, apostilled too | Translate, the translator’s affidavit is notarized in Massachusetts, then both the original and the translation are apostilled. |
| Translation by their own sworn translator | Apostille here, then the translation is done in the destination country. |
An example of how specific these rules get: for registering a child’s birth, the Italian Consulate in Boston asks for an Italian translation of the U.S. birth certificate that is complete and faithful to the original, with dates in day/month/year format, and says a translation done by a translator must be notarized. Another consulate, or the same country’s courts, may ask for something else.
So we don’t guess. Send us the instructions you received, or the name of the office, and we confirm the order of steps with you in writing before any work starts. Country notes are on apostille by country.
What a certified translation includes
- A complete translation of every page, including stamps, seals, signatures and handwritten notes.
- A certificate of accuracy or translator’s affidavit, signed by the translator, stating the translation is complete and accurate.
- The translator’s name, signature and date, and the language pair.
- When the country asks for it: the translator’s signature notarized by a Massachusetts notary, so the translation can be apostilled.
A notarization on a translation covers only the identity and signature of the translator who signs the affidavit. It is a separate act from the translation itself.
Who does the translation
Independent professional translators do. ApostilleMA doesn’t translate documents and doesn’t certify that a translation is accurate; the translator does that and signs for it. Our role is coordination: we receive your documents, send them to the translator, receive the translation and the certificate of accuracy, arrange the notarization if needed, and then use the translated document for the apostille, legalization or shipping you ordered. You get updates at each step.
This is set out in our Translation Coordination Services Agreement, which you accept before checkout. The short version: the translator answers for the wording, you check your personal details, and we make sure everything is notarized, apostilled and delivered in the right order.
Pricing and timing
Translation is priced per page by language. You add it on the order form and see the full price before you order:
- Translation: $45 per page for Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Greek, Swedish or Polish; $50 per page for other languages
- Notarized certificate of accuracy, if the office wants it: +$30
- Apostille on the translation or the original: $99 per document Standard (7–10 business days), $149 Express, $199 next business day or $249 same day, state fee included
- Return shipping: from free (USPS, no tracking) to $90 (DHL International); embassy legalization is quoted after review
Translation times are estimates and depend on the language and length; we give you one when you order. Once a request has been sent to the translator, the translation part of the order can’t be refunded, so confirm the receiving office’s requirements first. Full price list: Massachusetts apostille cost.
What you need to check
Before the translation is notarized or sent, read it. You know how your name is spelled; the translator only knows what the document shows. Check names, dates of birth, passport and ID numbers, document numbers, addresses and the page count. If you don’t read the target language, have someone who does look at it. If anything is wrong, email us the order number, the exact word or line, and the correction, and we pass it to the translator.
Clear scans help. Blurry photos, cropped edges and missing back pages slow things down and cause errors, so send every page, front and back, including the apostille if it is already attached.
How to order translation with your apostille
- Tell us the country and the office. Start on our order form and add translation, or email the instructions you received.
- Get the plan. You see the per-page price before you order, and we confirm the order of steps in writing before work starts.
- We coordinate the rest. Translation, notarization, apostille, and delivery to you or to the office abroad.
If the country isn’t in the Hague Convention, the translation usually goes through embassy legalization with the original. For a birth, marriage or death certificate, start with vital records apostille. Everything else we file is on our Massachusetts apostille service page.