Official translations of qualifications for working abroad

Working abroad is a great way to progress your career while also meeting new people, visiting new places and experiencing different cultures. It turns a job into an adventure! But, like all good adventures, you need to prepare before you set off. And this may include getting certified translations of official documents.

In Germany, for example, you’ll have to get your educational and professional qualifications approved before you can work in certain careers. To do this, you’ll need to have them translated into German. But how does this work?

The simplest option is to use a specialist translation service, like Sparrow. So if you’re ready to go, you can just upload your documents and tell us what you need. After that, we’ll provide a quote for your translations and set to work.

But if you’d like to learn more about certified translation first, check out our guide below.

What is certified translation?

If you want to use any official documents in another country, you’ll need to get them translated. You may even need to get a “certified” translation – i.e. a translation that has been approved for official use by the authorities of a specific country or region.

By contrast, if a translation hasn’t been certified, it may not be accepted as official.

This can apply to a wide range of documents needed for working abroad, including:

• Educational and professional qualifications, along with academic transcripts.
• Professional licences and other vocational certificates.
• Work visa applications and accompanying identification documents.
• Contracts and correspondence with your potential employer.

You may also need to get other paperwork translated to live or work in another country, from marriage certificates to court documents. Essentially, if it could be used for an “official” purpose, you’ll probably need a certified translation!

The problem is knowing exactly how to get your documents translated.

Different places have different rules for what counts as a certified translation. And only certain translators are officially qualified to do this kind of work.

What’s more, since the relevant information might be in another language – such as German – it can be difficult to find a suitable translator unless you’re already fluent!

But that’s why the experts at Sparrow are here to help. Let’s look at what you’d need to do to get official translations of your qualifications for use in Germany.

How to certify translations of official documents for use in Germany

To work in certain careers in Germany, you need to get official recognition of your qualifications. If you’re a medical doctor or pharmacist, for example, you’ll need to apply for the “approbation” process. This may require certified translations of:

• Your medical degree, professional certificates and evidence of training.
• Identification documents, including your passport and birth certificate.
• A certificate of good conduct and evidence of medical fitness. 

In Germany, though, sworn translations can only be done by a “State Certified” translator, appointed by a regional court. To qualify for this, the translator needs to: 

• Pass an exam in the region where they’re registered every five years.
• Take an oath guaranteeing the accuracy of their translations.
• Pay a subscription fee to appear on the court’s register of qualified translators.

Once they do all this, they’ll receive an official stamp to validate translations. You’ll need this stamp on any translated documents that you’re hoping to get certified.

However, the process of qualifying as a certified translator in Germany is expensive, and not many linguists have done it. This can make it difficult to find a suitable translator for your documents (especially if you’re not a fluent German speaker).

As a result, even researching translators can be a lot of work. And if you accidentally hire someone without the proper qualifications, your application could be delayed. You might also incur extra expenses if you need to get your documents retranslated.

Luckily, you can feel at ease with a little help from the experts at Sparrow.

How Sparrow makes certified translation simple

Sparrow takes the stress out of getting translations certified. After all, we:

• Understand how the certified translation process works in different countries, territories and regions, so we always know what to do.
• Carefully vet our highly qualified linguists before they join our team, so you can be sure you’ll get the right person for your documents every time.
• Carry out constant peer review of our translations to ensure quality.
• Have people on the ground all over the world for when a translated document needs to be stamped or witnessed in person.
• Offer a money-back guarantee on our work – either your translation is accepted by the relevant authorities, or it won’t cost you a penny.
• Have a UK-based data centre with ISO27001 certification to ensure high standards of data security.

And if you need hard copies of your documents as well as digital versions, we can even organise a trusted courier service to get your certified translations to you.

All you have to do is let us know what you need, then we’ll handle the rest.

How to get certified translations of your documents

When you’re ready to get your documents translated, simply:

• Go to our Get a Translation page.
• Tell us who the translation is for and how it will be used.
• Let us know which languages to translate from and to (e.g. English to German).
• Add any notes or extra details and upload your document.

We’ll then get back to you with a quote. And once you approve it, our hand-picked linguist will get to work, and you’ll have your translation before you know it.

You can find out more about certified translations on our FAQs page. And if you have any questions about the process, we’re always happy to help, so get in touch today!