"Certified translation" — three different things under one name

"I need a certified translation of a certificate" — half of all orders start with this phrase, and almost every time it has to be clarified what is meant. "Certification" means three completely different things in different situations, and substituting one for another leads to a refusal at submission.

Option 1: translation with the agency's stamp

The translation agency puts its stamp on the translation, the translator's signature, and a formula along the lines of "the translation is accurate, translator such-and-such, diploma such-and-such". This is the fastest and cheapest option. It is accepted by some visa centres, foreign educational institutions at the initial application, some employers, airlines, and insurers. It does not have the legal force of a notarial act, and state authorities — Russian and foreign — generally do not accept it.

Option 2: notarised translation

A qualified translator makes the translation and signs it in the presence of a notary; the notary certifies the authenticity of the translator's signature (not the content of the translation) and enters the act in the register. The translation is bound to the document, or its notarised or plain copy. This is the standard for Russian state authorities — registry offices, courts, the migration service, the traffic police — and also for many foreign authorities, provided that an apostille has additionally been affixed to the original of the document.

Option 3: sworn or court translation

In Poland, the Czech Republic, Spain, Germany, France, and a number of other countries there is an institution of the sworn (court) translator — a specialist to whom the state has delegated the right to certify a translation with their own personal seal and signature, without a notary. A Russian notarised translation may not be accepted there for official purposes in principle: what is needed is a translation by a local sworn translator, made in the destination country or remotely by a translator with that accreditation.

So the first question to the receiving side is: do you need a translation with the agency's stamp, a notarised translation (and is an apostille on the original required), or a translation by a sworn translator of your country? The answer determines the provider, the timeline, and the cost — and it is best to get it in writing.