Journal
Articles on document translation
We break down apostilles, legalization, and country-specific requirements — based on real orders.
Articles: 6
How long a notarised translation is valid
The translation itself has no expiry date — but the document it accompanies often does. We explain the difference.
The apostille went on a copy when it was needed on the original
A real mistake dissected: an apostille placed on a notarised copy of a birth certificate instead of the original — and how it cost the client a month and a second set of state fees.
One letter in a surname got the whole document package rejected
Why a translator is obliged to ask how your name is spelled in your international passport, and what happens when they do not. A real case involving visas to Spain.
"Certified translation" — three different things under one name
The client asks for a "certified translation", the receiving side means its own thing, the agency means its own. We go through the three types of certification and when each is needed.
Sworn, court, notarial translator: the difference by country
The same document is certified in Russia by a notary, in Poland by a tłumacz przysięgły, in the Czech Republic by a soudní tlumočník, in Spain by a traductor jurado. We systematise it.
Case study: an urgent translation of a document package overnight before a flight
What can realistically be done in 12 hours, what cannot be done for any money, and how urgency affects quality, price, and the probability of error.