FAQs
Your questions – my answers
Before commissioning a certified translation, specialist translation or interpreting services, there may be a lot that seems unclear. So to cover the key questions for you ahead of your enquiry, please find below a short list of FAQs based on queries by past customers. If you still have any queries or comments, I am very glad to help you personally.
FAQs about certified translations
A certified translation is carried out by a sworn and court-certified translator, who then seals it with an official stamp to ensure that it is legally valid.
No. Notarisation happens when you have your document, e.g. a will, purchase contract, power of attorney or company foundation, signed by a notary. The notary then confirms that the signing parties understand the content of the document and are giving their signature freely, by stamping and signing the document. The notary thereby certifies the source-language document that has been created or signed in his presence. After this step, I can translate the document into Portuguese or German and certify it with my signature and my stamp.
The price of a certified translation depends on the scope of the documents in question. Please send me the documents to be translated, so I can analyse them properly and provide you with a customised quote. Your documents will of course be treated in the strictest confidence.
In principles, court decisions (e.g. divorces), notarial documents (e.g. powers of attorney, excerpts from the commercial register) as well as private documents (e.g. birth certificates, marriage certificates, criminal record certificates, diplomas) all require an apostille to be recognised as valid in the member states of the Hague Convention.
The apostille is affixed by the relevant authorities in the country where the original document was issued, and confirms the authenticity of the stamp and signature as well as the function of the signatory.
In order to establish whether your document needs an apostille or not, please ask the official body where you have been asked to present your translation.
No. A certified translation must be carried out by a sworn and court-certified interpreter (me), as I am able to vouch for its correctness with my signature and my stamp.
FAQs about professional specialist translations
I wouldn’t say that a text that has already been translated for Portugal needs a complete re-translation. Of course most Brazilians understand written European Portuguese, but if the document concerned is, for example, a corporate document, marketing or legal text, technical document or an official document, then the translation should be adjusted to use Brazilian grammar, spelling and terminology.
Please feel free to send me your European Portuguese text and I will have it checked by one of my Brazilian colleagues, bearing local Brazilian variants in mind.
The final price of a specialist translation depends on a number of factors, such as volume or urgency. As a specialist translation is usually calculated by standard line or word, I cannot give you a specific price without first looking at the document.
Kindly email me your document in an open format where possible (.docx, .ppt, .xlsx, .idml) at dorascruz@gmx.net, and I will get back to you asap with a non-binding quote.
This question is also difficult to answer without first having seen the text to be translated. The duration will depend on the volume, the subject field, and even the formatting complexity. As a rule of thumb, I can professionally translate some 2,500 to 3,000 words per day, including proofreading work by a colleague (two-person rule).
Kindly email me your document in an open format where possible (.docx, .pptx, .xlsx, .idml) at dorascruz@gmx.net, and I will get back to you asap with a completely non-binding quote.
FAQs about interpreting services
Translation is the practice of rendering a written text from one language to another. Interpreting is the practice of rendering a spoken text (sometimes a written text) from one language to another. Translators normally spend a certain amount of time analysing the text, doing research, reading their work through, and possibly making corrections. In most cases, interpreters must orally translate what they hear into another language almost immediately. This requires a great deal of concentration, metal agility, and quick thinking.
You will need an interpreter when the spoken text or message you hear is not in a language you know.
As an individual, for example, you might require an interpreting service for medical appointments (doctor, hospital, psychotherapist, physiotherapist), official appointments with a notary or lawyer, or when visiting the authorities (court, police, registry office).
As a corporate customer, you might require an interpreting service for company presentations, discussion groups, specialist conferences, plant visits or business dinners with your international business partners.
Please write a short email to dorascruz@gmx.net outlining your requirements, and you will receive a fully customised and non-binding quote.