We provide certified translation services for organizations that file foreign-language documents with USCIS, immigration courts, universities, licensing boards, and consulates. Every page you send gets a full translation, backed by a Certificate of Accuracy that the translator signs.
Returned translations set a case back. They lead to missed filing deadlines, requests for evidence, and credential files put on hold. Six problems keep showing up in USCIS notices, university rejections, and vendor reviews. Here’s each one and how we prevent it.
USCIS sets the rule in 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). Any foreign-language document filed with the agency “shall be accompanied by a full English language translation.” A registry seal, a clerk’s stamp, and a margin note are all part of that document.
Skip them, and the officer gets a partial translation. That’s why our translators cover every element on the page, stamps and seals included, so the officer reads the whole record.
USCIS and the immigration courts ask for different statements. USCIS wants the translator to certify that the translation is complete and accurate, and that they are competent to translate.
Immigration court asks for more. The EOIR Immigration Court Practice Manual, Chapter 3.3(a) says the certification “must be typed, signed by the translator.” It must also include the translator’s address and telephone number. So a statement written only for USCIS falls short in court.
Our certificate format already carries those contact details, as the next section shows, which means one certificate serves both settings.
Officers and credential evaluators read the translation against the source. File the translation alone, and they have nothing to compare, so the file waits while they ask for the original. Universities and evaluation services expect the original-language record next to the English version, and some reject an application that arrives with only one of the two.
Each certificate we issue names the source document it covers, which keeps the pairing clear even when a case file holds dozens of exhibits.
Many universities and credential evaluators refuse translations prepared by applicants or their relatives. Passing USCIS doesn’t carry over to the next office, and the applicant finds out only after the deadline. Every certificate we issue carries the signature of a professional translator from our team, so nobody at the next office has to ask who translated the file.
Free tools and unchecked machine drafts change meaning, mistranslate legal terms, and switch terms from one page to the next. Reviewers on vendor sites describe court judgments and personal records they paid to translate twice because of it. Any translator who signs over that output carries the error straight into the file. Machine translation plays no part in our certified documents. On every order, a native-speaking professional translator works from your source file.
Spell a surname one way on a birth certificate and another way on a marriage certificate, and an officer asks a simple question: do both records belong to the same person? The question comes in writing, and the answer costs weeks. Transliteration causes many of these gaps, because Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, and Devanagari names have more than one accepted Latin spelling. Our translators use the passport spelling you send with the order, so every name reads the same across the whole file.
Each translation we return is ready to attach to the petition, motion, or credential file it supports. Four parts make it hold up when an officer or evaluator checks it.
The translator signs a Certificate of Accuracy on Day Translations letterhead. The certificate identifies the document and its language, confirms that nothing was left out or changed, and carries the translator’s signature and the date. With the credentials described next, it covers every element the American Translators Association lists as the minimum. It also matches what 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) asks of the translator.
Each certificate gives the translator’s full name, credentials, and contact information. Immigration court needs the address and telephone number, and an officer who wants to verify a line knows exactly whom to contact. Without them, the reviewer has a signature and nothing to check it against.
Our translators rebuild the layout of the source. Tables, seals, borders, signature blocks, and field labels appear in the same place in the English version. That way, an officer comparing two birth certificates side by side finds each entry where they expect it.
Your translation comes as a secure, uneditable PDF, ready for electronic filing. The certificate and the translation travel as one file, so no page can be swapped or edited after the translator signs. When a court, consulate, or university wants paper, we print the set and ship it with tracking.
Certified translation fits any document an outside authority will read, whether that’s USCIS, a court, a consulate, a university, or a licensing board. That authority relies on the translator’s signed statement, so the certificate must be included.
| Feature | Certified translation | Standard translation |
|---|---|---|
| Who reads it | USCIS, courts, consulates, universities, licensing boards | Your own team, counsel, or business partners |
| Signed Certificate of Accuracy | Included | Not included |
| File you receive | Secure, uneditable PDF | Editable file |
| Layout | Mirror image of the source | Clean, readable layout |
| Price basis | Per page | Per word |
Certified translation for business works differently from a single personal order, because each team brings its own documents, receiving authority, and deadline. Here’s what we translate for each one.
Immigration cases rarely come down to one document. One family-based petition alone calls for birth, marriage, and divorce certificates, police certificates, and court orders, sometimes from two or three countries. Asylum cases add identity documents, news reports, and medical records from the home country.
The DHS fiscal year 2023 report on lawful permanent residents counts 1,172,910 new lawful permanent residents that year. About 52% of them adjusted status from inside the United States. USCIS reviews those Form I-485 applications and the translated evidence behind them.
Your whole case file goes through as one order. For filings that go only to USCIS, our USCIS certified translation team handles the form-by-form detail.
Foreign-born workers made up 19.1% of the US civilian labor force, according to 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Their relocations, work visa petitions, and employment checks bring diplomas, transcripts, and family records to the HR desk. Any H-1B petition built on a foreign degree needs the diploma and transcript translated under the same USCIS rule.
Every employee and dependent gets the same certificate package from us. Your mobility team forwards each file to immigration counsel without reformatting it.
Admissions offices and credential evaluation services read transcripts and diplomas line by line, and many expect a word-for-word translation in the original layout. Evaluators compare foreign coursework with US standards, so one dropped course title or misread grade changes the result.
Our full, literal translation and mirror-image formatting meet that expectation. Course-by-course evaluations rely on every title and credit count, which is why we translate each one exactly as printed. For large batches of academic records, our transcript translation team takes on the volume.
Hospitals need patient records, consent forms, and discharge documents translated for care and for legal files. Internationally trained physicians, nurses, and pharmacists submit diplomas and licenses to credentialing bodies, which check every date and institution name against the source. Both kinds of file carry protected health information or personal data.
Those files stay under the security controls listed further down this page. Clinical content outside certified work goes to our medical translation specialists.
Contracts, corporate records, powers of attorney, and foreign judgments need certified legal translation before a court or counterparty accepts them. Every defined term has to read the same way in each exhibit that cites it. Foreign judgments offered for recognition need every page, including the court’s seal and the certificate of finality.
Broader legal work, from litigation exhibits to agreements that won’t be filed, goes to our legal translation services team.
The receiving authority decides what the certificate must say, and what else goes with it, such as a notary stamp or an apostille. This table compares the rules we prepare for most.
| Authority | Rule | What the translation and certificate need |
|---|---|---|
| USCIS | 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) | Full English translation, plus the translator’s certification of completeness, accuracy, and competence |
| Immigration court | EOIR Practice Manual, Chapter 3.3(a) | Typed, signed certificate attached to the foreign-language document, with the translator’s contact details |
| Consulates processing immigrant visas | State Department immigrant visa guidance | Translation with a signed statement of accuracy and translator competence |
| Universities and credential evaluators | Each institution’s own policy | Common requirements: word-for-word translation, the original layout, the original-language copy, and no self or family translation |
| Foreign authorities receiving US documents | Hague Apostille Convention, Article 5 | Apostille on the public document, issued by the country where it originated |
For immigrant visas, the State Department’s guidance on supporting documents sets the rule for consular files. Consulates outside the United States apply it alongside any local instructions.
The USCIS Policy Manual adds nothing to the regulation here. Its translations section still reads “Reserved,” so 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) is the standard every USCIS translation has to meet.
State courts and federal district courts set their own translation rules. Some ask for a sworn declaration or a notarized signature. When a local rule calls for a sworn statement, our translation affidavit service adds one to the certificate.
We need three things with each file. Once your files arrive, four steps on our side take them to a signed certificate.
Every page of each document, front and back, as a clear scan or photo.
The authority that will receive the translation, such as USCIS, a court, or a university.
The passport spelling of every name in the file.
We match a translator to the document type.
The file goes to a native-speaking professional translator who works with that document type and language pair. Legal records go to legal translators, and academic files go to translators who work with academic records.
Then a second qualified linguist reviews the translation.
The reviewer reads it against the source for accuracy and completeness, including stamps, seals, and handwritten notes. Names, dates, and document numbers get checked line by line.
The translator signs the Certificate of Accuracy.
The signed certificate goes on our letterhead, attached to the translation it covers.
You receive the secure PDF and hard copies when you order them.
The files arrive ready for upload or mailing.
If your office files certified translations every month, our team can walk you through how repeat orders run for your caseload.
Your files carry passport numbers, medical histories, and case details. Our protection rests on the controls listed in our Trust Center. Every document and connection is encrypted, and access stays limited to the people assigned to your order:
Files encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.3 in transit
Zero-trust architecture, with multi-factor authentication enforced
Role-based permissions with least-privilege access
EU data stored in the EU
NDA-bound workforce
Business Associate Agreement for HIPAA-covered entities
Security documents for verified organizations, sent within 1 to 2 business days of a request
Turnaround follows the language pair, word count, complexity, and formatting of your documents, and your quote confirms the delivery schedule before work begins. When a filing date is close, expedited service cuts the standard turnaround by about half.
Yes. For recurring, high-volume, or multi-language work, we build a process around your caseload. One quote covers every page in the file, so a petition with records from three countries doesn’t turn into three separate orders.
Yes, if the certificate names each one. Immigration court requires it: under the same EOIR rule, a certification used for multiple documents “must specify the documents.”
Yes. When a court, consulate, or foreign authority asks for a notarized signature, we add notarization to the order. The translator signs the Certificate of Accuracy in front of a notary, who confirms the signer’s identity.
Not on the translation. The apostille goes on the public document itself. Under the Hague Apostille Convention, it certifies the signature, the signer’s capacity, and any seal or stamp. It says nothing about a translation’s accuracy. Any foreign authority that wants both receives the apostilled source with our translation attached.
No. The translation stays valid as long as the source document does. Police certificates, bank statements, and medical exams carry dates, though. Agencies and universities set their own limits on how recent those records must be. Replacement records need their own translation and certificate.
No. Clear scans or photos work, so your originals stay with you. We accept PDF, JPEG, PNG, and Word files.
We revise it. Revisions are included whenever any element needs adjustment, including a line an officer questions.
Start with the documents you need certified this month, and we’ll send a quote before any work begins.
