Official translations - contracts, certificates and court documents

The objective of this course is to learn how to handle the translation of official documents generally regarded as the most important and most demanding type of assignment. Students will familiarise with the different characteristics of personal identity documents, contracts, licences, certificates and similar documents, establish and develop both the skill and the techniques needed for official translations in order to provide their clients with an ACCURATE translation that will be of equal LEGAL AND OFFICIAL VALIDITY as the original.

By means of carefully selected examples and thoroughly prepared training steps, students will learn how to translate different types of translations in the area of official translations based mainly on legalese. The goal is to develop the expertise in order to reach the point where the student will submit a translation that is a TRUE TRANSLATION OF THE ORIGINAL pursuant to clearly outlined standards and thus reach the objective of functioning in the capacity of a certified court translator by applying for such a position at the respective authorities in their home country.

Finally, the course will provide students with the opportunity to learn how to deal with phrases, words or other items in the original document that are unclear, illegible, incorrect or typed wrongly and practice using notes and brackets as well as other tricks used by certified translators to render an accurate and faithful translation.

This course is not supposed to offer templates and solutions, but rather structured steps to acquire knowledge and skill based on practice and application of search engines and thorough research. A training forum is open for those who need help from the trainer.

The self-paced session requires doing independent work with suggested documents based on which accurate official translations are to be completed from English, as the source language, into your native and/or target language.

The session offers a wide variety of authentic and original common legal documents in US and UK English whereby UK English is presented through official documents issued in different member states of the European Union.

The exercises and tests should help you grasp the logic of legal documents and are meant to illustrate how to approach different translation techniques used in the broader area of legal documents.

Freelancers starting in the translation industry.
Experienced freelancers who want to expand their clients database.
Prospective candidates applying for the position of certified court translators.

This course focuses on the following objectives:

1. To learn how to handle the translation of official documents.
2. To familiarise with the different characteristics of personal identity documents, contracts, licences, certificates and similar documents.
3. To establish and develop both the skill and the techniques needed for official translations.
4. To learn how to deal with phrases, words or other items in the original document that are unclear, illegible, incorrect or typed wrongly.
5. To practice using notes and brackets as well as other tricks used by certified translators to render an accurate and faithful translation.
6. To prepare for the position of a certified court translator.

1. MS Office Word
2. No previous knowledge needed
3. Have a printer ready for the learning material.

Part 1: Introductory module

1. Contracts:
Sales representation agreement
2. Certificates:
Most common types of documents
Application for a marriage license
3. Court documents
Statement of Notary Public
Excerpt from an Application for Divorce
4.Last-minute solutions
Test

Part 2: Advanced Module

1. Contracts:
Confidentiality Agreement
2. Certificates:
Extract of the population register
Certificate of Live Birth
International Extract from Marriage Registration
Court documents:
Final judgment of simplified dissolution of marriage
Condescendence
Agreement and stipulation for judgment
Test

Extra material:
Exercise 1: General knowledge – legal Resource
Exercise 2: Disclaimer phrases Resource
Exercise 3: Contract clauses Resource
Exercise 4: Legal regulations

Final test

Links to online dictionaries

• There are no requirements other than Internet connection to participate in this self-paced course.

• No software purchase or pre-installation is necessary.

 Jasmina Djordjevic    View feedback | View all courses

Bio: Jasmina is an Assistant Professor with a PhD in Applied Linguistics (English Language) and an appointed and sworn translator, native in German and Serbian as well as close-to-native in English. She has taught Legal English, Translation Techniques, Consecutive Translation, Culture in Business Communication at the BA level and Intercultural Communication and Translation as well as Consecutive and Conference Interpreting at the MA level. Parallel to her academic career, she has been developing her translator and interpreter career for the last 23 years. Now she is trying to contribute to the profession by coaching students to become good translators, interpreters or teachers. She has written many articles and a few books, two of the most important ones being “Translation in Practice – Written and Consecutive” and "Scientific, Professional and Official Translation", which consists of two volumes, one is a theoretical overview and the other is a workbook. Her primary objective is to offer valid and tested teaching/ learning techniques for students training to be translators and interpreters. Jasmina's extensive and elaborate academic and professional record shows highly developed standards needed in the translation and interpreting business.