By sworn statement, we mean a declaration or a certification carried out in compliance with legal requirements, which guarantees the truthfulness of what is stated in a document.
Today’s article by ALG Language Consulting looks in detail at how sworn statements work.
The importance of sworn translators
The translation of a document into another language does not automatically have legal value. In order for it to acquire legal value, a sworn translation must be provided. The translator must therefore take an oath before the Clerk of the Court declaring that he/she has faithfully and truthfully translated the document, undertaking responsibility for the translation before the law. If the document is translated into a foreign language, the signature of the Clerk of the Court who has signed the oath report must be legalized, i.e. authenticated.
The legalization is issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. This further step provides the client with a sworn legalized translation, valid abroad for all purposes.
If the target country is a signatory to the Hague Convention, the document will be legalized by Apostille. In all other cases, a standard legalization procedure is followed. The document must also be submitted to the Consulate of the target country for further legalization.
Obviously also the source text must be legalized or be a certificate issued by a competent authority.