Details of Translation: What is ‘Notarization’?

Typically, when you are submitting documents for official purposes, you may be asked for translated documents that are notarized. In the same way, if you are looking for a translator in Singapore to do PR application translation work for you, they may ask if you would like it notarized as well. Any certified translation company in Singapore will also be sure to check beforehand if a client wants their documents to go through a notarization process. You may wonder, “What is notarization? What does it do for me?”

Well first of all, a notary public is “a public officer who attests or certifies writings (such as a deed) to make them authentic and takes affidavits, depositions, and protests of negotiable paper” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notary ). The act of certifying documents as authentic described above is “notarization”. This is what you are being asked about, and a translation company will attach an additional fee in addition to the usual costs, due to the payments needed for a notary public.

In Singapore, this is also a process that requires a fair bit of time and preparation, especially if the document that must be notarized was issued by another country's government. Not only must a notary public notarize it, the document must also be sent to the Singapore Academy of Law for
further authentication. Singapore Legal Advice explains the process in detail (https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/certify-true-copy-singapore).

When seeking out certified translation services in Singapore, also be aware that there is a difference between a “notarized translation” and a “legal translation”. Whereas a “notarized translation” is any translated document certified by a public notary as presenting true information, a “legal translation” is simply any document that involves legal matters. Reputable translators will of course clarify this for you prior to any engagement of their document translation services, but it does not hurt to be informed beforehand.

Ultimately, any legitimate provider of a certified translation service in Singapore will always do their best to fully inform you before you make a decision.

However, a minute of preparation beforehand can mean an hour learned in the future, so hopefully the information and links provided here can help you come more quickly and conveniently to a decision in regards to whatever future translation needs you may have.