Translation and Languages Blog | BigTranslation

The sworn translation of academic records is a necessary procedure if you want to continue your studies abroad or if you are going to apply for a job in a foreign country.

Not sure whether you need a sworn translation of your academic certificate or transcript? At BigTranslation, we’ll explain when a sworn translation might be required and what the process involves.

When will I need a certified translation of my academic grades or certificate?

If you studied in another country and want to continue your education in Spain, have your diploma recognised here, apply for a job or obtain a visa, you may need to have your academic certificates or school grades translated. The same applies if you studied in Spain and wish to study or work abroad.

Many schools, universities, and public or private institutions require the official translation of academic documents to be carried out by a sworn translator, who certifies that the translation is a true and accurate rendering of the original.

What kind of academic documents usually require a sworn translation?

Some of the academic documents that usually require a sworn translation are:

• Secondary education certificates
• University degree certificates
• University academic transcripts
• Secondary education or primary education transcripts
• Vocational training diplomas
• Certificates of other types of training or courses

The organisation to which you are submitting the document will be able to confirm whether a sworn translation is necessary; however, in most cases, academic documents do require translations bearing a signature and an official stamp.

Why does it have to be a sworn translation?

A sworn translation from or into Spanish is an official translation that can only be carried out, signed and sealed by a sworn translator accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. In other words, it is a legally valid translation for which the sworn translator assumes full responsibility.

The translation of school grades and diplomas is one of the most common areas where an official translation is required, as it guarantees fidelity to the original document.

A sworn translation will include the translator’s signature, official stamp and certification, stating the source and target languages, and the place and date of the translation.

I need a sworn translation of my academic grades, what should I do?

The first step is to check whether your documents are the original certificates and whether they have the stamp and signature of the issuing institution. After that, it’s crucial to ensure that the translator is officially recognised in the country where the document is to be submitted.

With BigTranslation, you won’t need to worry about anything. We work exclusively with properly accredited sworn translators and ensure that all official translations meet the required standards.

Specific features of official academic document translation

A sworn translation must always remain faithful to the original and accurately reproduce any stamps and signatures that appear, as well as other possible graphic elements (stamps, logos, QR codes, etc.). No information may be omitted or altered in this type of official translation.

When it comes to sworn translations of academic documents, there are certain specific features to bear in mind. Academic grades and qualifications cannot be converted or adapted, as this is the responsibility of the relevant recognition authorities. However, the sworn translator may include an explanatory note about the grading system to help the receiving institution interpret the results.

Finally, if the educational institution or the public or private body where you’re submitting the documents informs you that they must be legalised or accompanied by a Hague Apostille, you’ll first need to have the original document legalised before the sworn translation can be completed.

Are you planning to study abroad and need a sworn translation of your academic certificate or school grades? Do you want to apply for a job that requires an official translation of your degree certificate? Are you applying for a visa and need to certify your academic level through a translated transcript? Don’t think twice and order your sworn translation from BigTranslation now!

BigTranslation is the only agency offering an Instant Quote from their website for your sworn translation service. The process is very simple, and the speed and quality of the sworn translation are guaranteed!

If you’ve decided to use an automatic translation tool to translate your e-commerce content, you need to be aware of its limitations. While these technologies have indeed come a long way in recent years, they are still not error-free. Far from it. Localisation, for instance, remains one of their key weaknesses. This is because translation is not just about swapping words from one language to another, but about conveying the message in a way that suits each market. This is where post-editing comes into play: the expert eye of a professional proofreader.

What is post-editing and how can it improve your e-commerce texts?

Put simply, post-editing is the process of correcting a text that has been translated by AI or an automatic translation tool, carried out by a human professional. Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of post-editing is not merely to correct grammatical errors, as such mistakes are rarely made by these tools anymore. The goals are different. Let’s take a closer look!

Improving the text’s flow

In many cases, automatic translations result in unnatural sentence structures that do not reflect how a native speaker would express themselves. This is because these tools often translate word-for-word or follow syntactic patterns that do not always align with the way the target language works. The result is a text that, while understandable, sounds unnatural. Post-editing involves the reviewer reformulating these structures to make them sound more natural and enhance readability.

Ensuring coherence

Another key aim of post-editing is to ensure that important elements of the content, such as the tone of voice or the use of specific terminology, remain consistent throughout the text. For example, the AI in your e-commerce platform may translate the word ‘home’ as ‘home page’ in some instances and incorrectly as ‘house’ or ‘main page’ in others. A reviewer will adjust the translation to ensure uniformity and avoid inconsistencies or confusion in your online shop.

Localising the content

As mentioned in the introduction, localisation is the Achilles’ heel of automatic translation. These technologies are programmed to provide ‘standard’ translations without considering the target market, audience or cultural references relevant to each region. Post-editing enables a human reviewer to localise these automatic translations, ensuring that your e-commerce marketing content makes sense, builds trust, and resonates with your audience.

Untranslating

Yes, we made the word up. By this, we mean reverting certain terms or expressions back to their original language when they should never have been translated in the first place. This is something that AI often fails to detect. This frequently happens with product names, brands, specific features or loan words from other languages that are already familiar to the target audience.

For example, AI might mistakenly translate the well-known mobile phone brand Orange as ‘Naranja’ in Spanish. This would be a serious error, wouldn’t you agree? In such cases, the reviewer’s job is, ironically, to go back to square one and leave it exactly as it was.

What can a professional reviewer offer that AI can’t?

No matter how much automatic translation tools improve, there are three qualities they will never possess: judgement, intuition and cultural insight. Only a human can develop these three qualities, which means automatic translation will always need to coexist with professional human review.

However, for a revision to be effective and of a high quality, the reviewer must be a native speaker of the target language. This ensures they have a full command of the language and can pick up on subtleties, idiomatic expressions and cultural nuances that a non-native speaker might miss.

What specific objectives can a reviewer achieve in your e-commerce?

• Revise and correct product descriptions to avoid misunderstandings about purchases
• Localise automatically translated marketing materials
• Optimise your website for search engines (multilingual SEO)
• Detect important errors in legal texts, such as the privacy policy
• Fine-tune interface microcopy (e.g. CTA buttons and pop-ups) to avoid harming conversion
• Eliminate formatting errors

The list goes on and on.

Professional review: what your e-commerce business needs to break into new markets

Automatic translation may seem like the cheapest option at first. However, if it’s not accompanied by professional post-editing carried out by native reviewers who can address or eliminate any errors the machine may have made, it can become very costly. This review process is even more crucial in e-commerce, as the quality of your content heavily influences purchasing decisions.

If you weren’t aware of the importance of post-editing and have skipped this step in your e-commerce process, don’t hesitate to fill in our contact form so that we can send you a quote with the most competitive rates as soon as possible. Don’t put it off any longer!

An upcoming international tender could prove highly beneficial for your company, but there’s one detail that caught you off guard: one of the requirements is to translate the tender documentation and you don’t know where to start. Sound familiar? Don’t worry, your situation is more common than you think.

To help ensure that your company can submit its proposal by the required deadline, BigTranslation has prepared a comprehensive article explaining what a public tender is, when you need to translate your documents and which types of paperwork should be translated by a human translator.

Let’s define the term: what is a public tender?

To make sure we’re on the same page, let’s clarify the terminology. A tender is a public procurement process whereby a public authority issues a call for bids to provide a specific public service. Any company operating within the relevant sector can apply, provided it meets all the requirements outlined in the tender specifications.

While there is a common belief that public services are awarded to the highest bidder, this is not entirely true. Other factors besides the proposed price are taken into account, such as the quality of the company’s work and its financial standing.

When should a tender be translated?

Now let’s address the main issue: when is it necessary to translate tender documents? This type of procurement process is common in many countries around the world. In your own country, translation isn’t usually necessary for obvious reasons. However, if you’re submitting a bid for a tender abroad, translation becomes essential.

The answer is therefore quite straightforward: tenders need to be translated when the documentation is to be submitted in a country that speaks a different language. It is very important (almost crucial) to work with a translation agency that employs native professionals specialising in the relevant sector who understand the technical terminology and can accurately convey your company’s message.

Taking a gamble with a non-professional or automatic translation could result in you losing the tender, wasting the time and effort spent preparing and submitting the paperwork, and incurring financial costs. Based on our experience, we would advise you not to take the risk.

The paperwork: what documents do I need to translate to participate in the tender?

If your company is interested in a tender in another country, it’s time to start the translation process. Although each tender is different and it is important to find out exactly which documents are required, you will generally be asked for two types of documents: administrative and technical.

Translating legal and administrative documents

These are the documents that prove your company’s legal existence, financial standing, economic solvency and technical capacity, among other things. Examples include articles of incorporation, annual accounts, employment contracts, and professional qualifications.

Important! Many of these documents require a sworn translation, meaning they must be translated, signed and stamped by a sworn translator according to the official process in the country where they will be presented. BigTranslation’s blog features a post with information about sworn translations, which will give you an idea of the types of documents that require this service. Check it out!

Translating technical documents

Your project proposal must include a variety of documents relating to the service you intend to provide. These may include the written proposal itself, summaries of past projects, blueprints, timelines, certificates of satisfactory performance, and much more besides. All documents must be accurately translated into the language or languages specified in the tender.

Although this type of document usually doesn’t require a sworn translation, if you want to maximise your company’s chances of being selected by the relevant public authority, it is essential that it is translated by a professional native speaker who specialises in technical translation.

Do I have to translate the tender specifications?

No, it’s not necessary to translate the tender specifications as long as you or someone you trust can read them in the original language, as these documents are merely informative. However, if that’s not the case, we recommend translating them to ensure that the tender requirements and the documents to be submitted are completely clear.

Get a quote for translating your tender documents in 5 minutes

We know that the process of applying for a tender can be time-consuming. BigTranslation doesn’t want to extend the process any longer than necessary. With our instant quote tool, you can find out how much it will cost to translate your tender documentation in under 5 minutes. It’s quick and easy — just what you need right now!