Accepted by US authorities
Certified Technical Translation Services
When a patent office, a court, a regulator, or a customs authority asks for a certified translation, the document has to arrive with a signed statement of accuracy that the receiving official will accept without a second look. Techniwords delivers certified technical translations backed by specialist translators, independent revision, and a certification format we have refined across 15 years of USPTO filings, court exhibits, and regulatory submissions.
If a US authority rejects our certification format, we correct and re-certify at no charge. In 15 years of filings, the paper trail has held.
The certification is only as good as the translation under it. Yours is done by a technical specialist and revised by a second linguist before anyone signs anything.
Short certified documents ship the next business day. Filing-deadline rush service is available when the patent office or the court is not going to wait.
What "Certified Translation" Means in the United States
The United States has no sworn translator system. Unlike France, Germany, or Brazil, no US authority appoints translators or stamps them with official status. A certified translation here is defined by the document, not the person: the translation is accompanied by a signed statement attesting that it is complete and accurate, identifying the translator or translation company and their qualifications. That statement is what the receiving authority checks.
Every certified translation from Techniwords ships with a certificate of accuracy on company letterhead stating:
- The source and target languages and a precise identification of the document translated
- An attestation that the translation is complete and accurate to the best of our professional knowledge
- The qualifications of the translation provider, including ATA membership
- Signature, printed name, date, and contact information a verifying official can actually reach
Where the receiving authority requires it, the signature is notarized: a notary public witnesses the signing of the statement. Notarization adds a formality layer, not an accuracy layer, which is a distinction worth understanding before you pay for it.
Certified, Notarized, Sworn: Which One Do You Need?
| Term | What it is | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Certified | Translation plus signed statement of accuracy | USPTO, US courts, FDA, customs, licensing boards. The default for US authorities |
| Notarized | A notary witnesses the signature on the certification | Some ports, registries, state agencies, and foreign authorities. On request |
| Sworn | Translation by a state-appointed translator | Does not exist in the US. Required by some foreign courts; we arrange it through sworn colleagues abroad when a filing outside the US demands it |
Practical rule: if a US institution asked for it, "certified" almost always means the signed statement, and asking the requesting authority beats guessing. Send us the request letter or the instruction page with your quote request, and we match the certification format to what the authority actually requires. That check has saved clients from paying for notarization they did not need, and from filing without one they did.
Technical Documents That Need Certified Translation
Certified translation shows up wherever a technical document crosses into a legal or regulatory setting. The requests we see most:
- Patent documents. The USPTO requires a certified English translation of non-English priority documents in the situations covered by 37 CFR 1.55, and translations of prior art references filed in an IDS. Our patent translation team handles both the claims and the certification.
- Litigation and disputes. Translated exhibits, engineering reports, expert findings, and correspondence filed in US courts, where each translated exhibit carries a certificate of accuracy that satisfies federal and state filing practice.
- Regulatory submissions. Foreign-language test data, manufacturing records, and supporting documents in FDA and other agency filings.
- Customs and import. Certificates of conformity, mill certificates, and inspection paperwork that clearance officers will only accept with a signed accuracy statement.
- Professional licensing. Foreign engineering diplomas, transcripts, and work attestations submitted to US state licensing boards.
If your document is not on the list, the test is simple: will a government official, judge, or auditor rely on this translation as evidence of what the original says? If yes, certify it.
Why the Technical Part Matters as Much as the Certificate
Plenty of services will certify a translation cheaply. The risk is not the certificate; it is what sits under it. A certified translation of a patent claim that renders "comprising" as if it were "consisting of" is certified and wrong, and the certification makes the error harder to walk back, because you have formally attested to it. The same goes for a tolerance, a test method, or a hazard classification rendered loosely in a regulatory filing.
That is why certified work at Techniwords runs through the same ISO 17100-compliant workflow as everything else: a translator specialized in the subject matter, independent revision by a second linguist against the source, and a QA pass on numbers, units, and references, described in full on our quality assurance process page. Where the language pair has an ATA certification program, the work is led by an ATA-certified translator, like Miguel Ferrer on English to Spanish. Only after revision does the certificate get signed.
Pricing and Turnaround
Certification is included in the translation price; there is no separate certificate fee on standard orders. Editable documents are quoted per word at $0.10 to $0.25 depending on pair and difficulty, scanned documents per page. A one- or two-page certificate or diploma in a common pair typically ships the next business day. Larger certified packages, a patent family or a litigation exhibit set, are scheduled around your filing deadline, with rush service when the deadline is immovable. Full rate detail is on our pricing page, and every quote is itemized within one business hour.
Written by the Techniwords team. Technically reviewed by Miguel Ferrer, BS Mechanical Engineering, ATA-certified (EN>ES), 16 years of technical translation experience. Last updated August 2026.
Certified Technical Translation FAQ
Will the USPTO or a US court accept your certified translation?
Yes. Our certificate of accuracy identifies the document, the language pair, and the provider's qualifications, which is the format US patent practice and federal and state court filing practice expect. In 15 years we have certified translations for USPTO filings, litigation exhibits, FDA submissions, and customs clearances. If an authority ever questions the format, we correct and re-certify at no charge.
What is the difference between certified and notarized translation?
Certified means the translation carries our signed statement of accuracy. Notarized means a notary public additionally witnesses the signature on that statement. Notarization does not verify the translation itself; it verifies who signed. Most US authorities require only certification. We include certification by default and arrange notarization on request when the receiving authority asks for it.
Can you certify a translation that someone else produced?
We certify only translations our own team has produced or fully revised. If you bring an existing translation, a qualified specialist revises it against the source line by line, corrects what needs correcting, and then we certify the revised result. Revision is priced below retranslation, so this route usually saves money while still giving you a certificate we are prepared to stand behind.
Do you provide certified translations into languages other than English?
Yes. About half of certified demand runs outward: US technical documents certified for foreign patent offices, ministries, and customs authorities. Requirements vary by country, and some, like courts in France or Brazil, require a locally sworn translator, which we arrange through sworn colleagues in the target country. Tell us where the document is going and we set up the format that jurisdiction accepts.
How fast can I get a certified technical translation?
A short document in a common language pair, one to five pages, typically ships the next business day with certification included. Multi-document packages take longer and are scheduled against your filing date. For genuine emergencies, a patent bar date or a court deadline, rush service can compress most short certified jobs into the same business day. The quote states the delivery date before you commit.
How is the certified translation delivered?
You receive a PDF of the translation with the signed certificate of accuracy attached, formatted to mirror the original page for page so officials can compare the two documents side by side. Signed hard copies with wet-ink signatures are mailed on request, which some courts and registries still require. The source file, the translation, and the certificate stay in your project archive if you need re-issuance later.
Get It Certified Right the First Time
Send the document and tell us which authority is asking. Within one business hour you get an itemized quote, the certification format matched to that authority, and the profile of the specialist who will translate it. Confidentiality applies from the first email.
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