Certified Translation
Certified translation (court-certified translation, certified translation, official translation, translation with interpreter's clause or translation certified by court appointed translator) consists of a document in the original language and its translation into the target language. After translation, the translated document is always permanently attached to the source document, either original or its authenticated copy. The certified translator appointed by the respective Regional Court then affixes its interpreter's clause and official (round) stamp. By signing the document and affixing its stamp, the certified translator confirms that the translation corresponds with the wording of the attached document. The interpreter's clause is in the same language as the translation and, consequently, the translated document may also be presented to foreign authorities.
Certified translations of official documents are required by institutions performing acts in administrative and court proceedings, in dealings with authorities, courts and Police bodies, if the language of such documents is different from the language in which the original document was issued.
Formal Requisites of a Certified Translation
Certified translation should always contain the interpreter's clause and round stamp with the national coat of arms of the Czech Republic which certify that it is a literal translation of the original text and that its content unambiguously corresponds with the original document. As such, it fulfills the requirements and demands of the State authorities of the Czech Republic with respect to translating foreign-language documents for the purposes of official acts and, abroad, the prerequisites for submitting Czech official documents before the authorities of the relevant country. In the event of communication between companies or private entities, it guarantees correctness of the translation of foreign-language documents into the respective language which is important e.g. for legally binding contractual documents. The respective document in the source language, in case of official acts preferentially originals or notarized copies, is always being attached to the certified translation. The authentication clause must also be translated.
Electronic Certified Translation - NEW
On 1 January 2020, a new Act No. 354/2019 Sb., on court-appointed interpreters and court-appointed translators, came into force, together with Decree No.506/2020 Sb., on the performance of interpreting and translation activities. This new regulation introduces for the first time the possibility of producing a certified translation in an electronic form. A certified translation in an electronic form now has the same form as a printed certified translation, i.e. the original, the translation and the translator's clause, accompanied by the qualified electronic signature of the translator and a qualified timestamp. Everything is in PDF-A format. The validity of the qualified electronic signature is 5 years, after which it can be renewed. Certified translations in electronic form cannot be apostilled, only printed certified translations. This clearly shows that the introduction of electronic certified translations makes the process of producing certified translations faster, cheaper and more efficient, as the need for physical delivery of documents is eliminated. All communication with the client takes place via e-mail or data box. If the client subsequently requests a physical copy of the certified translation, the electronic translation can be simply converted into a paper form (CzechPoint, notary).