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Certified translation: the step whose order decides whether it counts

An apostille says nothing about language. It certifies a signature, and it is issued in French or English by a Canadian authority. So if your document is going to Italy, Korea or Colombia, someone has to translate it, and the receiving country decides who may do that, whether the translation must be attached to the apostilled original or translated afterwards, and whether the translation itself needs its own apostille. Do it in the wrong order and you pay twice.

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The order problem

Three patterns, and only the destination knows which one applies

1. Apostille first, translate in the destination country

The most common pattern in Europe. Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and several others prefer, and sometimes require, a translation done by a sworn translator registered in their own jurisdiction, or accredited by their consulate here. The Canadian document is apostilled as it stands, apostille included, and the whole thing is translated on arrival. Translating in Canada first can mean paying for a translation the destination will not accept.

2. Translate first, then apostille both

Used where the receiving authority wants a single package authenticated as a whole. The certified translator signs a declaration, that declaration is notarized, and the notarized translation is apostilled alongside the original, as a second document with a second fee. Some Gulf states, and certain Latin American and Asian institutions, work this way.

3. Certified translation alone, no apostille on it

Many universities, employers and licensing bodies simply want the apostilled original plus a certified translation from a recognized professional. No notarization, no second apostille. This is the cheapest and most common outcome, and it is why we always ask the destination before quoting anything.

Never translate before asking. This is the single most expensive assumption in the whole process. A translation done in the wrong order, by the wrong kind of translator, is not a partial success; it is money spent on a document the receiving authority will not look at. The pre-check confirms the requirement for your specific destination and institution before anyone is engaged.
Who may translate

“Certified” means something different in each country

In Canada, a certified translation normally means one produced by a translator certified by a provincial professional order, such as the OTTIAQ in Québec or ATIO in Ontario, who attaches a signed and sealed declaration of accuracy. That is what most Canadian institutions and many foreign ones accept.

Elsewhere the concept is different. Spain and Italy maintain registers of sworn translators (traductor jurado, traduttore giurato) whose signature carries legal force in their own country and whose work is not interchangeable with a Canadian certified translation. Germany uses court-appointed translators. Some consulates in Canada maintain their own list of accepted translators and will reject anyone not on it.

This is why the honest answer to “can you translate my document?” is always “where is it going, and to whom?” We coordinate translators in both systems: Canadian certified professionals for the many destinations that accept them, and sworn or consulate-accredited translators where the destination insists.

The languages we handle most, from Canadian files: French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, German, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Hindi, Punjabi and Farsi. Others are quoted on request; rarer pairs take longer and cost more, and we say so upfront rather than after.
What it costs

Quoted per page and language pair, before you commit

Translation is priced by the translator, per page and per language pair, and passed through at cost the same way notary fees are. There is no markup and no handling charge. A one-page birth certificate into Spanish and a twelve-page divorce judgment into Arabic are not the same job, so we quote the exact figure at pre-check rather than publishing an average that would mislead.

What is published is everything around it: our service fee of $139 for the first document and $29 for each additional one in the same submission, capped at $299, plus the government fee for each authority at cost. If a translation needs its own notarization and its own apostille, those appear as their own lines in your written quote, with their own figures, before you order.

Ordering translation on its own

You do not need an apostille from us to get a translation from us. Certified translation is one of the steps that can be ordered separately, with or without anything else: a translation of a document you already had apostilled, a translation for a Canadian application, or a translation you need before deciding whether to proceed at all.

Documents we translate most

Birth, marriage, death and divorce certificates. University degrees and transcripts. RCMP and police record checks. Medical certificates. Powers of attorney and notarial acts. Corporate records for foreign subsidiaries and tenders. See the full list by document type.

Common questions
Should I translate my document before or after the apostille?
It depends on the destination, and the difference matters financially. Italy, Spain and much of Europe often want the apostilled document translated by a sworn translator in their own country, so translating in Canada first can be wasted money. Other destinations want a certified translation attached and apostilled alongside the original. Many simply want the apostilled original plus a Canadian certified translation. We confirm which applies before anyone is engaged.
Does the apostille need to be translated too?
Often yes, where the translation is done in the destination country: the sworn translator there translates the whole document including the apostille certificate. Where the translation is done in Canada first, the apostille is issued afterwards and sits on top. This is one of the details that decides the order of operations.
Can any translator do it?
No. Most destinations require either a translator certified by a Canadian provincial order (OTTIAQ, ATIO and their equivalents) or a sworn translator registered in the destination country. Some consulates keep their own list and reject anyone not on it. A good translation from an uncertified translator is refused just as firmly as a bad one.
How much does a certified translation cost?
It is priced by the translator, per page and per language pair, and we pass it through at cost with no markup. The exact figure for your documents is confirmed in the written pre-check quote before you commit, alongside the service fee and government fees.
Does the translation need to be notarized?
Sometimes. Some destinations accept the certified translator’s signed declaration on its own; others require that declaration to be notarized, which then makes the translation a notarized document that can carry its own apostille. See notarization for how that step works.
Can you translate a document you did not apostille?
Yes. Certified translation can be ordered on its own, for a document already apostilled, for a Canadian application, or for any other purpose. So can notarization, document retrieval and embassy legalization.
My document is in French and the destination speaks English. Do I need a translation?
Not necessarily. Canadian authorities apostille documents in either official language, and some destinations accept both. Others accept neither and want their own language regardless. It is worth asking before assuming, which is free.

Tell us the destination before you pay for a translation

Send scans of your documents, the destination country and, if you know it, the institution that will receive them. We confirm whether a translation is needed, who may produce it, and in what order, in writing, before anyone is engaged.

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