Format for certified translations.
What a Trusted Lingo certified translation looks like: the header, the translation itself, the certification, how it is bound to the source, and how to prepare scans, additional copies and the cover letter.
Anatomy of a certified translation
This is our house format, built on what German authorities and foreign offices expect. The rules your own federal state sets for certification — above all the wording of the certification note — always take precedence.
If a document doesn’t fit the pattern, ask us at contact@trustedlingo.com before you certify it.
Header — on every page
- “Certified translation from [source language]” (or the German equivalent, “Beglaubigte Übersetzung aus dem [Sprache]”).
- Page numbering in the form “Page 1 of 3”, so a missing page is obvious.
The translation itself
- Translate everything in the source — every entry, annotation, stamp text and marginal note — or indicate it.
- Follow the layout of the source as closely as you reasonably can, so an official can match the two side by side.
- Put all translator's notes in square brackets.
- Never copy logos, coats of arms, seals, stamps or signatures into the translation. Describe them in square brackets — e.g. [Round seal: Registry Office Frankfurt am Main] or [Signature] — and translate any text they contain.
- Name institutions and authorities as they appear, with a brief explanation in square brackets where a reader might not recognise them.
- Mark anything you cannot read as [illegible] — never guess.
Certification note, stamp and signature
- End the translation with the certification note (Bestätigungsvermerk) in the wording your state prescribes, confirming that the translation is complete and accurate.
- State what you translated from: the original, a certified copy, a simple copy or a scan.
- Include your name, the place and the date — and your address if it isn't on your stamp.
- Stamp and sign next to the certification note. We recommend blue ink for stamp and signature, so they stand out from the printed text and from a photocopy.
Binding — translation and source copy together
- Attach the translation to a copy of the source document: print the source the customer uploaded and put it behind your translation.
- Number the pages. For a few pages, stagger the sheets (Schuppenheftung), staple them at the top-left corner, and stamp and sign across the overlapping edges on the back, so no page can be removed or swapped unnoticed.
- For many pages, bind them with eyelets and cord (or a ribbon) and seal the binding with your stamp.
- Stamping the source copy itself is optional.
- Use good-quality paper and make sure the print is sharp.
The scan you upload
- Prepare the certified translation completely, exactly as if you were posting it — certified, stapled, stamped and signed.
- Scan every page, front and back, in this order: your translation, then the source copy, then the back with the stamped and signed overlapping edges fanned out.
- Save it as one PDF and upload it to the order for review. If the customer ordered a scan, this is the file they keep — uploads close once they approve.
Additional certified copies
- An additional certified copy is not a photocopy: prepare each one exactly like the first, with its own certification note, stamp and signature.
- All copies are equivalent originals. The order shows how many to produce under Certified originals to produce, and you post them all together.
The cover letter
Every certified translation you post goes out with the Trusted Lingo cover letter on top, so the customer knows who it is from and how to reach us.
Cover letter (Begleitschreiben)
A one-page Trusted Lingo letter, in German and English, that goes on top of every certified translation you post. It is laid out for a DIN window envelope.
- Download and print the cover letter (one page, A4).
- Write the customer's name and address from the order into the address field, and fill in the order number and date.
- Put it on top of the certified translation(s) so the address shows through a DIN window envelope.
- Post it by a trackable method with Trusted Lingo as the sender, and enter the tracking number on the order.
Shipping method, tracking and postage are covered on Order processing.
Format FAQ
Which certification wording should I use?
The wording your federal state prescribes for sworn or authorised translators. Our format guidance covers everything around it; where your state's rules require something different, follow them and tell us if it affects how we describe the result to customers.
Do I translate stamps and seals?
Yes — describe each one in square brackets and translate the text it contains, e.g. [Round seal: Registry Office Frankfurt am Main]. Never reproduce the image itself.
Do I have to bind the translation to the source?
Yes. The translation must be joined to a copy of the source document it was made from, with the binding secured by your stamp and signature so pages cannot be removed or exchanged.
What should the scan I upload look like?
One PDF of the finished certified translation: your translation, then the source copy, then the back of the stapled pages fanned out so the stamp and signature across the edges are visible.
How do I prepare additional certified copies?
Exactly like the first: each copy carries its own certification note, stamp and signature and is an equivalent original — never a photocopy.
Where is the cover letter?
On this page — download it as a PDF, print one per shipment, fill in the customer's address, the order number and the date, and put it on top of the translation.
I'm not sure how to format a particular document.
Ask us at contact@trustedlingo.com before you certify it, quoting the order number. It is much easier to agree on a layout first than to redo a stamped original.
The full rules are in the agreements every Trusted Lingo translator accepts: Translator Terms of Service · Non-Disclosure Agreement · General Code of Conduct. Where this page and an agreement differ, the agreement applies.