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Certified Personal Document Translations

I offer you legally secure, certified translations of personal documents, which are also called vital records.  I always do my very best to provide prompt service.

The document types I can translate for you include:

  • Account statements

  • Adoption certificates

  • Affidavits

  • Apostilles

  • Awards

  • Bank statements

  • Birth certificates

  • Certificates of descent

  • Certificates of good conduct

  • Certificates of study

  • Child custody documents

  • Criminal records

  • Curricula vitae

  • Death certificates

  • Diplomas

  • Disinheritance documents

  • Divorce rulings

  • Doctoral degrees

  • Driver’s licenses

  • Employment certificates

  • Examination certificates

  • Excerpts from the commercial register

  • Letters of reference

  • Marriage documents

  • Military service records

  • Mortgage agreements

  • Naturalization documents

  • Property deeds

  • Report cards

  • Residence permits

  • Résumés

  • Social security cards

  • Tax documents

  • Traineeship certificates

  • Trust agreements

  • Wills and testaments

In Germany, only officially sworn translators may prepare and sell certified translations. It's necessary to meet very strict requirements in order to obtain this license from the court. The details vary from state to state, but everywhere it's necessary to show that you have the required abilities and relevant experience.

I hold a Diplom-Übersetzer degree (superior to a masters in translation, taking at least four years to complete) and have been sworn by the Frankfurt am Main District Court. I’m expected to translate texts accurately and conscientiously into the target language while reproducing the formatting of the original document closely enough so that it’s very clear how its individual parts correspond between the two languages.

Confidentiality is also guaranteed. According to Article 189, paragraph 4 of the German Judicature Act, a sworn translator must "treat as confidential any circumstances that they learn about within the scope of their work."

In order to get a price quote, please send me scans, photographs or PDF files of your documents and I’ll get right back to you!

I can prepare translations into British or American English, whichever you need or wish, and from English into German.

You receive the finished and certified translation on paper (which you can pick up at my office if you want, otherwise I will mail it to you) and also scanned in the form of a PDF file. In urgent cases I can also personally deliver it (within Frankfurt).

How it works, step by step

  1. You send me scans or photocopies of all of the pages of the document you want translated. There’s no need to immediately send or present the original.

  2. I reply right away with a price quotation for the requested service and let you know when you can expect the translation to be ready (usually quite fast!).

  3. As soon as the translation is ready, I email it to you as a PDF file so you can look it over and let me know what you would like changed, if anything.

  4. As soon as you have approved the translation, I mail you a stamped, signed and certified copy of it. It can also be picked up at my office. I’m happy to prepare additional certified copies for a small fee.

Gregory Woods, Language Specialist

Gründenseestr. 34

D-60386 Frankfurt am Main

+49 (0) 69 90 54 58 52  •  english@mrwoods.de

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