---
id: KB-DI-021
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/documents-and-ai/theyre-asking-for-a-translation
idioma: en
categoria: documentos-ia
audiencia: usuario
nivel: intermedio
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-DI-013, KB-NO-022]
citadoPor: [KB-DI-020]
---

# They're asking for a translation

_Ask first what kind of translation they need: the gap between the two is measured in days and money._

**Responde a:** asked to translate a certificate · sworn translation of a document · will an ordinary translation do · document in another language for a client

**Before commissioning anything, ask whether an ordinary translation will do or they need a sworn one.** They are two different products with very different timescales and prices, and requesters often have not specified which because they did not know there were two.

## The difference, briefly

| Type | What it usually suffices for |
| --- | --- |
| Ordinary translation | Someone understanding what the document says |
| **Sworn translation** | **Standing up before an authority or a formal third party** |
| Just a summary or a few fields | Many internal cases are settled this way |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> **The original is never replaced by the translation: it is accompanied by it.** The translation explains, the original proves. Sending only the translated version is a common mistake that forces a resend, because the recipient can check nothing against it — and if what is ever disputed is a date or a figure, what gets examined is the source document.

## What to ask before commissioning

1. **What do you need it for?** — If it is to understand it, a sworn translation is rarely needed.
2. **Is a third party asking, or is it for your files?** — That decides whether formal requirements apply.
3. **Would translating part of it do?** — With long documents often yes, and it changes the timescale entirely.

> [!WARNING]
> On machine translation, which is the first thing everyone tries: **it is for understanding, not for delivering**. A machine translation of a certificate reads well and fails exactly where it matters most —proper names, units, dates and sector-specific terms— and those errors are invisible unless you know the language. As a support to grasp what it says, perfect; as a document you hand to a client or an authority, no.

> [!NOTE]
> When a sworn translation is required, who may issue one and what additional requirements may apply depends on the country and the body requesting it. **Whoever is asking, or your adviser, settles that**; here we explain what to ask so you do not commission the expensive one when the other would do, or the reverse.

**Will a machine translation do?**

To understand the document yes; to hand it over, no.

**Do I send only the translation?**

No: always alongside the original.

**Do I have to translate the whole document?**

Ask. Often the relevant part is enough.

## Ejemplos

**A sworn translation is commissioned for a long document that only needed understanding.**

- Asks beforehand what it is needed for and whether part of it would do

→ It is settled in a day with an ordinary two-page translation.

**Only the translated version of a certificate is sent to the client.**

- Attaches the original alongside the translation

→ The client can check dates and names, and no resend is needed.

**A translated document is requested and the whole thing is translated.**

- Asks which part they need to understand

→ Only what is needed gets translated.

**Nobody knows whether an official translation is required.**

- Asks before commissioning one

→ The right thing is commissioned.

**It is translated and the original is lost.**

- Keeps the original with the translation

→ Both versions exist.

**The translation is requested with the deadline looming.**

- Asks about the requirement when the matter starts

→ The timeline includes translation time.