Translation Services in Vancouver for Immigration, Education, Life, Business, and Government

A certified translation is an official translation performed by a professional translator and validated by a seal or signature, making it acceptable for use with government authorities, judicial bodies, educational institutions and employers.

In some situations, a translation must be completed and stamped by a certified Canadian translator who is associated with a provincial association like ATIO, OTTIAQ, or STIBC. While most government offices do not require this stricter level of qualification, many licensing agencies or professional boards do.

For some companies, a translation can be confirmed by a representative of a professional translation agency on the agency’s letterhead, along with the necessary contact information.

Another alternative is to have the translations validated by a Canadian Commissioner for Taking Oaths (Commissioner for Taking Affidavits), who can certify the translator’s signature on the affidavit (written oath attesting to the translation's completeness and correctness).

Another form is the notarized translation, which is typically required for use outside of Canada. Some embassies and consulates require translations to be notarized by a Canadian Notary Public. This extra step ensures legal recognition abroad and confirms that the translation was correctly verified.

Finally, non-certified translations are commonly used by commercial clients who do not require official documentation. These translations are carried out by the same expert linguists, but without formal certification, making them appropriate for websites, marketing materials, or internal usage.

We can help in both situations.

When documents need to be utilized abroad, a typical certified translation isn't always sufficient. Many foreign organizations, such as embassies, consulates, and government offices, require that translations be notarized or accompanied by an apostille.

A notarized translation requires a Notary Public in Canada to officially certify the translation’s legitimacy. In such circumstances, notarized translation ensures that the work was completed by a qualified professional and that the certification is legally binding.

An apostille is another form of legal certification that has been simplified in Canada since it acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention in 2024. This approach allows Canadian papers to be authenticated through a single, streamlined process, making them valid in all other Hague Apostille Convention member states.

Check this page for details.

By the way, for countries that do not participate in the Hague Apostille Convention, the process may still include complete consular legalization, which involves the document going through multiple offices, including the destination country's consulate or embassy.

Machine translation utilizes advanced software to efficiently handle extensive amounts of text rapidly. This approach is effective for internal purposes or when rapid results are essential, with the output available for subsequent review by a human translator to guarantee quality.

In contrast, human translation is performed solely by a skilled human linguist. Our agency offers a “Gold Standard” service delivered by native-speaking translators who possess extensive full-time translating experience. These translations are conducted entirely by hand, guaranteeing precise, smooth, and flawless outcomes that capture not just the words but also the intended meaning and tone of the original document.

For clients seeking exceptional precision, our “VIP” service package offers a manual translation by one expert, followed by a thorough review and refinement by another senior translator.

The document’s intended purpose influences the decision between machine-assisted and entirely human translation. For internal communication that requires both speed and efficiency, machine translation with light post-editing (MTPE) could be adequate. However, for external distribution, official documents, or sensitive content, it is crucial to utilize human translation.

All of these have a part in the language sector, yet they provide completely different services:

• Transcription or subtitling refers to the process of transforming spoken language from audio or video into written text, with the possibility of translating and embedding subtitles directly into the video.
• Translation is the process of changing written text from one language to another.
• Interpretation (which is a service that we do not provide) often refers to real-time, spoken (oral) translation.
• Localization is the process of altering content (such as websites, marketing materials, or apps) to meet not only the target language, but also cultural conventions, legal constraints, and audience expectations in a certain region—for example, converting tone, idioms, date formats, or graphics.

Yes. Adaptations for Canada should adhere to language conventions unique to the country.

We provide translations that are properly tailored to Quebec French, as well as to European French, depending on the client’s requests, to correspond with regional linguistic standards and cultural contexts.

Our approach to cultural correctness includes adapting English usage to the Canadian context in accordance with the Canadian English Style Guide, just as we do with French.

Definitely.

We provide professional advice to businesses in Quebec who want to comply with the French Language Charter. This includes assisting with:

• Register with the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF).
• Forming a Francization Committee.
• Obtaining a francization certificate requires meeting employee threshold deadlines (25+ or 100+ employees).

With our assistance, your company can avoid significant fines for noncompliance with Quebec regulations.