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Certified Translation – Zurich

As an accredited translation agency,
SemioticTransfer provides certified translations with or without apostille for Zurich.

SemioticTransfer is your accredited and certified translation agency for certified translations with or without apostille for Zurich. You’ll receive certified translations with or without apostille in any European or Asian language for official purposes and for correspondence with authorities.

We deliver professionally certified translations
for Zurich.

Request a quote now

What is a certified translation?

A certified translation is a legally valid translation of the original document with identical content. It’s exclusively carried out by our qualified linguists and then notarised.

What do I need a certified translation for?

You often need this type of specialised translation with international business transactions, as well as with foreign-language consulates and administrative bodies. This also applies for offices in Zurich. According to Swiss standards, the translated document is only legally effective for international use with the notarial certification.

Are there any examples of use?

Do you visit the Zurich Commercial Register Office? Or, do you want to have your documents authenticated or apostilled from the State Chancellery of Zurich for use abroad? For this, you usually need the help of an accredited and certified translation agency. Also, with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), the University of Zurich, or the Migration Office in Zurich, you’ll usually face problems without a certified translation.

You may need a certified translation for the following documents:

Diplomas
Birth documentation
Marriage certificates
CVs, job references
Divorce certificates
Migration papers

Passports, visa certificates
Patents, patent specifications
Education and training certificates
Contracts, commercial register excerpts
Residence certificates
etc.

Do I need an apostille for my document?

The apostille has been in use in international document transmissions since 1961, in accordance with the Hague Convention. It’s a global form of certification issued in Switzerland by the cantonal State Chancellery. Whether you need an apostille for your documents and translations is a case-by-case decision. Depending on the intended use, different requirements apply. That’s why, it is important to check in advance with the competent authority what exactly is required and what services you need.

How long is a certified translation valid for? How much does it cost?

Your certified translation for Zurich is valid in perpetuity. Exceptions are original documents with a limited period of validity.

The cost of a certified translation can’t be calculated as a flat rate, as the price of a certified translation depends on several factors:

Language pair: more common language combinations, such as German-English, are cheaper than a certified translation from Greek into Danish.
Volume of text: for longer texts, our specialised linguists need more time. This additional work is reflected in the cost of a certified translation.
Complexity and subject area: More complex technical texts also cost more. For example, certified translations of technical documentation or legal translations.
Formatting: also more expensive than a standard translation is a certified translation that makes use of our desktop publishing (DTP) service.
Certifications and apostilles: these also cost more (notary and State Chancellery fees respectively).

How do I know what I need?

Contracts, by-laws, trade register excerpts, or visa and passports: depending on the intended use, different requirements apply. That’s why, it is important to check in advance with the authority what exactly is required and what services you need. Since 2004, we’ve handled translations and certifications for consulates, embassies and ministries, as well as chambers of commerce, notaries’ offices, and State Chancelleries. With us, you and your documents are in safe hands, because certified translations for Zurich are our speciality.

Want to know more about certified translations and apostilles? We’ll gladly advise you!

We’ll handle your translation order promptly and competently,
including certification and apostille. Just ask!

contact@semiotictransfer.ch or +41 56 470 40 40

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Which services does SemioticTransfer offer?

Our core skill is translation. We work with a large international network of translators and can therefore produce translations in many language combinations and specialist subject areas.
We also support our customers with desktop publishing (DTP). We supply documents in all commonly used formats such as InDesign, FrameMaker or XML. We are pleased also to handle the typographical proofreading for you – the ‘remedial proofread’.
You can entrust entire projects to us, because we work with a large network of specialists from the worlds of advertising, text authorship, graphic art and printing.

How do I go about obtaining a quote?

Just send the documents you wish to have translated to us by e-mail, fax or as hard copy by post. We will then respond promptly to the receipt of your documents with a non-binding quote – including a delivery due date.
Please do not forget to provide us with your contact details so we can get in touch with you. Please also specify your desired target language, i.e. the language into which you wish us to translate.

Who is my point of contact?

Our Language Managers are the ones who attend to your immediate needs. Please use the contact form to notify us of your questions, or call us at + 41 56 470 40 40.

How quickly can you translate my documents?

Please send us the documents to be translated by e-mail. You will then receive a non-binding quote that also includes a firm delivery date.

What is the best way of getting my translations to you?

If your documents are available in an electronic format, simply send them to us by e-mail with the files attached. If you only have the documents in hard copy format, you can either fax them to us, or send them to us by post. If you wish, you can also bring your documents to us in person.

How much does it cost to translate one page of A4?

Your documents are translated exclusively by mother-tongue, certified specialist and/or technical translators.

Who actually translates my text for me?

The translation of your documents is carried out by professional, native, certified translators.

What information do you need to process my order?

The more information we obtain from you in relation to an order, the better able we are to execute it. For example, it is important for us to know the target audience of your document, or the style in which it is to be written. If you have any specific wishes, please do not hesitate to notify us of these. It is also of great benefit to us to have any previously translated documents you may have on the same or a similar subject.

What do you need reference material for?

To adapt documents to provide a perfect match in terms of the terminology and style of your Corporate Identity, we need to receive material from you to become familiar with your corporate language. The more material you provide for us, the more accurately we can communicate your business.

Do my information and documents remain confidential?

Needless to say, we treat your information and documents with absolute discretion. All of our co-workers and contractors are contractually obliged to uphold our non-disclosure policy. Should you so wish, we can provide you with a non-disclosure agreement, or we would also be pleased to sign your own NDA.

What is a notarially certified translation? What do I need one for?

A notarially certified translation is required for all official and administrative matters, e.g., when submitting marriage certificates, patents, court documents etc. A notary public certifies the accuracy and completeness of a translation.

What is an apostil?

An apostil is a supplementary form of certification – you could view it as certification of the notarial certification. The apostil confirms the genuine nature of the signature and of the stamp of the notary public. In Switzerland the cantonal district attorney’s office (Staatskanzlei) is responsible for this.

What does ‘Quality Assurance’ mean and involve?

We place great importance on the quality of our work. We therefore always have every translation checked by a 2nd subject specialist (the peer review principle), who pays particular attention to compliance with language-specific or country-specific idiosyncrasies and standards. We call this work step ‘Quality Assurance‘.

What is remedial proof-reading?

Our remedial proof-reading service involves one of our subject specialist translators checking the translation you submitted to us, and making corrections where appropriate.

What does proofreading involve?

During a proof-read, we revise the text you submitted, examining it for linguistic accuracy. If you wish, we can also alter the writing style and the length of the original text.
A specialist form of proof-reading is the ‘typographical proof-read’, also known as the ‘pre-print proof’. This involves a subject specialist reviewing the ready-to-print document which you submit to us in a hard copy format or as a PDF file. With this green light from us, you can then proceed to your print run with complete peace of mind.

How do I receive a translation?

We send you the completed translation by e-mail, fax or post. If you wish, you are also welcome to collect your translation in person from our office.

How is payment made?

On completion of your order, we post you an invoice with payment slip. With longer-standing business relationships, we are also happy to provide monthly batch invoices. Private customers are asked to settle their account in advance, or with cash on delivery (COD).

Why does the website not include any details of prices?

Every customer and each order are unique, so we are unable to provide general, one-size-fits-all pricing information. The calculation of your price incorporates many factors, including the type of text, the number of words, the language combination, the format, the delivery date and possible official certification. Having said that, to obtain a helpful guide to the costs you might incur, you can use our price calculator. We are always happy to provide you with a precise quotation at a face-to-face meeting, over the phone, by e-mail or when we visit your premises.

What is the meaning of ‘language of origin’ and ‘source language’?

‘Source language’ is the term used to describe the language in which the document was written, and for which we are being asked to provide a translation.

What is the meaning of ‘target language’?

‘Target language’ is the term used to describe the language into which you would like us to translate your document.

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Certified Translation – Zurich

As an accredited translation agency, SemioticTransfer provides certified translations with or without apostille for Zurich.

What is a certified translation?

What do I need a certified translation for?

Are there any examples of use?

Do I need an apostille for my document?

How long is a certified translation valid for? How much does it cost?

How do I know what I need?

Want to know more about certified translations and apostilles? We’ll gladly advise you!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Which services does SemioticTransfer offer?

How do I go about obtaining a quote?

Who is my point of contact?

How quickly can you translate my documents?

What is the best way of getting my translations to you?

How much does it cost to translate one page of A4?

Who actually translates my text for me?

What information do you need to process my order?

What do you need reference material for?

Do my information and documents remain confidential?

What is a notarially certified translation? What do I need one for?

What is an apostil?

What does ‘Quality Assurance’ mean and involve?

What is remedial proof-reading?

What does proofreading involve?

How do I receive a translation?

How is payment made?

Why does the website not include any details of prices?

What is the meaning of ‘language of origin’ and ‘source language’?

What is the meaning of ‘target language’?

As an accredited translation agency,
SemioticTransfer provides certified translations with or without apostille for Zurich.