A sworn translation is not “just text in another language.” The finished result is a legal package: a full rendering of the source’s visible content, descriptions of seals and notes, a certification formula stating the carrier used, the sworn translator’s signature and round seal (or qualified electronic signature), and a repertory number. Recipients check that set against the original or scan.
Our article on what a sworn translation is explains the legal meaning of the service. Here the focus is composition: what the finished package contains, how paper differs from an electronic original, and how scope affects page volume — without invented prices. Order via the sworn translation page; pricing logic sits in the price list and the pricing article.
Below is a practical breakdown of elements you should receive on delivery and the gaps that send a package back for rework.
A finished sworn translation is full text plus descriptions of visible source marks, a certification formula (original, copy, or scan), a signature with round seal or qualified e-signature, and a repertory number. Without those layers, recipients often reject the result as incomplete.
01What the finished sworn package contains
The base layer is a full translation of every visible text: headings, authority details, tables, signatures as text, annexes and the reverse side when it bears entries. A short paraphrase is not a sworn result.
- Seal, stamp, watermark and handwritten-note descriptions are added even when marks are illegible — they are recorded as objects on the page, not silently dropped.
- A certification formula names who translated, from which language, from which carrier (original, copy, scan) and under which responsibility.
- On paper: handwritten signature and round seal; on an electronic original: the same person’s qualified electronic signature.
- Multi-page sets are bound or numbered so pages cannot be swapped unnoticed.
02Seals, stamps and notes on the source
- Sworn work reflects everything visible: round and rectangular seals, signed barcodes, an apostille on the same sheet, marginal entries.
- Readable seal text is translated.
- Pen notes, corrections, strike-throughs and “true copy” stamps belong in the description.
- An empty decorative frame may be noted briefly; a substantive authority stamp may not.
- Scan quality affects completeness: a cropped seal or binder shadow risks an incomplete package.
03Certification formula: original, copy, scan
The formula states the carrier the translator saw. “From the original,” “from a copy,” or “from a scan/printout” are different statements. Backdating a carrier change is not allowed.
If you only send a colour scan but the authority requires translation from a paper original, the formula will say so — and the package may be refused. Align the carrier before work starts.
The formula names source and target languages, translator details and fidelity of the translation. It is a person–document–act link, not a decorative bureau stamp.
When translating from a notarised copy, the formula usually states copy, not “public-document original.” Confusion here often forces re-issuance.
Electronic delivery keeps the same formula meaning; certification is by qualified e-signature. Moving to PDF does not erase the carrier statement.
Before paying, ask: source format (original/scan), number of copies, paper vs electronic original, and whether seal descriptions are in scope.
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We confirm what enters the sworn package and in which format.
04Repertory, seal and signature
- The repertory is the sworn translator’s register.
- The round seal shows translator details and language of authorisation.
- On paper the signature is handwritten; on an electronic original it is a qualified e-signature by the same translator.
- Repertory number, date and seal data must be consistent.
- Keep the repertory number in correspondence with the bureau — it speeds extra originals or confirmation of earlier work.
05Paper versus electronic original
06Page volume and copies
- Billable volume usually includes seal-description lines, the formula and sometimes binding title sheets — not only “clean” translation text.
- Each agreed original copy is a separate physical or electronic result with seal/signature.
- Long contracts and annexes are counted page by page; skipping a “minor” annex breaks completeness.
- If two authorities each need an original, say so before delivery: printing a second original later is a separate act.
- The price list and pricing article explain calculation logic; a concrete sum comes from assessing your scan.
07Mistakes in the deliverable
Before paying, confirm the source carrier (original, certified copy, or scan), how many originals you need, paper versus electronic original, and whether seal descriptions are in scope. Changing the carrier after delivery usually means a new issuance.
- Ordering “translation without seals” and expecting the authority to accept text without stamp descriptions.
- Declaring an original in the brief while supplying only a scan — the formula will expose it.
- Treating a paper scan as an electronic original with qualified signature.
- Breaking or reordering bound pages after issuance.
- Checking only the text and ignoring repertory number, seal data and carrier wording.
- Confusing the service definition article with a checklist of finished-package elements.
QuoteThe recipient checks more than wording. Seals, formula, repertory and binding integrity are part of the sworn deliverable.
LEGIX Team
08FAQ
Full text, seal/note descriptions, a certification formula with carrier, signature and round seal or qualified e-signature, and a repertory number. Multi-page sets are usually bound or numbered.