A birth certificate is one of the most important identity documents a person can have. It records details about a person’s birth, parents, and place of birth. For international travel, immigration, or conducting personal business in another country, people often need to provide a certified translation of their birth certificate.

However, translating birth certificates comes with its own set of challenges. Even professional translators can make mistakes if they are not familiar with the source document. Small errors in translating something as important as a birth certificate can lead to denial of visas, travel permissions, or other problems.

This article will explore some of the common mistakes made while translating birth certificates into other languages. It will also provide tips on how to avoid these errors.

Not Understanding the Format

Birth certificates have a very specific format that varies by country and region. They contain certain standard fields like the baby’s name, date of birth, place of birth, parents’ names etc. The order and naming conventions around these differ fields across locations.

For example, depending on the cultural norms of that region, the father’s name may come before or after the mother’s name. Dates could be written out in full, numerical format or contain abbreviations like DD/MM/YYYY.

An unfamiliar translator may mix up the order of fields or translate birth certificate names/dates literally without understanding their meaning, leading to an inaccurate translation.

How to Avoid It

• Research thoroughly to understand the standard birth certificate format used in the source country/language
• If unsure, leave the format unchanged and only translate the textual content
• Work with a native speaker to identify any unfamiliar date or name formats

Incorrect Translation of Names

Names often present a unique challenge in translation. The translator must correctly translate first, middle and last names as norms in the target language.

For instance, Spanish surnames have different female and male versions (Maria Lopez vs Jose Lopez). Some Chinese names follow a First Name-Last Name format, while others are Last Name-First Name. Mixing up the order or incorrect translation of gendered names leads to errors.

Transliteration (writing names using a target script) also causes problems. The source name may have sounds that are not present in the target language. Approximating these or using inconsistent transliteration systems leads to spelling errors.

How to Avoid It

• Thoroughly research naming conventions of the target language
• Understand the correct order and spelling of first/middle/last names
• Use consistent transliteration systems (e.g., ICAO standards for passports)
• Confirm spellings of transliterated names with a native speaker

Literal Translation Issues

Doing a word-for-word literal translation fails to capture the actual meaning of entries in a birth certificate.

For example, the “Place of Birth” field in Indian birth certificates mentions the hospital name along with the city. However, a literal translation would only capture the hospital name without the location.

Similarly, parents’ names may include suffixes like Kumar, Devi, etc., which have cultural significance beyond the literal words. Dropping these while translating causes the loss of actual meaning.

How to Avoid It

• Don’t translate literally – understand the meaning of entries
• Research the non-literal usage for names, locations and other personal identifiers
• Consult native speakers regarding any cultural nuances that may get lost in translation

Using Online Translation Tools

With easy access to online translation tools like Google Translate, amateur translators often use them for quick birth certificate translations.

However, these tools have several limitations – they cannot accurately translate locations/names or understand formatting nuances. Gender errors are also common, e.g., marking a female as male if the source language does not use gendered language.

So, online translator output requires thorough re-editing by a human expert before it can be usable. However, many amateur translators skip this, leading to low-quality translations.

How to Avoid It

• Don’t fully rely on online translation tools – use them only as an aid
• Any machine-translated output MUST be edited/proofread by an expert translator
• Review for any gender/location/name/formatting errors

Lack of Subject Matter Knowledge

Birth certificates contain very specific personal, cultural and demographic information about an individual. Without enough knowledge about these topics, the translation quality suffers.

For example, the translator may not know the common naming conventions of a region, a list of popular surnames, the proper hierarchy of name fields, etc. This contributes to formatting issues or spelling mistakes.

Subject matter expertise is even more critical when translating historical birth records written in older styles of language usage and culture. contexts

How to Avoid It

• Work with translators specialized in personal document translation
• Hire native language experts with knowledge of local naming conventions and formats
• Use translators with legal/historical expertise for older records

Using Non-Accredited Translators

Accreditation establishes standardized quality and accuracy metrics for translators. Accredited, certified or jurat translators undergo a rigorous assessment to validate their translation skills.

However, many translation buyers use freelance, non-certified translators to save money. The resulting translations often have multiple issues. Even well-rated platforms like Fiverr have no quality filters for the level of translator expertise.

This is risky for mission-critical documents like birth certificates. An inaccurate translation can invalidate the certificate itself, resulting in legal issues during immigration or travel.

How to Avoid It

• Always hire certified/accredited/jurat translators for personal documents
• Check the translator’s accreditation directly on association websites for validity
• Prioritize quality over cost savings when choosing a translator

Not Double Checking the Translation

Without double-checking, there is no way to catch any errors made by the translator.

Reviewing the translation before directly using it prevents embarrassment and legal issues later on. Even reputed translators can accidentally misread handwritten records or misunderstand certain regional colloquial names/words.

However, many individuals assume that the translation they receive will be perfect without needing to check it. This assumption can lead to problems later.

How to Avoid It

• Must review translation quality before directly using it
• Hire a second independent translator for quality checks
• Flag any spelling mismatches, formatting issues or unclear translations
• Request revisions or re-translation if required for 100% accuracy

Failing to Research Source Materials

To understand the contextual meaning, the translator needs adequate information about the source certificate.

However, often, the clients themselves don’t research details about the issuing authority, the date of issue and other metadata about the certificate. This slows down the translation process.

Without enough context about the source, the translator may miss nuances while translating fields like issue place name, parental suffixes or date formats etc.

How to Avoid It

• Provide complete information to a translator, including issuing authority, document purpose, date of issuance, etc.
• Share links to websites of the source country’s birth registration department for reference
• Provide native language research assistance to the translator if required
• Answer all terminology questions raised by the translator, even if repetitive

Using Inconsistent Terminology

Standardized terminology ensures the translated document will be easily understood by all readers. For birth certificates, this includes government authorities reviewing the translation for verification.

But often, translators use inconsistent terminology – translating the same term differently at different places. Or worse, inventing their own terminology instead of using standardized vocabulary.

This confuses readers and causes legal issues, as government officials may classify such translations as invalid or inaccurate.

How to Avoid It

• Use a translator style guide listing preferred terminology
• Ensure the translator adheres to the style guide by reviewing the draft translation
• Confirm standardized vocabulary usage with the client before finalizing the translation
• Double-check for terminology consistency throughout the final translated document

Ignoring Translation Best Practices

Certain established practices ensure translation quality, such as using certified translators, defining the scope of work, and checking credentials.

Skipping these checkpoints often happens due to lack of awareness. But even informed clients ignore best practices to cut costs or save time. This results in substandard translations.

Some examples are – not signing non-disclosure agreements with translators, using single translators instead of a team, blurry/illegible source documents etc.

How to Avoid It

• Follow published standards for document translation quality
• Use NAATI guidelines as a benchmark for best practices
• Ensure team credentials, NDAs, revision cycles etc., before starting work
• Do not ignore any recommended guidelines for faster turnaround

Conclusion

A perfectly translated birth certificate facilitates smooth legal, travel and immigration processes in the destination country.

Attention to detail right from translator selection to final proofreading prevents all major errors as covered in this article. When dealing with mission critical documents, it pays to follow strict quality protocols.