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What is a NAATI-certified translation?

Jul 02, 2023

In Australia, any document that is not in English and needs to be accepted by a government organisation, must be accompanied by its certified English translation.

According to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the translation of a foreign document prepared by a translator credentialed by the national standards and certification body for translators and interpreters in Australia, NAATI, is treated as an ‘official certificate’.

Sometimes, foreign governments also need proof the signatures of Australian officials on documents are genuine before they can be accepted. DFAT can certify that a signature, stamp or seal on a document is genuine by checking it against a specimen held on file, print and attach an authentication or an apostille stating certain facts.

An apostille is a legal certification that makes a document from one country valid in another, provided that both are signatories to the 1961 Hague Convention.

Here's a list of what is required of certified translations submitted to DFAT:

-Translator's name
-Translator's NAATI stamp, either physical or digital, clearly showing Practitioner's ID
-Translator's language and type of certification
-With the physical stamp, the date of the translation; with the digital stamp, the date the stamp was generated
-Translator's signature for the physical stamp; the phrase "Digitally Authenticated by NAATI" for the digital stamp
-A statement in English attesting to the truth and accuracy of the translation of the document presented (e.g. “This is a true and accurate translation of the text provided on the attached document”).

You can read about NAATI translator stamps here.

Documents to be presented to a court may require an affidavit instead of a simple translator's certification.

An affidavit sets out the translator’s qualifications, lists and certifies each source document and lists the associated translations and certifies them as true and correct. Affidavits are usually prepared by the lawyers requesting the translation and need to be sworn or affirmed before a Justice of the Peace, who will stamp and sign the affidavit.


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