Translation of documents in Uruguay

A sworn translator is a university-educated professional, as established by Law 20.305, specialized in translating documents in foreign languages for official entities and agencies. This professional is the only one authorized to validate certified translations and to act as interpreter and translator in court proceedings.
His skills are also required in the private sector to translate written documents that require professional responsibility, high training and specialization.

Registration of a Sworn Translator

It is essential that the sworn translator be registered with the corresponding Sworn Translators Association (such as the one in Montevideo), as this body is responsible for authenticating the translator’s signature and seal on the translations and verifying his or her identity.

What is a Sworn Translation?

Unlike an ordinary translation, a certified translation is an official document that includes the signature and stamp of the certified translator. It is attached to the original document and stamped on all its pages, forming a single official document with the translator’s signature and seal at the end.

Sworn translation covers the conversion of documents from the national language into a foreign language and vice versa, as well as from a foreign language into a language other than the native language.

Any document drafted in a foreign language that must be submitted to institutions, public, judicial or administrative bodies of the State, including municipal offices, must be accompanied by a translation into the national language. This translation must be done and signed by a certified translator.

This rule also applies to documents originating in Uruguay that need to be sent abroad.

Need for Sworn Translation and Sworn Translator Services

A certified translation is required when translated documents are to be submitted to official agencies. Official institutions do not accept documents in foreign languages without the corresponding public translation and legalization.

Sworn translators play a key role in the judicial system as expert witnesses, assisting in the translation of foreign language documents or acting as interpreters in court proceedings where understanding people who speak another language is required.

In addition, they are responsible for signing, sealing and validating the matching certificates. When a document has already been translated into Spanish by a foreign sworn translator, in order to be recognized in Uruguay, it must be verified by a Uruguayan sworn translator. This process includes the issuance of a concordance certificate, where the translation is compared with the original document, thus ensuring its validity in Uruguay.

Beyond official translations, sworn translators are also skilled in translating a variety of technical documents, such as machinery operating manuals, medical records, medical articles and other specialized technical documents.

Most common document translation languages:

English
Portuguese
Italian
French
German

Relationship between the Hague Apostille and the Sworn Translation

The Hague Apostille, established by the Hague Convention, is a notarial certification that expedites the validation of public documents, eliminating the need for diplomatic or consular legalization.

It is important to differentiate between the legalization performed by the Colegio de Traductores Públicos and the Hague Apostille, since they are different processes performed in different places. To avoid confusion, you should verify whether a document requires the Hague Apostille or legalization by the Colegio de Traductores Públicos.

In Uruguay, the Hague Apostille is processed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is a prior step to the public translation.