CertTranslate
Version 1.3Verified August 2026

AcceptReady™CertTranslate’s certified translation standard

Your translation arrives ready for the office it is going to — the same standard on every order, in every language.

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240,000+ documents since 2014

Definition

What is the AcceptReady™ certified translation standard?

AcceptReady™ is CertTranslate's published standard for certified translations: complete word-for-word translation, mirrored page layout, signed and stamped Certificate of Accuracy on letterhead, and matched to the receiver's published requirements.

It is our own published standard — not a third-party accreditation or government approval.

We publish it so customers and reviewing officers can see exactly what we promise and hold us to it.

Why it exists

Why did CertTranslate create AcceptReady™?

CertTranslate created AcceptReady™ after translating more than 240,000 documents since 2014 and seeing the same preventable filing problems repeatedly.

We also review translations prepared elsewhere when customers ask us to correct them. Those jobs reveal where a translation packet can look finished but still fail a reviewer’s checklist.

Accuracy and certification are claims. AcceptReady™ turns what we learned into four checks you can verify on the document itself.

How was the AcceptReady™ standard developed?

AcceptReady™ is maintained as a living standard. We monitor official requirements, review real quality signals, and publish a new version when the checklist or certificate needs to change.

Continuous review

The standard is monitored, not frozen.

A rule change is not left for the next annual rewrite. It enters the review cycle as soon as we identify it.

See published versions

  1. Step 01

    Monitor official requirements

    We regularly review the rules published by USCIS, WES, ECE, universities, courts, and state agencies — not only when a customer reports a problem.

  2. Step 02

    Review quality signals

    We track recurring issues found in quality control, correction work, receiver instructions, and filing feedback shared by customers.

  3. Step 03

    Publish a new version

    When a requirement changes, we update the checklist or certificate, review the change, and record the new version, date, and reason on this page.

What are the four AcceptReady™ checks?

A translation passes the AcceptReady™ standard only when all four checks are complete. Each check includes a way to verify the result yourself.

  1. Check 1

    Complete word-for-word translation

    What it means

    Every part of the source document is translated: text, stamps, seals, handwritten notes, margins, and the back of the page. Nothing is summarized, added, or left out.

    Check it yourself

    Pick any line on the original — including the text inside a stamp — and find it in the translation.

    What we deliver

    • The whole physical page, however dense. A page is a physical page; we never re-count a dense page as two.
    • Illegible or untranslatable elements — signatures, emblems, damaged text — are marked in the translator's notes instead of being dropped.
    • Names, dates, and numbers are copied exactly, spelled to match the passport or an earlier filing when you provide it.

  2. Check 2

    Mirrored page layout

    What it means

    The translation follows the original page for page and table for table, so a reviewer can compare the two documents side by side without hunting.

    Check it yourself

    Put the original and the translation next to each other: same page count, same order, tables and stamps in the same places.

    What we deliver

    • Page-for-page structure with a "Page X of Y" footer on every page.
    • Tables stay tables — transcripts keep their columns, grades, and totals where the reviewer expects them.
    • Stamps and seals are marked where they sit on the original, with their text translated.

  3. Check 3

    Signed and stamped Certificate of Accuracy on letterhead

    What it means

    The packet ends with a Certification of Translation Accuracy on CertTranslate letterhead: signed, dated, stamped, and worded to what USCIS asks for.

    Check it yourself

    Read the certificate. It states that the translation is complete and accurate, that it was made by a translator competent in the language pair, and it carries a name, signature, date, and the company stamp.

    What we deliver

    • One certificate per document, so each document can be reviewed on its own.
    • The statements USCIS asks for: complete and accurate, and translated by someone competent to translate from the source language into English (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)).
    • Letterhead, printed name, signature, date, unique customer ID, unique translation ID, company stamp, and the translation in one PDF packet.

  4. Check 4

    Matched to your receiver's requirements

    What it means

    Before delivery, the packet is checked against the published requirements of the office it is going to: USCIS by default, or WES, ECE, a university, a court, or a DMV when you tell us.

    Check it yourself

    Where an office publishes its own required wording, our certificate uses it. New Jersey MVC does — and our NJ MVC certificate follows its text, including the translator's fluency statement.

    What we deliver

    • The USCIS checklist by default: a complete translation, signed certification of accuracy, competence statement, and certifier details.
    • Word-for-word treatment for credential evaluators such as WES and ECE.
    • Receiver-specific certificate variants where a receiver publishes one.
Every certified order

Your translation leaves our desk only after it passes all four checks.

Standard 24-hour delivery is included for most 1–3 page orders.

Order a certified translation

$24.95/page

The certification page

What is on the AcceptReady™ Certificate of Accuracy?

Every packet includes a signed and stamped Certificate of Accuracy on CertTranslate letterhead.

The certificate is the page a reviewer reads first. The table below explains what each element does.

What a certificate of accuracy is, in general

Elements of the CertTranslate Certificate of Translation Accuracy and the requirement each one satisfies
CertTranslate letterhead and contact informationWhy it mattersIdentifies the company that certified the translation and gives the reviewer a way to contact us.
Certificate title, document name, and language pairWhy it mattersNames the Certification of Translation Accuracy and ties it to this document and no other.
Statement that the translation is complete and accurateWhy it mattersProvides the completeness and accuracy certification required by USCIS under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).
Statement that the translator is competent in the language pairWhy it mattersUSCIS requires the translator's certification of competence — 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3).
Independence and scope statementsWhy it mattersConfirms who the translation was prepared for and separates translation accuracy from the authenticity of the source document.
Signature, printed name, title, and dateWhy it mattersIdentifies the certifier and completes the signed certification expected by reviewing offices.
Round company stampWhy it mattersShows the certificate was issued by the agency. Courts, DMVs, and offices abroad often look for it.
Unique customer ID, translation ID, packet language, and page countWhy it mattersBinds the certificate to the customer and this specific translation, while making missing or mixed-up pages easier to identify.

Which requirements does AcceptReady™ check against?

The rules differ by receiving office. We check the destination you name and preserve the source for every rule summarized here.

01

USCIS

Checked by default

The rule is 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). It says every foreign-language document must come with a full English translation, certified by the translator as complete and accurate, together with the translator’s certification that they are competent to translate. The instructions to forms such as I-130, I-485, I-751, I-140, and N-400 repeat it.

In practice that means four items:

  1. a complete English translation of every part of the document, including stamps and seals;
  2. the translator’s signed certification that the translation is complete and accurate;
  3. the translator’s attestation that they are competent to translate;
  4. the translator’s name, signature, date, and contact information.

USCIS requires certification, not notarization.

USCIS translation requirements guideTranslations by USCIS form8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) on eCFR

02

WES and ECE (credential evaluators)

WES asks for a precise, word-for-word English translation of every document that is not in English, prepared by a professional translation service — not by the applicant. Handwritten or partial translations are not accepted. Other evaluators, such as ECE, publish similar rules. Transcripts and diplomas are where mirrored tables matter most: course titles, grades, and totals must sit where the evaluator expects them.

WES translation requirements

03

Universities and admissions offices

Most admissions offices ask for a certified English translation of transcripts and diplomas, sent together with the original-language copy. Where a school publishes its own wording or format, we follow it. Our institution guides list what individual schools ask for.

Institution guides

04

Courts and DMVs

State agencies differ the most. New Jersey MVC, for example, publishes its own definition of a certified translation, including a fluency statement and an acknowledgement about false translations. Our NJ MVC certificate uses that text. Tell us the office and we match its wording.

NJ MVC certified translation definition (PDF)

Acceptance Guarantee

What protects you if an office rejects the translation?

No one controls a receiving office’s decision. What protects you is a written remedy, not a promise of “100% acceptance.”

  1. 01

    Free revision

    If the office rejects it for a translation-related reason, we revise the translation at no cost.

  2. 02

    100% refund

    If it is still rejected, we refund the translation cost in full.

We ask for the RFE or rejection letter. The guarantee excludes issues with the source document, previously flagged illegibility, and filing fees.

Read the full guarantee

AcceptReady™ — questions and answers

What is the AcceptReady™ standard?
AcceptReady™ is CertTranslate's published standard for certified translations: complete word-for-word translation, mirrored page layout, signed and stamped Certificate of Accuracy on letterhead, and matched to the receiver's published requirements.
Why did CertTranslate create AcceptReady™?
CertTranslate created AcceptReady™ after translating more than 240,000 documents since 2014 and seeing the same preventable problems repeatedly: omitted stamps, broken tables, incomplete certificates, and wording that did not match the receiving office's rules. The standard turns those failure points into four checks completed before delivery.
How was the AcceptReady™ standard developed?
AcceptReady™ combines published requirements, patterns from CertTranslate quality-control and correction work, and real filing feedback. CertTranslate regularly monitors official USCIS, WES, ECE, university, court, and agency requirements; when a relevant rule changes, the checklist or certificate is reviewed, updated, and published as a new dated version.
Does AcceptReady™ mean USCIS will accept my translation?
No standard can promise that — no one controls USCIS's decision. AcceptReady™ means the translation meets what USCIS publishes: a complete word-for-word translation and a signed certification of accuracy and competence. If USCIS still rejects it for a translation-related reason, we revise it free or refund the translation cost in full.
Does AcceptReady™ cover WES, ECE, and universities?
Yes — AcceptReady™ covers credential evaluators and universities as well as USCIS. WES asks for a precise, word-for-word English translation prepared by a professional service; universities usually ask for a certified translation sent with the original-language copy. Tell us where the translation is going and we check it against that office's published rules.
Is AcceptReady™ an accreditation or a certification body?
No. AcceptReady™ is CertTranslate's own standard, published in full so customers and reviewing officers can check any translation against it. It is not issued by ATA, ISO, or any government body, and it does not replace the requirements of the office you file with.
How is AcceptReady™ different from ISO 17100?
ISO 17100 sets requirements for how a translation company operates; AcceptReady™ sets requirements for the packet you receive. ISO 17100 covers translator qualifications, revision by a second person, and project management. CertTranslate works that way as well: every order is translated by one person and reviewed by another. CertTranslate wrote AcceptReady™ from its own practice and updates it when a receiving office changes its published rules — currently version 1.3, August 2026. ISO 17100's current edition dates from 2015, was amended in 2017, and a full revision is not expected before 2029. AcceptReady™ is CertTranslate's own published standard, not an ISO certification.
Can I check the AcceptReady™ points on my own translation?
Yes. Compare any line of the original with the translation, including stamp text; put the two documents side by side and match the page order; read the certificate for the complete-and-accurate and competence statements, the signature, date, and stamp; and confirm the wording matches what your office publishes.

Published specification

AcceptReady™ version history

Current v1.3 · First published July 2025 · Verified August 2026

Current standard reviewed by
Natalia Vega

Substantive public versions of the AcceptReady™ certified translation standard
v1.3Current
DateAugust 2026What changedUpdated the certified translation certificate and agency stamp. Every packet now includes a unique customer ID and a unique translation ID.
v1.2
DateFebruary 2026What changedUpdated the receiver-requirements check to align with the published requirements of WES and USCIS.
v1.0
DateJuly 2025What changedFirst published version of the AcceptReady™ certified translation standard and its four checkable requirements.

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Sources and evidence

What the AcceptReady™ standard is based on

We monitor primary requirements and compare them with recurring issues found in real translation work. These links are a starting point, not a substitute for the receiving office’s current instructions.

Official requirements

Case evidence

View all translation cases