Translating documents in Argentina

Foreigners in Argentina are often required to have documents translated from another language into Spanish. Spanish is the Official Language in Argentina and very often employers or Immigration requires these documents to be in Spanish. Another requirement is for the documents to be legalized, especially if it is an important document, like a diploma or certificate.

If you are new in the country and not fluent in Spanish then it could be a problem. However, not to worry because the translators speak your language and you will be able to communicate with them.

Find a Public Translator in Argentina  and how to do it.

First of all it is important to find a Public Translator that is recognized by the Colegio de Traductores. They are professional translators and adhere to a code of conduct. In other words: people have confidence in their abilities as translators.

In March this year I needed to have documents translated and legalized. The first thing I did was to visit the website of the Colegio de Traductores, where I found a list with the names and contact information of the translators in Argentina. The website is a little confusing and I am including the link here in order not to waste time looking for the right place.

This page is not available in English but is fairly easy to understand. In the left column you choose the language of your document and in the right column you chose what type of document it is. The reason being that not all people translate all documents. You could have one translator who translates your passport and another your medical history.

Names of all Public Translators in Argentina who can translate documents.

The list contains the names of all the Public Translators in Argentina and covers all the big cities. I happened to be in Buenos Aires, so I was looking for a translator in the city. Here you have to choose Ciudad Autonoma to find a translator in the center of Buenos Aires. There are many names to choose from and they include email addresses as well as telephone numbers.

You can then contact the person directly and arrange for a quote. Their prices should not differ from the prescribed rates that is stipulated by the Colegio but it doesn’t do any harm to contact a couple of people. Take note that they charge per page. I had one document with a cover page and a red stamp from my Embassy to prove that it is a legal document. I had two people who wanted to charge me for this page as well, which doesn’t need to be translated or legalized. Keep an eye open for people who want to make extra money in that regard.

I used a professional translator, who translated my documents and met me at the Colegio de Traductores, to have my documents legalized. She stayed with me the whole time until I had the legalized documents in my possession.

Her name is Maria Cecilia Brusa and she can be contacted at ceciliabrusa@gmail.com.

Why do they need to legalize the legalized documents again?

Well, the document was translated from a legalized document in your home country. It makes sense to have it legalized again in the country where it was translated. It makes it a legal document in Argentina.

You pay the translator for his/her services and the Colegio de Traductores for the pages that are legalized. If you need to have documents legalized then the address is:

Avenida Corrientes 1834
(C1045AAN) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tel./Fax: (+54-11) 4373-7173