TwinpageMachine or certified translation and when you need a translator
Offices that take foreign documents, such as immigration, courts, universities and registries, often ask for a translation certified by a translator, and a machine translation is not that. Twinpage gives machine translation. Check the current requirement on the office's site before you order anything.
Short answer
If you need to understand a document, a machine translation is often enough. If you need to hand a translation to an office, the office decides what it accepts, and many ask for a translation signed or certified by a translator. Twinpage does not certify anything and does not promise that any office will accept its output. Use it to read and check the paper, then get a certified translation where one is required.
This page is general information, not legal advice.
What certified and sworn translation mean
A certified translation usually comes with a statement from the translator that the translation is complete and accurate, along with the translator's name and signature. A sworn translation is made by a translator appointed or registered with a court or a public body, in countries that have such a system. Who counts as qualified, whether a notary is involved, and what the statement must say differ by country and by office.
We do not list the rules of specific offices here, because they change and we have not checked them against primary sources for this page. Check the current requirement on the office's site, or ask the office directly.
When a machine translation is enough
- Reading a letter from a landlord, a school or a bank in another language.
- Getting the gist of a contract draft before you discuss it.
- Reading a manual or an instruction sheet.
- Preparing questions for a translator or a lawyer.
- Checking what a paper says before you pay to have it certified.
| Situation | Machine translation | Certified translation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading a letter from a landlord | Usually enough | Not needed | General |
| Understanding a contract draft | Enough to read, not to sign on | Ask a lawyer before signing | General |
| Immigration application | Not enough on its own | Often required | Check the current requirement on the office's site |
| Court filing | Not enough on its own | Often required | Check the current requirement on the court's site |
| University admission | Not enough on its own | Often required | Check the current requirement on the university's site |
| Your own records | Usually enough | Not needed | General |
source: general guidance; office rules not verified for this page
Birth certificates and other civil records
Birth, marriage and divorce certificates, diplomas and police records are the papers people most often need translated for an office. These are also the cases where a machine translation is least likely to be accepted. For a US immigration filing, check the current requirement on the office's site before you order a translation; we have not verified those rules for this page.
A machine translation still has a use here: it tells you what the certificate says, so you can spot a misspelled name or a wrong date before you pay a translator to translate the mistake.
How an app helps before you order a certified translation
Read the content
Translate the document in the app to see what it says and whether it is the paper the office asked for.
Spot names and dates
Check that names, dates and numbers match your other documents. Fix the source first if something is wrong.
Prepare questions
Mark the terms you are unsure of and ask the translator about them.
Give the translator a clean copy
Send the original, not the machine translation, unless the translator asks for it.
Scans and photos of certificates can be translated in Pro, see translate a scanned document. For text files, see translate a PDF and keep the layout.
Questions
Can I submit a Twinpage translation to an immigration office?
Twinpage gives machine translation, not certified translation. Check the current requirement on the office's site; many offices ask for a translation certified by a translator.
Can I certify a machine translation myself?
That depends on the office and the country. Check the current requirement on the office's site.
What is the difference between certified and sworn translation?
A certified translation carries the translator's statement of accuracy. A sworn translation is made by a translator appointed or registered with a court or public body, where such a system exists.
Is a machine translation useful at all for official papers?
Yes, for reading the paper and checking names and dates before you order a certified translation.
Related guides
Same document in a new language
Choose a PDF or .docx file, pick one of 20 languages and get the page back with its tables and columns. Translation runs on your phone.
Free: 1 document a day up to 3 pages. iOS 26 or later, phone only.