The following items are important in the translation of documents involving foreign elements:
1) Name of notary public and his/her signature or stamp
2) Name of notarial agency and seal
3) The words “Republic of China”
4) Date. The format is generally month/date/year.
When planning to study overseas, an affidavit of financial support is normally required with the sponsor making a financial support declaration (as shown below):
I certify that I will provide tuition fees, living expenses for my son Lee during his stay in the United States. If he requires any further monetary assistance, I will provide this as well.
In general, notarial agencies require property certificates or bank statements from financial sponsors. These relevant documents have to be attached to the notarial certificate. There are instances wherein individual businesses use their business license as property certificate. A business license requires the authorization of a specific government agency. The term “某某市/縣工商行政管理局” can be translated into “x City (Prefecture)/County Administration of Industry and Commerce” instead of “Commercial and Industrial Administration Bureau of City (Prefecture) /County x”. This is because the word “Administration” implies the “executive branch of government”.
Sometimes, notarial agencies are also responsible for proving the authenticity and reliability of a translated document; i.e., notarized translation of document in conformity with the original text. Additionally, the last sentence in a notarized diploma usually states: “原件上的校長某某某和畢業學校某某大學之印簽均屬實”. ZHOU,BANG-YOU , with the term “屬實” translated into “genuine”; however, the term “authentic” is more commonly used in English legal writing; e.g. “作準證書” -“Authentic Instrument” and “作準文件” - “Authentic Document”. Macmillan dictionary also defines the term “Authentic” as “being what it purports to be”, and further provides the phrase “an authentic document” as example. In some books, the term “公證書” is also translated into “Authentic Deed” or “Authentic Act”. In conclusion, the word “Authentic” is a more precise term to use in notarized documents. For reference, the Chinese sentence above could be translated into: "Both the signatures of President xxx and the stamp of the graduation school yyy university are deemed authentic."