Notarising Documents in a Language You Do Not Read

This situation arrives more often than you would think. A relative overseas sends a power of attorney in Greek. An employer sends a declaration in Mandarin. A foreign court sends an affidavit in Arabic. You are asked to sign it in front of an Australian notary, and you cannot read a word of it.

There are actually two problems here, and they are usually tangled together: you cannot read the document, and the notary may not be able to either. They have different solutions.

The rule underneath all of it

A notary cannot attest that you signed something knowingly if you did not know what it was. The notarial act is a statement about what happened in front of the notary, and "the signatory understood what they were signing" is part of it.

This is why a notary will not simply take your word for it and proceed. Not because the notary is being difficult, but because the certificate would be asserting something untrue, and the foreign authority relying on it has no way to find that out.

When you cannot read the document

The notary will want to be satisfied that you know what you are signing. In practice this means one of the following.

A written translation. The usual course for anything significant. You read the translation, you understand the document, and the notary can properly attest your signature. Where the document is a power of attorney, a property instrument, a company authority, or anything that disposes of money or rights, insist on this even if nobody asks you to.

An independent interpreter at the appointment. For shorter or simpler documents, an interpreter may sight-translate the document to you in the notary's presence. The notary will normally record that this happened and who the interpreter was.

A certificate that says what actually occurred. Where a translation was used, the notarial certificate may record that the document was translated and that you confirmed you understood it. This is a feature, not red tape — it is what answers the question later if anyone asks whether you knew what you signed.

What will not do is a family member summarising it for you across the desk. Which brings us to the point that matters most.

The interpreter must be independent

The person who interprets cannot be the person who benefits, and should not be the person who arranged the appointment.

The reason is obvious once stated: an interested interpreter can translate selectively, soften a clause, or simply describe the document as something it is not, and the notary cannot detect it. Every protection in the appointment runs through the interpreter's mouth.

So expect the notary to decline your son, your business partner, the migration agent who sent you, or the person collecting the document. Expect the notary to ask that person to wait outside. If the notary insists on this, they are doing the job properly.

Where the notary speaks the language themselves, practice differs on whether they may act as their own interpreter. Combining the roles removes an independent check, and the cautious course — and the one less likely to be questioned overseas — is a separate interpreter.

When the notary cannot read the document

A different problem, and it limits what the notary can certify rather than whether you can sign.

Attesting your signature is generally workable. The notary is certifying that you appeared, were identified, and signed in their presence. That does not require the notary to read the text, though the notary still needs to be satisfied you understood it.

Certifying a true copy is generally workable too. The notary is certifying that the copy matches the original sighted, which is a comparison rather than a reading.

Certifying anything about the contents is not. A notary cannot describe a document they cannot read, and a certificate that characterises it — "a power of attorney appointing X" — requires either a translation or the notary's own competence in the language.

Administering an oath on a foreign-language affidavit requires you to understand what you are swearing to. Same rule as above, with more at stake.

Where the notary needs the text, the fix is a translation for the notary as well as for you. Discuss this when booking, because it changes the timeline.

Translation: two points people get wrong

Who may translate is often decided by the destination, not by you. Some authorities require a translator with particular accreditation. Some require the translation to be done in the destination country. Some require the translator's declaration to itself be notarised and apostilled.

When to translate is decided by the destination too. Translating before an apostille, when the destination wanted it done after, wastes the translation. Ask the receiving authority for the sequence in writing before paying for anything.

A notary can attest a translator's declaration and bind the translation to the original, which is what most overseas authorities actually want. The notary is attesting the translator's signature and declaration — not vouching for the accuracy of the translation itself. That distinction is worth understanding, because it explains why an accredited translator is still necessary.

Common questions

Can a notary translate my document for me? A notary who is also a qualified translator may be able to, but combining the roles weakens the independence the act depends on and may be questioned abroad. Most will arrange or refer instead.

Does the translation have to be notarised too? Often the translator's declaration is notarised and the translation bound to the original. Whether that is required, and in what form, is set by the destination.

Can I bring my own interpreter? Yes, provided they are independent of the transaction. A professional interpreter is safest. A beneficiary is not acceptable.

My document is in English but I do not read English well. Same rules? Yes. The question is whether you understand what you are signing, not what language it is in. Ask for an interpreter; this is a routine request.

Can I sign now and get it translated later? No. The notary would be attesting that you signed knowingly at a time when you did not. Get the translation first.

Will using an interpreter delay things? It adds a step. It also removes the most common reason these documents are later challenged. Raise it when booking rather than on the day.