Questions people ask before they pay
Words people use
Is this a "certified translation"?
Not in the sense of a license or a seal, because no government body issues one for translators in the US. What we give you is a signed statement of accuracy: a named translator says the translation is complete and accurate to the best of their knowledge and that they’re competent in both languages. Some people call that a certified translation. We call it what it is. More on the words.
Will WES, ECE or my school accept it?
We can’t promise that. Each of them has its own rules, and they change them. Get the required-documents list from whoever is receiving it and check it before you order. If their list asks for something we don’t do, like notarization, you’ll know in time.
Can I use it for USCIS?
We don’t sell translations as immigration help, and we’re not lawyers. USCIS rules ask for a full English translation with the translator’s statement that it’s complete and accurate and that they’re competent in the language. Our signed statement says those things. Read the instructions for your form, and for legal advice, ask an immigration attorney or a recognized organization.
Do you notarize or provide an apostille?
No. A notary or the office that issued your document does that. We can give you the signed statement, and you can take it to a notary yourself if someone asks.
Who signs the statement of accuracy?
The translator or reviewing linguist who compared the full text and is competent in your language pair. It’s signed for your order, not in advance. It isn’t signed by the owner or an office clerk unless they did that work.
Machines and people
Do you use machine translation or AI?
Our linguists may use machine translation or AI tools to draft. Every translation is edited and reviewed by a human before delivery. We don’t paste your files into public AI services.
Why not Google Translate or DeepL?
For getting the gist, they’re fine, and free. For a handbook, a diploma or a spec sheet you’re going to hand to someone, a person has to read it against the source, because that’s where wrong numbers, mixed-up terms and the wrong tone get caught. That’s the part you’re paying for here.
Why not a freelancer?
A good freelancer is a good choice. Hire one if you have one you trust. Here, the price is posted, a second linguist reads every job, there’s one place to send a handbook and its signs and a training deck, and the refund rules are written down. A freelancer may offer other things.
Linguists and review
Who actually translates Hmong or Tagalog, and does it take longer?
A linguist we assign who works in that pair. Hmong is written in RPA script unless you ask for something else. Rarer pairs can take an extra business day, and we say so on the package before you pay. We don’t make claims about where a linguist grew up or what they speak at home, because we can’t show you that.
What does the second linguist do?
They read the translation against your source, line by line, and fix mistakes: wrong terms, left-out sentences, unit and date formats, a stiff tone. They work on every package and it’s included in the price. See the samples.
Size, files, revisions
What happens if my text is over the cap?
We quote it. Nothing gets charged automatically. Over the cap, another language, scanned pages or handwriting all go through the quote form, and the number we send is fixed. Ask for a quote.
Is my data safe, and how long do you keep it?
Your files are confidential. We use them for your translation and share them only with the linguists on your order. Project files are deleted 90 days after delivery, sooner if you ask. Order and payment records are kept for 7 years and messages for 24 months. We never see your card number. Finance and HR files can contain pay, Social Security or bank numbers, so send only what we need. Privacy policy.
Can you sign an NDA?
Ask before you send files. We’ll tell you whether we can sign yours.
What is a revision, and what is a new brief?
A revision fixes a mistake on our side: mistranslation, omission, wrong term, formatting slip, or a mismatch with your brief. Send one list within 14 days of delivery and it’s free. A new brief is a change of mind: different tone, new or edited text, extra files, another language. That’s a new order or a quote.
Money
What is your refund policy?
Before work starts, you get a full refund. After it starts, we keep 30% of that item’s price. After delivery there’s no refund, but errors get fixed free for 14 days, and if we can’t fix them, that item is refunded. Add-ons that haven’t started are refunded in full. Refunds go to the original payment method in about 5 to 10 business days. finance@ellatranslations.com. Full policy.
Is sales tax charged?
Prices are in US dollars, one-time and paid in full. If tax applies to your order, we’ll show it before you pay.