Q. Will Los Angeles County Registrar’s Office accept the certified translation of a German Death Certificate by an ATA certified translator from another state, for example, from Florida?
To be accepted by Los Angeles, San Bernadino and Orange County, a foreign death certificate should be translated by ATA/court certified interpreter. Then it has to go through another certification process at the County. Only then it is ready to be recorded at the Country Registrar’s Office.
Yes, provided specific California statutory requirements are met. Under California Government Code § 27293, county recorders throughout California (including the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk) will accept foreign-language translations certified by an ATA-accredited translator, regardless of which U.S. state the translator resides in.
The certification must include specific components to avoid rejection at the counter:
Requirements Under CA Gov Code § 27293
-
ATA Certification in the Language Pair: The translator must be specifically certified by the American Translators Association (ATA) for that language combination (e.g., German to English) and include their ATA certification/membership number.
-
Declaration Under Penalty of Perjury: The translator must execute a formal Declaration / Certificate of Translation stating they are qualified, that the translation is true and complete, and executed under penalty of perjury.
-
Notarized Signature (Acknowledgment): The translator’s signature on the declaration must be acknowledged before a Notary Public. A Florida notary acknowledgment is legally valid in California as long as it includes standard notarial certificate language (stamp, commission expiration, and acknowledgment wording).
-
County Clerk Translation Certificate (The Final Step): The Los Angeles County Recorder does not record the translation directly from the translator. Before recording, the document packet (original foreign document, English translation, and notarized declaration) is taken to the County Clerk division to verify the ATA credentials and issue an official County Clerk Translation Certificate (typically a $10 fee). Once attached, the entire packet can be officially recorded.
What to Confirm with the Florida Translator
-
Are they ATA-certified specifically for German to English? (Mere general ATA membership without language-pair certification is often challenged by county clerk examiners).
-
Will they provide a physically signed, notarized declaration (with an ink or accepted wet notary seal) mailed to you, as county recorders require original wet signatures rather than photocopies or generic e-signatures?