Document Translation Services in Oregon
Apostille Authentications in Lake Oswego provides certified document translation across Oregon in 100 languages, each with a signed certificate of accuracy. Prices start at $65 per page and most translations are ready in 1 to 2 business days. We can also notarize the translator’s statement and take the document through the Oregon Secretary of State for an apostille. This page sets out what Oregon courts, notaries, the DMV, the state vital records office and USCIS actually say about translated documents.
Upload your document below as a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file, or call (971) 514-3743 for a quote.
Upload Your Documents For Translation
What Oregon courts say about documents in another language
Oregon circuit courts work in English. The Oregon Judicial Department’s guidelines on translated forms cite ORS 1.150, which says any writing in a court proceeding in this state ‘shall be in English.’ The same guidelines state that when a non-English item accompanies a filing, the parties are responsible for providing an English translation, together with a statement from the translator that the translation is accurate and true.
That is a different job from interpreting. Under ORS 45.275 the court appoints an interpreter for a non-English-speaking party or witness and may not charge that person a fee. ORS 45.288 tells courts to appoint a certified interpreter when one is available, and ORS 45.291 puts the State Court Administrator in charge of the certification program. Court Language Access Services, at 1163 State Street in Salem, runs that program and coordinates interpreting in more than 170 languages. The interpreter statutes do not cover translating your exhibits, so written evidence, foreign judgments, and foreign birth or marriage records still need a written English translation prepared before you file.
What an Oregon notary can and cannot do with a translation
The Secretary of State’s guidance for notaries on non-English documents says a notary should not notarize a document in a language the notary cannot read unless it is accompanied by a complete and accurate translation. When a translation is involved, the notary administers a translator’s oath to the person who signs. The sample wording is: ‘Do you swear/affirm that this is a complete and accurate translation of this document?’ The notary is witnessing that oath. The notary is not checking or vouching for the translation itself.
This matters for apostilles. The Secretary of State does not translate documents, and a translation has to be notarized before the state will attach an apostille to it. Our certified translations come with the translator’s signed statement, and we can have that statement notarized when the receiving authority asks for it.
Where certified Oregon vital records come from
A translation is only as usable as the record behind it. Certified copies of Oregon birth, death, marriage, divorce and domestic partnership records are issued by the Oregon Health Authority’s Center for Health Statistics, in the Portland State Office Building at 800 NE Oregon Street, Portland, OR 97232. County health departments issue birth and death certificates only for roughly the first six months after the event.
For a birth certificate going abroad, the Oregon Health Authority says to obtain a certified full image birth certificate first and then submit it to the Secretary of State’s Corporation Division for the apostille.
| First certified copy | $25 (full image birth certificate $30) |
|---|---|
| Each additional copy | $25 |
| Online order through VitalChek | $25 plus $7 expedite fee plus $15.50 vendor fee, $47.50 total |
| In-person appointment | $25 plus $3 identity authentication fee |
| Online or phone orders | Typically processed within three workdays |
| Mail orders | Approximately 3 to 5 weeks |
| Order line | 888-896-4988 |
Oregon DMV and documents from other countries
Oregon DMV lists a foreign passport as acceptable proof of identity when it is ‘containing English or with English translation’ and has not been expired more than five years. Foreign-issued birth certificates, marriage licenses and driver licenses appear on DMV’s list of supporting documents.
Visitors may drive in Oregon on a valid license from another country. New residents are expected to get an Oregon license within 30 days. DMV waives the knowledge and drive tests only for licenses from Canada, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan that are valid or expired less than one year. Everyone else takes both tests. The knowledge test is offered in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese. DMV’s public pages do not spell out who may translate a document, so ask your DMV office what it wants before you order.
The federal rule for USCIS filings
Immigration filings follow one federal regulation wherever in Oregon you live. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS ‘shall be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate,’ along with the translator’s certification of competence to translate from that language into English. The regulation asks for a certification, not a notarization. Our certificate of accuracy is written to cover both statements. Acceptance of any filing is decided by USCIS, not by us.
Languages spoken in Oregon
Census Bureau QuickFacts reports that 15.2% of Oregonians age 5 and older spoke a language other than English at home in 2020 to 2024, and 9.8% of residents were born abroad. The Oregon Judicial Department’s Language Access Plan gives a picture of which languages reach official settings. In 2019 its most requested interpreting languages were Spanish (31,313 requests), American Sign Language (1,430), Chuukese (987), Russian (942), Vietnamese (510), Arabic (480), Somali (322), Mandarin (233), Mam (228) and Bosnian (117). The plan also notes that more than 75% of Oregon residents with limited English proficiency live in five counties: Multnomah, Washington, Marion, Clackamas and Lane.
The languages our own customers request most are Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Czech.
How to order a translation anywhere in Oregon
You do not need to visit an office. Most orders are handled by upload and returned by email, with mobile service for originals.
- Upload. Send a PDF, JPEG, PNG or Word file through the quote form and tell us where the translation will be submitted.
- Quote. Translation starts at $65 per page. Most jobs are ready in 1 to 2 business days.
- Certificate. Every certified translation includes a signed certificate of accuracy. Ask for notarization of the translator’s statement if you need it.
- Apostille. Our handling fee is $195 plus $20 for each additional document, completed next day or within 5 business days. The state charges $10 per apostille and needs the original notarized document, not a photocopy.
- In person. Our office is at 5 Centerpointe Drive, Suite 400, Lake Oswego, OR 97035, open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. After hours we offer mobile service anywhere in Oregon and can pick up and drop off documents.
- Phone. (971) 514-3743
Translation pages for Oregon cities
We have a page for each of these Oregon cities, with the local offices, courts and schools that affect a translation there:
Portland · Salem · Eugene · Bend · Medford · Beaverton · Hillsboro · Gresham
- Oregon apostille service, when the original record needs an apostille too
- All document translation services
Oregon document translation questions
No. The Oregon Secretary of State does not translate documents. A translation must be notarized before the state will apostille it, and the fee is $10 per apostille.
No. Under Oregon Secretary of State guidance the notary administers an oath to the translator, who swears the translation is complete and accurate. The notary witnesses that oath and does not verify the translation.
Oregon Judicial Department guidelines cite ORS 1.150, which requires writings in court proceedings to be in English. A non-English item may accompany a filing, but the party must supply an English translation with a translator’s statement of accuracy.
Apostille Authentications charges from $65 per page for certified translation, with most orders ready in 1 to 2 business days. An Oregon apostille adds a $195 handling fee plus $20 per additional document.
The federal rule, 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), requires a full English translation that the translator certifies as complete and accurate, plus a certification of the translator’s competence. It does not mention notarization.
Order it from the Oregon Health Authority’s Center for Health Statistics at 800 NE Oregon Street in Portland, by mail, phone or online. For use abroad, the agency says to order a certified full image birth certificate, which costs $30.
Sources
The local details on this page come from these official sources.
- 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), translations submitted to USCIS
- Oregon Secretary of State: Notarizing non-English documents and working with translations
- Oregon Secretary of State: Authentication (Apostille)
- Oregon Judicial Department: Guidelines for Using Translated Forms
- Oregon Judicial Department: Court Language Access Services
- ORS Chapter 45 (court interpreters)
- Oregon Judicial Department Language Access Plan
- Oregon Health Authority: Get Vital Records
- Oregon Health Authority: Vital Records Fees
- Oregon Health Authority: Order a Birth Certificate
- Oregon DMV: Required Identity Documentation
- Oregon DMV: New to Oregon
- Oregon DMV: Get a Driver License
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Oregon
Get your Oregon translation started
Upload your document for a quote, or call (971) 514-3743 and tell us where the translation is going. We confirm the level of certification you need before any work begins.