Frequently asked questions about certified Chinese – French translation

A sworn translation (traduction assermentée, also called traduction certifiée) is produced by a translator listed as a legal expert by a French court of appeal, who adds their seal, signature and a unique registration number. French authorities require one whenever they ask for a document "translated by a sworn translator": prefectures, town halls, courts, notaries, universities, consulates and social security bodies. A translation produced by a non-sworn agency, or by yourself, will be rejected.

Yes. A sworn translator is listed with one specific court of appeal, but the authority is national. A translation bearing my seal as an expert registered with the Riom Court of Appeal is accepted by every French administration, from Lille to Marseille, and by French consulates abroad. No rule requires you to use a translator based in your own department.

Yes, and a large part of my work is remote. A legible colour scan sent by email is enough for the vast majority of French procedures. I return a signed and sealed PDF, and can post hard copies internationally by tracked or registered mail when your procedure requires the paper original.

Allow 5 to 7 working days for a standard file of up to 4 pages, counted from the moment you approve the quote. An express service within 48 hours is available depending on my workload and the complexity of the document. The quote itself reaches you within 24 working hours of receiving your files.

In France, "sworn" and "certified" translation mean exactly the same thing: a translation bearing the seal of a court-appointed expert translator. Notarised translation does not exist in French law; it is a concept imported from the Chinese system (公证处). Legalisation and apostille are separate later steps that authenticate a signature on a document destined for another country. They are obtained from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs or a court of appeal, never from the translator.

For use in China an additional step is usually needed: legalisation by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and then the Chinese consulate, or an apostille since China joined the Hague Convention in November 2023. The order of the steps matters, and getting it wrong means starting over, so tell me the destination country and receiving body before I begin and I will map out the exact sequence.

Payment is made by bank transfer, against the quote and then the invoice. No deposit is requested for standard private-client files. The order becomes effective once you have approved the quote in writing, by signature, email or message.

Without exception. As a court-appointed expert I am bound by professional secrecy. Your files are never passed to third parties, never outsourced and never used to train any automated tool. A non-disclosure agreement can be signed on request, which corporate clients often prefer.

Yes, anywhere in France, with travel and accommodation costs rebilled at cost. For shorter or more urgent meetings, remote interpreting over video, telephone or WeChat avoids those costs and can often be arranged the same day.

In consecutive interpreting the speaker pauses to let the interpreter render what was said. That is the right format for hearings, interviews, meetings and negotiations, and it is what I provide. Simultaneous interpreting from a booth requires a team of two and dedicated equipment; for that setup I can refer you to specialist colleagues.

My core pair is French ⇆ Chinese in both directions, and I also work from English into French or Chinese. For other combinations I will point you to trusted colleagues rather than quietly outsourcing your project.

Simplified Chinese (standard Mandarin, mainland norm) by default, which is what Chinese authorities and most counterparts expect. Traditional Chinese for Taiwan or Hong Kong is available for non-certified work; just specify it when ordering.

No. Certified translations carry my liability as a court-appointed expert and are written and proofread entirely by me. For technical and marketing work I use glossaries and translation memories, which are consistency tools, not engines that translate on my behalf.

Yes, but validity depends on the destination country. My status as a French court-appointed expert is recognised as of right by French authorities and French consulates. For another country, legalisation or an apostille is usually needed, and some states require a locally accredited translator. Tell me the country and the receiving body and I will confirm whether my translation will be sufficient.

Send it anyway and I will tell you whether it is usable. Faint seals, handwritten annotations and crooked scans are everyday work for me. If part of it is genuinely illegible I will say so before starting, rather than writing “illegible” on the translation and putting your application at risk.

Regularly: law firms, notaries, courts, social services, industrial companies and publishing houses. For recurring needs I build a dedicated glossary so terminology stays consistent from one file to the next, and invoicing can be consolidated monthly.