
“Language never limits; it’s the lack of understanding that hinders.”
Imagine you belong to an indigenous tribe and your birth certificate is issued in a rare local language. Maybe a language that is used for local administrative purposes but is only spoken by a few thousand. However, it gets trickier when you try to migrate to a different country, where this “rare language birth certificate” is supposed to prove your identity during the immigration process.
In a world where migration is common, birth certificates are an essential piece of your identity. However, when these documents are written in a rare or unknown language, people often opt for birth certificate translation for ease during immigration. The catch here is ensuring high accuracy in such translations.
Achieving the highest possible accuracy in rare language birth certificate translation is not as easy as one might think. Even for qualified professionals, it takes extra effort and attention to ensure that the translation is precise and according to the requirements.
This blog aims to unravel the importance of accuracy in birth certificate translations and explore why translating from rare languages gets tricky.
Why Are Birth Certificate Translations for Rare Languages So Tricky?
Birth certificates are official legal documents that confirm a person’s name, nationality, date of birth, place of birth, and family relationships. But when someone migrates to another country, these documents often need to be translated into the official language of the destination country. That’s where accurate and certified birth certificate translation for immigration becomes vital.
The process gets significantly more complex when the source language is a rare or less commonly spoken language. In such scenarios, immigration authorities entirely rely on the accuracy of the translation, as they have no direct way to verify the original certificate.
Here’s why rare language birth certificate translation is complex:
Few Qualified Experts
Finding a trained linguist for a rare language, especially for the immigration and legal domain, is a difficult task.
For example, a birth certificate written in Kinyarwanda, if translated by a casual bilingual or AI, might miss some specific cultural naming conventions. This causes errors in translation, leading to the rejection of the immigration application.
It is recommended to look for agencies that provide professional translation for official documents. These agencies hire skilled rare language linguists to ensure high accuracy and proper implementation of cultural nuances.
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Being Certified is Mandatory
Most immigration bodies, such as USCIS or the EU, demand certified translations as part of their immigration document requirements. Without certified translations, your immigration application may be delayed or rejected.
In the case of rare languages, such as Lao, Pashto, or Dzongkha, this certification must come from a highly qualified translator who thoroughly understands the script, dialect, and legal requirements.
Have certified translations caught your interest? It is an essential service that is mandatory during immigration. Check out our blog to know more: Certified Translations: A Helping Hand in Immigration Processes!
Being Mindful of Cultural Nuances
Rare languages are filled with honorifics, symbols, and metaphors that are not easy to understand and translate into English or other global languages.
A USCIS-approved translation doesn’t just convert the text of the birth certificate. It also accurately replaces official seals and legal annotations and even accommodates spelling variations.
What Happens When You Don’t Choose a Certified Translator?
Here’s everything that can go wrong without assistance from a certified migration document translation company:
- An immigration application can be delayed due to the need for re-translation.
- Disqualification from visa or citizenship programs.
- Added costs for resubmission, notarization, or even legal representation.
Some people might even get confused between notarized translations and certified translations. Understanding the difference between notarized vs. certified translations is also key to ensuring accurate conversion of birth certificates in rare languages.
How Can Somya Translators Help?
Around 20% of global refugees and migrants possess official identity documents in rare languages, which require accurate human and certified translation. Hence, it is necessary to partner with an agency you can rely on.
At Somya Translators, an ISO 17100:2015-certified translation service, we specialize in high-quality and accurate legal translation for birth certificates in rare languages.
We help clients by:
- Offering certified translations in over 170 languages, including rare, tribal, indigenous, and endangered dialects.
- Ensuring complete compliance with all immigration document requirements.
- Providing highly accurate translations that are approved by global immigration organizations.
If your birth certificate is in a rare language, don’t leave its translation to guesswork. Choose expert, certified translations that are legally recognized worldwide.
Contact Somya Translators today for birth certificate translation and ensure an easy migration process.

