Some Colombian documents can come with all types of certifications, although some are short documents, like birth or death certificate. Documents with a lot of certifications can end up having multiple pages. If you go to the wrong place, they are likely to charge you an arm and a leg for the translation.
Not only that, there are lots of store fronts, like travel and insurance companies, or notaries, that do translation work when they should not. Some notaries notarize their own signature, which they should never do (can’t do, actually). Others use Google translation software, because they don’t have the slightest idea what the document says, and others use summaries. In other words, all they want is your money. They can end up a bachiller degree as a bachelor’s degree. Or worse things.
Although public translators do not exist as in some countries, so you don’t lose your money, you should go to a translation company (not an individual, translations done by individuals can be rejected), whenever you need documents for Court, Immigration, schools, universities, insurance companies, banks, etc.
In the USA you are not required to send the original document to the translator, so that saves a lot of aggravation and costs. Just sending the document by fax, email and mail will do it.
The company Legal Translation Systems, http://www.legaltranslationsystems.com does this type of work. They speak Spanish. It is also a good idea to check the site of the American Translators Association, which lists a few other companies http://www.atanet.org
Albert Ludvisgen 