Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about certified translation
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Ordering, what the certification is worth, when you need no translation at all, turnaround, payment, and what becomes of your documents. With, in the middle, a list of what we will not do.
Nineteen answers, four refusals, one name
Placing an order
I have never had a document translated before — where do I start?
With a photo. Photograph each page clearly and send it all on WhatsApp, saying what it is for — a visa, studies, a marriage, an evaluation. Verbatim replies with the exact price, the turnaround and the next step. There is nothing else to prepare.
Can the whole process happen remotely, without visiting the Japoma office?
Yes. Sending the document, the quote, payment by mobile money or bank transfer, and the digital version all happen on WhatsApp. A visit to Immeuble Motassi is only needed to collect the original in person — otherwise, it is sent on.
What should my first message include?
Three things: a sharp photo of every page (the back too, if it carries a stamp or a note), where the file is going, and the date you must submit by. With those, the quote comes back complete the first time.
Can I ask for a quote just to compare?
Of course. A quote commits you to nothing and no payment is asked for before you agree. Compare what each offer includes — certification, a second reading, every page covered — as much as the price.
What the certification is worth
What does a certified translation from Verbatim actually look like?
The complete translation of your document, laid out like the original, with a statement of accuracy signed and stamped by the translator, certifying that it is complete and true to the original. Stamps, seals and handwritten notes are reproduced or described.
Does the certification have an expiry date?
The translation itself does not expire: it stays faithful to the document as it was. Some institutions, however, want the source document to be recent — a police certificate issued within the last few months, for instance. If the document is reissued, its translation has to follow.
I already have a translation done by someone I know — can you just stamp it?
No, and be wary of anyone who would. A translator only vouches for their own work. If the document needs certifying, Verbatim translates it again and issues its own statement of accuracy — that is what gives the stamp its value.
Do you translate into languages other than English and French?
English and French are our everyday work. German, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Italian and Chinese are handled on request, once we have seen the document: you get a firm quote, or a no. Nothing is promised before.
Do you offer sworn translations?
Not at this time. Verbatim provides certified translations — see our guide on sworn translation in Cameroon to understand the difference and what institutions actually accept.
What we do not do
A certified true copy
It comes from a council or a government office, never from a translator.Legalisation or an apostille
Those are an authority’s formalities. We translate the document; we do not legalise it.An international driving permit
It is not a translation. The translation of your licence is our job.Converting grades or stating an equivalence
That is the evaluator’s call. A 14/20 stays a 14/20 in our translations.
What you do not have to pay for
When you need no translation at all
My documents are in English. Do I need anything for a UK or US application?
Not for those documents: they are already in the administration’s language. What usually remains is the French half of a Cameroonian file — a police certificate from a francophone court registry, a Douala birth certificate, payslips — plus any French stamp or handwritten note on an English form.
And for Canada?
Nothing, whether your documents are in English or French: IRCC accepts both. Only a document in a third language needs translating, and IRCC then asks for more than our statement of accuracy. The Canada page explains what.
A Cameroonian office asked me for a French translation of my Bamenda certificate. Is that required?
Ask the office. Cameroon has two official languages and its administration is meant to work in both; sometimes a French translation is genuinely required, sometimes it is not. It costs you one question to find out.
Destination by destination, see which documents to translate for a visa and the Canada page.
Turnaround, hours, corrections
How do I receive my translation once it is finished?
First as a PDF, on WhatsApp or by email, as soon as it is ready. The signed, stamped original is then collected at the Japoma office or sent by post or courier if you are in Yaoundé, elsewhere in Cameroon or abroad.
My appointment is in a few days — is that realistic?
Often, yes: an urgent file moves to the front of the queue. Send the photos with your deadline, and we confirm once we have seen the document whether the slot is workable, and on what terms. The answer is straight, and it comes before any payment: a turnaround we cannot hold is one we do not promise.
What are your office hours?
Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm; closed at weekends. You can send photos on WhatsApp at any hour: they join the queue and are dealt with when work resumes — on Monday for a Saturday message.
What happens if I spot an error after delivery?
Flag it on the same WhatsApp thread. If the discrepancy is in the translation, correcting it is our job and the certified document is reissued. If it comes from the source document — a spelling to fix at the council, say — we point that out so you can correct it at the source.
Who translates?
Talla Naoussi Arnold, translator, who holds a Master II in translation from ASTI, Buea. Every translation is then read by a second person against the original, before it is signed and stamped.
That degree is a qualification, and we say no more about it than that. The about page tells the rest, in the first person.
Confidentiality and payment
Who sees the documents I send on WhatsApp?
Only the people working on your order: the translator and the second reader. A police certificate, a divorce decree or a payslip goes no further, serves no purpose beyond your translation, and is never shown as a “sample”.
What happens to my files once the order is complete?
They are kept as long as the order needs — delivery, any correction — then deleted, as our privacy policy sets out. You can also ask for early deletion on the WhatsApp thread for your order.
When do I pay, and how?
After you agree to the quote, never before: in cash at the office, by mobile money (Orange Money, MTN MoMo) or by bank transfer, for the exact amount on the quote. Translation begins once payment is confirmed.
How your files are handled is set out in our privacy policy.
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