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Certified Guatemalan Language Certificate Translation
Certified translation of the documents that certify language proficiency in Guatemala, including the registry annotations and endorsements that carry the legal effect and that a reader unfamiliar with the system will otherwise skip.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
The Academia de Lenguas Mayas
Guatemala has an Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala — a state body created by statute and governed by Maya speakers themselves — which standardises the Maya languages and certifies proficiency in them.
That is unusual: a state language academy for indigenous languages, run by their speakers, issuing credentials. A US reader will not recognise it and we name the academy, the language community and the certificate.
Twenty-two Maya languages
Guatemala recognises twenty-two Maya languages alongside Xinka and Garífuna, and K'iche', Q'eqchi', Kaqchikel and Mam each have very large numbers of speakers.
They are separate languages, not dialects of one, and a certificate in K'iche' says nothing about Mam. We name the language exactly, with its orthography.
Why this matters in US immigration
Mam, K'iche' and Q'anjob'al are among the languages most needed in US immigration courts, and a Guatemalan applicant may be a first-language speaker whose Spanish is limited.
A certificate attesting Maya language proficiency is therefore evidence about a person's actual communicative situation, which is frequently the point. We translate it as what it is.
The orthography, and the apostrophes
Maya orthographies use apostrophes marking glottalisation — K'iche', Q'eqchi', Q'anjob'al — and letters foreign to Spanish, and stripping them changes the word.
Registry clerks have historically hispanicised Maya names, so one name may appear several ways. We reproduce each exactly. See our Spanish page.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Marginal annotations are translated in place, in the margin, and every seal, stamp and registry endorsement is translated with the text. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Academia de Lenguas Mayas?
A state body governed by Maya speakers that standardises the Maya languages and certifies proficiency in them.
Is K'iche' a dialect of Maya?
No. Guatemala recognises twenty-two separate Maya languages, plus Xinka and Garífuna.
Why does this matter for immigration?
Mam, K'iche' and Q'anjob'al are among the languages most needed in US immigration courts, and Spanish may be limited.
Why are there apostrophes in the name?
They mark glottalisation and are part of the spelling. Stripping them changes the word.
Ready to get started?
Upload the document and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.