U.S. Copyright Office: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about Copyright Office

Copyright Office requirements in detail

Recordation: what the rule asks of the translation

Recording a transfer of copyright ownership or another document pertaining to a copyright is voluntary, but the Copyright Act gives recorded documents advantages such as priority between conflicting transfers and constructive notice of their contents (Recordation: document requirements).

Under 37 CFR 201.4(d)(5) a document not in English is recorded only with an English translation of the document and its indexing information, signed by the translator (37 CFR 201.4: recordation of transfers and other documents).

The rule is unusual in one respect: it also allows machine translation from a public product, signed by the person who used it and naming the product.

For a contract that will be relied on in a dispute or a sale, a translation by a professional translator with a signed certificate of accuracy gives a better record than a machine output. The rule allows both; the choice is the remitter's.

Translations become public

The Office makes every translation available for public inspection (37 CFR 201.4: recordation of transfers and other documents).

Personal or commercial information in the document can be redacted only in the ways the rule allows, and the translation follows the same redactions, so decide what will be redacted before ordering and send us the redacted version.

The recordation chapter of the Compendium also explains how titles are listed for indexing, including that a title given together with its translation is counted as two titles (Compendium 2309.11(B)(3)).

Keep the original title next to its English rendering in the translation so the two can be matched.

Documents people usually translate

• Copyright assignments and transfer agreements
• Exclusive licenses and publishing contracts
• Security agreements over copyrights
• Licensing and distribution agreements for foreign editions
• Corporate documents showing a merger or change of name of the owner

What an eVerbary translation includes

• A complete English translation of every page, stamps, seals and handwritten notes included, laid out like the original so each line can be matched.
• A signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead, with our contact details, delivered as a PDF you can upload or print.
• $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included; 24 hours for one to three pages as standard. Regular clients who need it can get delivery in as little as 30 minutes, on request.
• Notarization added at checkout ($34.90 per order) when the office asks for a notarized translation.

Submitting the translation to Copyright Office

• The remitter sends the document, the signed English translation and the fee to the Office, on paper with Form DCS or through the electronic recordation system pilot (Recordation: document requirements).

• We deliver the translation as a PDF with a signed certificate of translation accuracy, which carries the translator's signature the rule asks for.

How to order

1. Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
2. Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
3. Receive the PDF, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages, and submit it with the copy of the original wherever the office asks for it.

Frequently asked questions