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Interpreters for Notarizations and Powers of Attorney

A notary checks who you are and that you are signing willingly; whether the notary may do that through an interpreter is decided by each state, and the states disagree. Here is what four states say, why the word "notario" causes trouble, what to watch for with a power of attorney, and how to book an interpreter for the signing or for the explanation before it.

Who arranges the interpreter, and whether the notary may rely on one

No agency provides interpreters for a notarization: if one is needed, the signer, the family, the attorney or the business arranging the signing books it. Whether the notary may rely on that interpreter is state law, and the states disagree, so check before the appointment rather than at it.

Arizona allows it: a notary must communicate with the signer either directly in a shared language or through a translator who communicates directly with both (A.R.S. 41-253(F)), and the translator must appear personally before the notary (A.R.S. 41-254(B)). California says the opposite: the notary must be able to communicate with the signer, an interpreter should not be used, and a signer the notary cannot communicate with should be referred to a notary who speaks their language (California Notary Public Handbook). Florida forbids taking the acknowledgment of a person who does not speak or understand English unless the nature and effect of the document is translated into a language they understand (Fla. Stat. 117.107(6)). Texas's notary FAQ does not address interpreters; it does say the notarial certificate must be in a language the notary can read and understand (Texas Secretary of State). Other states have their own rules.

So an interpreter is booked for one of two jobs: interpreting the notarial act itself, where the state allows it, or explaining the document before the signing — the attorney's explanation, or a reading of the document in the signer's language — where the notary must communicate directly. We will ask which state and which job when you request.

What the notary does, and what the notary cannot do

A notary identifies the signer, confirms the signature or administers an oath, and fills in the certificate. A notary who is not an attorney does not explain the document or choose its legal form: Texas says choosing the notarial certificate is practicing law (Texas Secretary of State). So the explanation of what a power of attorney does comes from the attorney who drafted it or from the signer's own reading, not from the notary, and an interpreter renders that explanation; they do not supply one.

California lets a notary notarize a signature on a document in a language the notary cannot read, because the notary's function relates to the signature, not the content; the journal entry then records the type of document, or that it is in a foreign language (California handbook). Texas requires the certificate itself to be in a language the notary reads (Texas FAQ). A document drafted abroad with its certificate in another language can stop a signing in one state and not in another.

A notary public is not a notario

In many countries the word for notary names a lawyer who drafts and certifies legal documents. A US notary public, unless also an attorney, gives no legal advice and prepares nothing. Signers who expect a notario often arrive having been told that a notary can handle their immigration paperwork or their power of attorney for them.

Three of the states checked address this directly. California requires a non-attorney notary who advertises in another language to post, in both languages, that they are not an attorney and cannot give legal advice about immigration or other matters, with the statutory fees, and bans translating "notary public" as "notario publico" or "notario" (Cal. Gov. Code 8219.5, in the handbook); only an attorney, a Justice Department accredited representative or a registered, bonded immigration consultant may help complete immigration forms there (handbook). Florida requires the same kind of notice and bars "notario público", "immigration consultant" and similar titles in notary advertising (Fla. Stat. 117.05(10)-(11)); it also caps a notary's fee at $10 per notarial act, with stated exceptions (117.05(2)). Texas requires the notice and prohibits "notario publico" (Texas FAQ).

Powers of attorney: why the agent should not interpret

A power of attorney gives someone authority over your money, your property or your medical decisions. The person most often offered as interpreter is the one being named as agent, a son or daughter who speaks both languages. That person is not neutral, and if the signer later says they did not understand what they signed, the agent is the first one questioned. A neutral interpreter protects both of them.

Families also turn to a relative who happens to be a notary. Florida forbids a notary from notarizing the signature of their spouse, son, daughter, mother or father (Fla. Stat. 117.107(11)). Texas has no specific prohibition but says a notary should not notarize when they are a party to the document or have a financial or beneficial interest (Texas FAQ). For powers of attorney, both California and Arizona require the signer's right thumbprint in the notary's journal (California handbook, A.R.S. 41-254(C)), which is worth explaining in advance to a signer who has never been fingerprinted for a signature.

Running the signing

• Ask the notary first how they handle a signer who does not speak English, under their state's rules, and tell us the answer when you book.
• Arizona: the translator must appear personally before the notary (A.R.S. 41-254(B)); for a signing at an office or a home, book the interpreter in person. For a remote online notarization, ask the notary how the rule applies.
• California: find a notary who speaks the language, and use the interpreter for the attorney's explanation or a read-through beforehand.
• Florida: the nature and effect of the document must be translated for the signer; ask the notary how they want that done and recorded.
• Send the document in advance, so the interpreter can prepare the sight translation, with names as they appear on the signer's ID.
• Keep the explanation and the notarization separate when the document is long: read it and answer questions first, sign second.

Booking and cost

An in-person signing, at an office, a bank, a home or a hospital, is $110 an hour per interpreter with a two-hour minimum: $220, plus travel at $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location, confirmed before you book; a 30-mile round trip adds $21. A read-through of the document by video the day before is $80 for the first hour.

A power of attorney that will be used in another country often has to be translated as well; the receiving bank, registry or consulate sets the rules. Written translation is a separate service at $24.95 per page certified: see power of attorney translation and apostille and translation.

By video, by phone or in person

Virtual interpreting runs on Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, or over the telephone. It is quicker to arrange, costs less and carries no travel charge, and it suits appointments, calls and most meetings.

In person is what venues with their own rules tend to expect, and the right choice when documents are being signed or several people are speaking at once. Tell us the platform, or the city and the venue, when you send the request.

Languages

The standard-availability languages are: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, Polish, Italian, German, Japanese, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Tagalog, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Armenian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Serbian, Bosnian, Somali and Nepali. Every other language we offer carries the 25–30% limited-availability rate. If a language is not on that list it is not because we cannot do it — it is because the pool of qualified interpreters in the United States is small enough that we will not promise a date without checking.

Each language has its own page on what to watch for — dialects, names, dates, who the speakers usually are: see interpreters by language.

What it costs

Rates are per interpreter, per hour, and billed from the scheduled start time rather than from when everyone actually arrives.

• Virtual — $80 per hour, one-hour minimum. Zoom, Google Meet, Teams or telephone.
• In person — $110 per hour, two-hour minimum.
• Limited-availability languages — add 25–30%. Which languages those are is listed below rather than left vague.
• Travel for in-person work — $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location.

How the travel charge works out

Travel is charged at $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location, which means you can work it out rather than wait for a quote: a 20-mile round trip is $14, a 60-mile round trip is $42, a 150-mile round trip is $105. There is no separate call-out fee on top.

We will not pretend to know in advance where the interpreter will be coming from — that depends on the language, the date and the venue. What we do is confirm the interpreter and the exact travel figure before you book, so it is never a surprise on the invoice. Virtual assignments carry no travel charge at all, which is one reason most of what we do is virtual.

How booking an interpreter works

• You send the request with the form below: the language, the setting, the format, the date and how long it should last.
• We confirm before you commit: the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one. We reply the same business day, and no payment is taken at this stage.
• You confirm, and the interpreter is booked for your date.

What to have ready

The more of this comes in the first message, the fewer exchanges before you have a price:

• The language, the date, the start time and how long it should run.
• Virtual or in person: the platform, or the city and the venue.
• The setting and the subject matter.
• How many people need interpreting for.
• Any credential the venue requires of the interpreter.

Request an interpreter

Tell us the date, the language and the setting and we will come back with the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one — before you commit to anything.

Sources

What this page says about the rules was checked against these official sources on October 28, 2026. Rules change; the source is always the authority.

• Arizona Revised Statutes 41-253 — Requirements for certain notarial acts, subsection F (translator)
• Arizona Revised Statutes 41-254 — Personal appearance required; thumbprint
• California Secretary of State — 2026 California Notary Public Handbook: Foreign Language; Advertising; Immigration Documents; Gov. Code 8219.5 (January 2026)
• Florida Statutes 117.107 (2026) — Prohibited acts: subsections (6) and (11)
• Florida Statutes 117.05 (2026) — Fees; advertising in a language other than English; "notario público"
• Texas Secretary of State — Frequently Asked Questions for Notaries Public

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