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Afrikaans to English Translation
eVerbary translates Afrikaans documents into certified English for $24.95 per page with no word cap, by professional human translators. Most orders are delivered within a few hours. Accepted by USCIS and by US universities, colleges and schools, or your money back.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, no word cap. No hidden fees.
Money-back guarantee
Accepted by USCIS and by US universities, colleges and schools, or your money back.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
Price, speed and what is included
| How it works | |
|---|---|
| Price | $24.95 per page with no word cap, the same as every language paired with English. The signed certificate of translation accuracy, every stamp and seal, formatting and a PDF are included. No minimum. |
| Turnaround | Most orders are delivered within a few hours; one to three pages within 24 hours at most. Expedited (+$4.99 per page) takes about half the time. |
| Accepted by | USCIS, the NVC, courts, DMVs and other government agencies, universities, schools, credential evaluators such as WES and ECE, and employers in the United States — guaranteed, or your money back (terms). |
| Who translates | A professional human translator in the United States who works in Afrikaans, never machine translation; a second reviewer checks it before delivery. |
| Notarization | Not needed for USCIS. When another office asks for it: $34.90 per order. |
| Paper copy | The certified PDF is included; a printed, signed copy by mail is from $19.95. |
Which South African documents are in Afrikaans
Most documents the Department of Home Affairs issues today are in English, and an English document needs no translation. Afrikaans comes in with the older paperwork: until 1994 English and Afrikaans were South Africa's two official languages, so certificates, forms and stamps from those years are often bilingual or in Afrikaans alone, and handwritten entries were made in whichever language the official used.
The documents people most often bring us in Afrikaans are church registers and baptism and marriage certificates (doopsertifikaat, huweliksertifikaat), school reports (rapport), records from universities that taught in Afrikaans, older title deeds and municipal records, and letters and affidavits. Namibian records from before 1990 can also be in Afrikaans. See our South African birth certificate page and the other South African document pages listed below.
Names: van der Merwe, du Plessis, Janse van Rensburg
Many Afrikaans surnames start with a particle written in lower case — van der Merwe, du Plessis, de Villiers — and some are double surnames that are one name, like Janse van Rensburg. US forms tend to split them, file the particle as a middle name or capitalise it differently on each document, and an officer then sees two people where there is one.
The translation reproduces each surname exactly as the document writes it and follows your passport spelling throughout. The 13-digit South African ID number, which begins with the date of birth and also encodes the holder's sex and citizenship, is copied digit by digit, because it is what ties the documents in a file to the same person.
Close to Dutch, but not Dutch
Afrikaans grew out of Dutch, and a Dutch reader follows much of it — which is exactly why a Dutch translator gets it subtly wrong: the grammar is simpler, the spelling different (ê, ë, ô, the article 'n), and administrative and church vocabulary has its own meanings. We assign a translator who works in Afrikaans. Very old Cape records in Dutch are covered by our Dutch page.
Documents in isiZulu, isiXhosa or another South African language are rare in official files; tell us if yours is one and we will check before you order.
Documents from South Africa
Each of these pages describes the document as South Africa issues it — the authority, the format, the annotations and what offices in the United States ask for: Birth Certificate · Marriage Certificate · Divorce Certificate · Criminal Record Certificate · Academic Transcript · High School Diploma · University Diploma · Articles of Incorporation · Bank Statement · Death Certificate · Disability Certificate · Driver's License · Expert Report · Lease Agreement · Legal Separation · Medical Records · Name Change Document · Identity Card · Passport · Paternity Acknowledgment · Power of Attorney · Property Deed · Vehicle Title.
How it works
Upload a photo or a scan of your document, pick the language pair and check out online. You never have to mail originals: a legible copy is all we need.
A professional human translator, never machine translation, translates the document word for word and mirrors the layout of the original. Every certified translation ships with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy that meets the requirements of USCIS, courts and universities.
Your translation is delivered digitally, usually within 24 hours for documents of one to three pages, and same-day delivery is available. If anything needs adjusting, we revise it.
Certified vs. standard translation
A certified translation is a word-for-word translation accompanied by a signed statement attesting to its accuracy and completeness. It is what official bodies require: USCIS, courts, universities and government agencies. Certified translations are $24.95 per page, where one sheet of your document is one page, with no word cap.
A standard translation is the same professional human translation without the certificate, for when you only need to understand the content or for internal or informal use. It is billed at the same $24.95 per page with no word cap.
Frequently asked questions
Is a certified Afrikaans translation accepted by USCIS?
Yes. USCIS asks for a complete English translation and the translator's certification that it is accurate (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)); every translation carries that signed certification, and acceptance is guaranteed or your money back.
My South African certificate is in English. Do I need a translation?
No. Only the parts in Afrikaans or another language need translating; an English certificate goes in as it is. If a stamp or handwritten note is in Afrikaans, we translate the whole document so nothing is left out.
My surname is "van der Merwe" but my US documents say "Vandermerwe".
Common. We reproduce the surname as each document writes it and follow your passport spelling; your attorney decides how it goes on a form.
Can you translate church baptism and marriage records?
Yes, including handwritten registers, with every stamp and signature block.
How much does Afrikaans to English translation cost?
$24.95 per page with no word cap, the same as every other language, with the signed certification, the translation of every stamp and seal, and formatting included. Most certificates are one or two pages.
Ready to get started?
Upload your documents and receive your certified translation, typically within 24 hours.