Tagalog Translation
Certified Tagalog
Document Translation
Certified Tagalog and Filipino document translation for civil registry and immigration records, medical and claim files, mixed-language statements and employment credentials. We read the packet first and tell you which documents genuinely need translating, because many Philippine records are issued in English already.
Should I ask for Tagalog or Filipino translation, and is my document already in English?
Ask for either and you get the same work: Filipino is the national language of the Philippines and is based on Tagalog, which is why California's court interpreter programme lists the language as Filipino (Tagalog). The more useful question is whether your document needs translating at all. Philippine Statistics Authority civil registry documents are commonly issued in English, so Kaplan reads the packet first and comes back with which documents need a full translation, which need only a signed certificate of accuracy, and which need neither. A different Philippine language, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Bisaya, is genuinely a different request and we say so rather than assigning a Tagalog linguist.
Tagalog Translation
Civil Registry and Immigration Records
Birth, marriage and death certificates, CENOMAR records, and the court and barangay documents that go with a petition. The first thing we do is tell you which of them actually need translating, because Philippine Statistics Authority certificates are commonly issued in English already and paying to translate an English document helps nobody.
Tagalog Translation
Medical and Claims Records
Treatment records, discharge summaries and patient-facing material for injury, workers' compensation and disability claims. Filipino-American communities are heavily represented in healthcare work itself, so a meaningful share of this is an employment or injury file rather than a patient file.
Tagalog Translation
Mixed-Language Statements and Correspondence
Witness statements, messages, emails and recorded-statement transcripts that move between Tagalog and English inside a single sentence. That switching is evidence of how the person actually speaks, so it is rendered rather than tidied into uniform English, with the original language marked where it matters to the record.
Tagalog Translation
Employment and Credential Records
Employment records, licences, diplomas and transcripts for hiring, credential evaluation and visa petitions. Philippine nursing and allied health credentials are the most common, and evaluators expect them presented in a particular form, so the translation states what the source says rather than converting it.
Why Kaplan
Built for Philippine Document Reality
Tagalog or Filipino, Same Work
Filipino is the national language of the Philippines and is based on Tagalog, so clients who ask for either generally mean the same job. We do not make you guess which word to use. If your document is in a different Philippine language, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Bisaya, that is genuinely a different request and we will tell you so rather than sending a Tagalog linguist and hoping.
We Tell You What Does Not Need Translating
A great many Philippine civil registry documents are issued in English. When you send a packet we read it first and come back with which documents need a full translation, which need only a certificate, and which need nothing. That shortens the invoice. It also avoids the more expensive version of the problem, which is a reviewer asking why you filed a translation of an English document.
Code-Switching Rendered, Not Smoothed
Statements and messages from Tagalog speakers often switch to English mid-sentence and back again. Flattening that into even English changes the texture of the testimony, and on a recorded statement or a witness account the texture is part of what is being assessed. We render the switching and mark the original language where the record needs it.
Certified for the Body That Receives It
Every translation carries a signed certificate of accuracy naming the translator, formatted for the court, agency or evaluator that will receive it. Tell us the receiving body up front, because certification format is the part that gets a filing returned.
FAQs
Common Questions
Should I ask for Tagalog translation or Filipino translation?
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Either, and you will get the same work. Filipino is the national language of the Philippines and is based on Tagalog, so the two terms are used interchangeably by most clients and most agencies. California's court interpreter programme lists the language as Filipino (Tagalog) for the same reason. What does change the job is a different Philippine language: Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon and Bisaya are not Tagalog, and if that is what your document is in we will say so rather than assigning a Tagalog linguist.
My Philippine birth certificate is already in English. Do I still need a translation?
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Often not, and we will tell you before invoicing you. Philippine Statistics Authority civil registry documents are commonly issued in English, in which case what you may need is a certification or nothing at all rather than a translation. Send the packet and we read it first: some documents need a full translation, some need only a certificate of accuracy, and some need neither. Filing a translation of a document that was already in English invites a question you do not want.
What is certified Tagalog translation?
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A complete translation of a Tagalog or Filipino document paired with a signed certificate of accuracy naming the translator and stating their competence, formatted for the body that will receive it. For immigration filings that certificate is what USCIS looks for. See immigration document translation for the filing specifics.
Can you handle a statement that mixes Tagalog and English?
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Yes, and this is more common than a document fully in Tagalog. Statements, messages and recorded-statement transcripts switch between the two inside single sentences. We render the switching rather than smoothing it into uniform English, and mark the original language where the record needs to show it, because on a witness account how something was said can matter as much as what was said.
Do you translate older NSO certificates as well as current PSA ones?
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Yes. The Philippine Statistics Authority succeeded the National Statistics Office, so older certificates carry a different layout and different security features from current ones. Petitions that reach back a generation often include both. We translate each in the form it was issued rather than reshaping the older one to match the newer.
Is Tagalog translation the same as a Tagalog interpreter?
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No, and they are separate credentials. Translation is written, interpreting is spoken. A certificate, a claim file or a statement needs a translator; a hearing, a deposition or a medical appointment needs an interpreter present. For the spoken side see our court-certified Tagalog interpreters in Los Angeles, and Tagalog language background for the language itself.
Where do you cover Tagalog translation?
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Nationwide, because written work is not tied to where the linguist sits. Onsite interpreting strength is California, where most of our Tagalog bench is, with San Diego and Los Angeles the heaviest markets. The Tagalog bench is smaller than our Spanish or Korean benches, around 20 linguists, so for a large production tell us the volume early and we will say honestly what the timeline looks like.
How do I request a certified Tagalog translation quote?
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Send the documents, the target language and the body that will receive them through our online form or by phone at (833) 547-7770. We come back with which documents actually need translating, the certification format, and a fixed quote before work begins.
Related Tagalog Language Services
Documents and appointments are different jobs. An interpreter who has read the translated file arrives already familiar with the case, which shortens the appointment and saves the client repeating themselves.
Request a Certified Tagalog Translation Quote
Send your documents and tell us who receives them. We will tell you which ones actually need translating before we quote.