By Carlos de Paula, who has translated over 100,000 documents since 1982.
There are a few reasons why a translation may not be accepted by the likes of USCIS. The top reason is the version you have translated does not match the document in the original language. You may have several copies of your document (birth, marriage, divorce, death certificates, academic documents) and submitted a translation done from one original and submitted another original. Remember, whenever filing a translation you must always submit a copy of the document in original language. How can they differ?
1) the date of issue of the document is different. Everything else matches (format, content), except the date, one issued in 2026, the other, 2016.
2) you have two copies of the document, issued in the same day, but the document has an individual serial number; the one on the translation does not match the submitted original. Sometimes the problem is not the document’s serial number (it may not have one), but maybe an authentication number that differs, because you have different copies.
3) you have documents that are issued in different formats. Certain countries, like Brazil, change the format of documents often. Older Brazilian birth certificates contain much less information than current ones, so you must make sure you submitted documents that match. Venezuela has multiple personal document forms.
4) you have a document, say, a birth certificate from the European Union. You had the EU standard form (in French) translated, and submitted a different, country specific form in your language.
5) the document comes from a country with a different alphabet than the Roman alphabet, and the transliteration does not match the information you have on prior or current visa or immigration applications. Always make sure the transliteration on a translation matches the previously submitted information.
6) there are mispellings in the original document, which you had not noticed before.
7) you submitted multiple documents, and there is conflicting information between documents (names, dates, places, gender, marital status).
8) you had the document translated by a Notary, who notarized his own signature. That is a violation of notarial law in every state.
9) you had the translator do the translation of one page of a 2-page document and submitted the 2-page original version.
10) the translator (most likely AI) failed to reverse day and month in dates.
11) the original contains a material error, for instance, the date of issue is earlier than the date of a fact on the document. This is rare, but it happens.
12) the original is handwritten, and you did not check the translation. Handwritten documents are often illegible, so you should always check and tell the translator if something needs fixing.
13) the receiving entity had strict submission requirements (for instance, translations for FCCPT) that were not met.
14) the receiving entity required notarization and full affidavit from translator, and the submitted translation did not comply with either or both requirements.
15) the translation was done abroad and it is not notarized and/or apostilled.
16) you followed wrong ChatGPT procedures, rather than follow the experienced translator's instructions.
Carlos de Paula is one of the top Brazilian Portuguese translators in the USA since 1982. And now a top Portuguese AI Translation editor as well.
(877) 626-0642
WhatsApp (786) 543-1687
https://legaltranslationsystems.com