Blog
History and professional guide to translation
Notes on the history of writing and translation, signed by R.M.M. Jordán, historian. Plus practical articles by the Textualia team.
- Professional guide
DBS check vs ACRO: what Spain asks a Briton to work with minors
The DBS is the UK's internal employment check; the ACRO is what Spain accepts. What to submit to work with minors, and how to get it translated.
- History of translation
Saint Jerome: the Vulgate translator who became the patron of translators
Jerome rendered the Bible into Latin from the original Hebrew, theorised 'sense for sense', and today lends his name to International Translation Day.
- Professional guide
Copies and duplicates of a sworn translation: how they work and when to order them
How many copies of a sworn translation do you need? With a signed PDF, as many as you like. On paper, each stamped copy is an original. Here is why.
- Professional guide
When your name doesn't match across documents: transliteration and the sworn translator's note
Your name differs between passport and birth certificate and the file stalls. What a sworn translator can clarify with a note, and what they cannot.
- Professional guide
The multilingual civil-status extract (Vienna Convention, 1976): the certificate you don't need to translate
Birth, marriage and death records from Vienna Convention 1976 countries travel without translation or legalisation. When you need us, and when you don't.
- Professional guide
Buying property in Spain as a Canadian: NIE, documents and sworn translations
Guide to buying property in Spain as a Canadian: NIE, bank account, deposit, notary, proof of funds and sworn translation of Canadian documents.
- Professional guide
French doctors and nurses who want to practise in Spain: qualification recognition and translation
France is in the EU, so a health degree gets automatic recognition. What is still left to do, and which documents need a sworn translation into Spanish.
- Professional guide
US-trained doctors and nurses moving to Spain: degree recognition and sworn translation
A US health qualification never had automatic EU recognition. Homologation in Spain, the federal-vs-state apostille, and documents that need sworn translation.
- History of translation
The dragomans of the Ottoman Empire: interpreters in the antechamber of power
In the Ottoman Empire, the dragomans —interpreters and translators— did more than bridge languages: they negotiated treaties and rose to become princes.
- Professional guide
How to verify the electronic signature on a sworn translation PDF
How to check that your signed sworn translation PDF is valid: how to recognise it and how to validate it in Adobe or VALIDe.
- Professional guide
UK doctors and nurses moving to Spain: degree recognition and sworn translation
Post-Brexit, British medical and nursing degrees lost automatic EU recognition. Homologation in Spain and the documents that need sworn translation.
- Professional guide
The Diploma Supplement: what it is and when it needs translating
The Diploma Supplement usually comes bilingual in English. Here is what it is, what it is for, and when a sworn translation into Spanish is actually required.
- Professional guide
From the French Baccalauréat to a Spanish university: access, recognition and translation
The French bac opens Spanish universities without homologating the Bachiller: the UNEDasiss credential is enough. What you must translate, and what you needn't.
- Professional guide
Studying in Spain with a US High School Diploma or GED
Validate a US High School Diploma or GED against the Spanish title: what to apostille and translate, and how to reach university via UNEDasiss.
- Professional guide
Quebec civil status documents for use in Spain: sworn translation FR→ES of Directeur de l'état civil acts
Quebec birth, marriage and civil union acts are issued in French only since 2022: how the FR→ES sworn translation works for Spain.
- History of translation
The House of Wisdom in Baghdad: the century the world was translated
In Abbasid Baghdad of the 8th and 9th centuries, a vast translation movement rendered Greek science into Arabic and saved it for humanity.
- Professional guide
Certificate of life: proving you're alive to keep a foreign pension while living in Spain
What the fe de vida (certificate of existence) is, why foreign pension funds ask for it from residents in Spain, and when a sworn translation is needed.
- Professional guide
French PACS and Spanish pareja de hecho: registering your union and what to translate
A French PACS doesn't automatically become a Spanish registered partnership: you must register by region. Which French documents to translate (FR→ES).
- Professional guide
Dutch on the Costa Blanca: which documents need a sworn translation in Spain (and which don't)
We don't translate from Dutch. But many Dutch documents need no translation at all in Spain, and others come in English. Here's how to save the paperwork.
- Professional guide
Retiring to Spain from Canada: the non-lucrative visa and its sworn translations
A practical guide for Canadians retiring to Spain: the non-lucrative residence visa, the documents that need a sworn translation, and the apostille route since 2024.
- Professional guide
Prenuptial agreement translation for Spain: what to translate and when
When a foreign prenuptial agreement needs sworn translation to buy property, inherit or register a marriage in Spain, and why the notary asks.
- Professional guide
French divorce in Spain: jugement de divorce, notarial convention and sworn translation
How a French divorce is recognised in Spain: jugement de divorce, the Brussels II ter Regulation and the sworn translation the Civil Registry needs.
- History of translation
La Malinche: the interpreter who changed the conquest of Mexico
Malintzin, a Nahua woman given to Cortés in 1519, spoke Nahuatl and Maya. Her voice shaped —and perhaps bent— the meeting of two worlds.
- Professional guide
Sworn translation of a foreign divorce decree for Spain: a practical guide
Which document proves your divorce, what has to be translated (the full ruling and the apostille) and why registering a divorce is not the same as recognising it.
- Professional guide
Divorced in the US and remarrying in Spain: the divorce decree and its sworn translation
Why the Spanish Civil Registry wants your full, final US divorce decree — not the divorce certificate — where to apostille it and how to get it translated.
- Professional guide
UK divorce and Spanish paperwork: decree absolute, final order and sworn translation
Decree absolute or final order? Which document proves a UK divorce, how to get a copy and apostille, and the sworn translation you need for Spanish paperwork.
- Professional guide
EU Regulation 2016/1191: when your European document needs NO apostille and no sworn translation
Since 2019, certain public documents from EU countries circulate without an apostille and, with a multilingual form, without translation. When you don't need us.
- Professional guide
U.S. Social Security in Spain: the SSA-1099, benefit letters and which documents need sworn translation
How U.S. Social Security is paid in Spain, what the SSA-1099 and the benefit verification letter are, and which Spanish procedures require their sworn translation.
- Professional guide
Getting married in Spain as a Canadian: documents, apostilles and sworn translations
Marrying in Spain as a Canadian: provincial birth certificate, Statement in Lieu from Global Affairs Canada, apostille and sworn translation.
- History of translation
The Rosetta Stone: the translation that unlocked a civilisation
A 196 BC decree in three scripts, unearthed in 1799, let Champollion crack hieroglyphs in 1822 and give ancient Egypt back its voice.
- Professional guide
Bank statements for a Spanish visa: which pages get translated (and which don't)
Every Spanish consulate asks for different proof of funds: 3 or 12 months of statements, bank certificates, average balances. What actually needs sworn translation.
- Professional guide
French retirees in Spain: relevé de carrière, CARSAT and which pension documents need sworn translation
Which documents the Assurance retraite (CNAV/CARSAT) and Agirc-Arrco issue, the certificat de vie, and which Spanish procedures require sworn translation.
- Professional guide
British retirees in Spain: P60, State Pension and which pension documents need sworn translation
What a P60 is, how to prove your UK State Pension and which UK pension documents Spanish authorities ask retirees to have sworn-translated into Spanish.
- Professional guide
Canadian criminal record check (RCMP) for Spain: fingerprints, apostille and sworn translation
How to get the RCMP certified criminal record check for a Spanish visa or citizenship application: fingerprints from abroad, apostille and sworn translation.
- Professional guide
Canada now issues apostilles: what it means for your Canadian documents in Spain
The Hague Apostille Convention has applied to Canada since 11 January 2024. Who issues apostilles and what changes for your documents in Spain.
- Professional guide
Getting married in Spain as a Filipino citizen: CENOMAR, PSA documents and sworn translation
How Filipino citizens marry in Spain in 2026: PSA birth certificate, CENOMAR, DFA apostille and the sworn translation into Spanish the Civil Registry requires.
- Professional guide
Filipino nurses and healthcare workers moving to Spain: recognition and sworn translation
A Philippine nursing degree has no automatic EU recognition. Homologation in Spain, PRC and NBI documents, DFA apostille and sworn translation into Spanish.
- Professional guide
PSA certificates (birth, marriage, CENOMAR) from the Philippines for use in Spain
How to use PSA birth, marriage and CENOMAR certificates from the Philippines in Spain: apostille at the DFA and sworn translation into Spanish.
- Professional guide
US veterans moving to Spain: your DD-214, VA letters and military pension paperwork
How US veterans prepare the DD-214, VA benefit letters and DFAS statements for Spanish residency: replacement copies, federal apostille and sworn translation.
- Professional guide
Spain's digital nomad visa for Filipino remote workers: documents and translations
How Filipinos get Spain's digital nomad authorization: NBI clearance, remote-work authorization, and which English documents need a sworn translation.
- Professional guide
Filipinos moving to Spain: which documents need sworn translation (complete guide)
A guide for Filipinos moving to Spain: which documents need sworn translation into Spanish, and why English-language PSA and NBI records make it simple.
- History of translation
The Nuremberg interpreters: how simultaneous interpretation was born
At the Nuremberg trials (1945-46), a French-born US colonel and IBM equipment invented simultaneous interpretation as we know it today.
- Professional guide
NBI Clearance for Spain: apostille and sworn translation, step by step
Your Philippine NBI Clearance is in English, but Spain still needs a DFA apostille and a sworn translation into Spanish. Here is the exact order.
- Professional guide
Does a sworn translation expire in Spain? What the law says vs. what clerks ask for
Sworn translations don't expire under Spanish law. What expires is the original document behind them. Here's the difference, with official sources.
- Professional guide
10 mistakes in sworn translations that get rejected by Spanish administrations
The 10 most common mistakes in sworn translations that lead Spanish civil registries, notaries and government offices to reject the file, and how to avoid them.
- Professional guide
Sworn translation of a foreign will (UK and FR) for use in Spain
How to translate a British will or a French testament for use in a Spanish succession: types, formal requirements and the choice of applicable law under EU Regulation 650/2012.
- Professional guide
Sworn translation of UK and French passports: when it is actually required
When you really need a sworn translation of your British or French passport in Spain: procedures that require it, those that do not, and why many clients order it unnecessarily.
- Professional guide
Sworn translation of a power of attorney (POA / procuration) for use in Spain
How to translate a foreign power of attorney for use in Spain: types of POA, formal notary requirements and common mistakes with UK and French POAs.
- Professional guide
Spain Digital Nomad Visa: requirements, timelines and sworn translations
Complete guide to Spain's Digital Nomad Visa (Startups Law): eligibility, income thresholds, documents to translate and common pitfalls in 2026.
- Professional guide
Using your French driving licence in Spain (EU rules)
How the French driving licence works in Spain: automatic EU recognition, when exchange is worth it and when sworn translation of the permis is required.
- Professional guide
Buying property in Spain as a French citizen: NIE, French bank and notary
Complete guide for French citizens buying property in Spain: NIE, French bank proof of funds, mortgage and notary sworn translation.
- Professional guide
Sworn translation of US Articles of Incorporation for Spain
Spanish sworn translation of your US company's Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or Operating Agreement (Corp, LLC) to set up a subsidiary or buy in Spain.
- Professional guide
Franco-Spanish inheritance: will, Spanish assets and sworn translation
How to handle a Franco-Spanish inheritance: applicable law under EU Regulation 650/2012, European Certificate of Succession, sworn translation of the French testament and Spanish notary process.
- Professional guide
Sworn translation of UK Articles of Association for Spain
Spanish sworn translation of your UK company's Certificate of Incorporation and Articles of Association (Ltd, LLP) to set up a subsidiary or branch, or buy, in Spain.
- Professional guide
Getting married in Spain as a French citizen: documents and sworn translation
Complete guide for French citizens getting married in Spain: certificat de coutume, acte de naissance, consular transcription back to France and sworn translation of the file.
- Professional guide
Sworn translation of French company statutes (statuts) for Spain
Spanish sworn translation of your French company's statuts and Kbis (SARL, SAS, SCI) to set up a subsidiary or branch, or buy property, in Spain.
- Professional guide
Buying property in Spain as a British citizen: NIE, UK bank and notary
Complete guide to buying property in Spain as a British citizen after Brexit: NIE, UK proof of funds, mortgage with a Spanish or British bank, and sworn translation at the notary.
- Professional guide
Exchanging your UK driving licence in Spain after Brexit
How to exchange your UK driving licence for a Spanish one after Brexit: the 2023 Spain-UK bilateral agreement, DGT timelines and when sworn translation is required.
- Professional guide
Spain Digital Nomad Visa in Valencia: the third DNV capital
2026 guide to the Spanish Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) in Valencia: documents, Distrito Digital and Lanzadera particulars, Immigration appointment and growing nomad community.
- Professional guide
UK inheritance with Spanish assets: probate, will and sworn translation
How to handle a British inheritance with assets in Spain: UK probate, will, international succession under EU Regulation 650/2012 and sworn translation into Spanish.
- Professional guide
Spain Digital Nomad Visa in Málaga: Europe's DNV capital
2026 guide to the Spanish Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) in Málaga: documents, Málaga TechPark and Costa del Sol particulars, Immigration appointment and Anglo-Saxon expat community.
- Professional guide
Spain Digital Nomad Visa in Barcelona: applying from the tech capital
2026 guide to the Spanish Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) in Barcelona: requirements, documents to apostille, Barcelona Tech City and Mobile World Capital particulars, and Catalan Immigration appointment.
- Professional guide
Non-Lucrative Visa for British retirees moving to Spain
How to obtain the Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa as a British citizen after Brexit: financial requirements, UK documents to translate and consular timelines.
- Professional guide
Getting married in Spain as a British citizen: documents and sworn translations
Legal guide for British citizens marrying in Spain: Certificate of No Impediment, UK documents needing translation, Civil Registry timelines and recognition of the marriage back in the UK.
- Professional guide
Spain Digital Nomad Visa in Madrid: documents, appointment and particulars
How to apply for the Spanish Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) in Madrid in 2026: financial requirements, documents to apostille and translate, UGE-CE appointment and Madrid-specific particulars.
- Professional guide
How to submit documents at Spanish Immigration: the practical Sub-delegation guide
Prior appointment, e-Government portal, documents to bring, and how sworn translations are accepted: properly submitting files at the Spanish Immigration Office (Sub-delegation of the Government).
- Professional guide
Renewing your TIE in Spain after Brexit: documents and sworn translations
How to renew the Spanish Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) under the Withdrawal Agreement: British documents needing sworn translation, timelines at the Alicante Foreigners Office and common pitfalls in 2026.
- Professional guide
Spanish civil service exams with a foreign degree: homologation and sworn translation
How to apply for Spanish civil service exams (oposiciones) with a university degree obtained abroad: homologation or equivalence before the Ministry, sworn translation and timelines by sector.
- Professional guide
Setting up a Spanish subsidiary of a foreign company: articles of association and sworn translation
How to set up a Spanish S.L. or S.A. as a foreign company (UK, US, FR, DE): corporate documentation, apostille, sworn translation of articles of association and Mercantile Registry.
- Professional guide
Medical certificate for Spanish visa: the IHR-2005 explained
What the medical certificate for Spanish consulates must say exactly for NLV, Digital Nomad Visa, Golden Visa and student. UK, US and FR provider models, apostille and sworn translation.
- Professional guide
Hague apostille by country: practical 2026 table
Who apostilles public documents in each country, typical timelines and cost to bring them to Spain. Updated 2026 table with UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Mexico and more.
- Professional guide
FBI vs ACRO vs French B3: criminal record comparison for Spain
Comparison of the three most frequent international criminal records in Spanish consular files: US FBI, UK ACRO and French B3. Timelines, prices, apostille and validity.
- Professional guide
Sworn vs certified translation in Spain: why the wrong one costs you weeks
An ATA-certified or notarized translation from a US or UK agency is not valid for Spanish immigration, civil registries or notaries. Here's what Spain actually requires, why the law works this way, and how to avoid paying twice.
- Professional guide
US estate with Spanish assets: probate, will and sworn translation
International US-Spain inheritance in 2026: managing US probate, translating the will and letters testamentary, and handling Spanish asset adjudication before a notary.
- Professional guide
Buying property in Spain as a US citizen: NIE, mortgage and translations
2026 guide for US citizens buying property in Spain: NIE process, non-resident mortgage, documents to translate and full notarial process.
- Professional guide
Getting married in Spain as a US citizen: documents, apostilles and sworn translations
How US citizens marry civilly in Spain in 2026: birth certificate, certificate of no impediment, apostille and sworn translations required by the Spanish Civil Registry.
- Professional guide
US apostille: federal vs state, the complete 2026 guide for Spain
Where to apostille US documents for Spain in 2026: when to use the federal Department of State and when to use the state Secretary of State, with timelines and costs.
- Professional guide
Spain Non-Lucrative Visa for US citizens: the 2026 guide
How US citizens apply for Spain's Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) in 2026: financial requirements, FBI background check, federal apostille and sworn translations required by the consulate.
- Professional guide
Best online sworn translation for Spain 2026: how to choose
Honest comparison of online sworn translation services for Spain in 2026: criteria for choosing wisely, main market alternatives (Translayte, lingoking, Tomedes, Beglaubigung24, individual MAEC translators) and red flags to avoid.
- Professional guide
Alicante, a cyclist's paradise to live in
Why the world's best cyclists train in Calp, Altea and Dénia every winter, and why the same reasons make Alicante one of the best places in Europe to settle. Mountain passes, sea ports, daily life, residence procedures and the sworn translations you will need.
- Professional guide
The Hague Apostille: what it is and how it affects your sworn translation
What the Hague Apostille is, when it is required and how it combines with the sworn translation for foreign documents in Spain.
- Professional guide
How long does a sworn translation take: standard, urgent and express turnaround
Real turnaround times for a sworn translation in Spain: standard, 24-hour urgent and same-day express, what slows it down, and how to choose.
- Professional guide
How to validate a foreign university degree in Spain
Practical guide to validating your foreign university degree in Spain: process with the Ministry of Universities, documents and sworn translation.
- Professional guide
How to apply for Spanish citizenship: documents to translate
Documents you need to apply for Spanish citizenship by residence: which ones require a sworn translation and which ones already arrive in Spanish.
- Professional guide
Sworn translation of a foreign birth certificate
How to translate a foreign birth certificate to file it in Spain: civil registry, citizenship, marriage or academic procedure.
- Professional guide
Sworn translation of a criminal record certificate: requirements and timelines
How to translate your foreign criminal record certificate to file it in Spain: apostille, validity period and common mistakes.
- Professional guide
Sworn translation for Spanish immigration: which documents you need
Which documents Spanish immigration offices require with a sworn translation into Spanish, by procedure: residence, NIE, family reunification and citizenship.
- Professional guide
Sworn translation PDF vs paper: which one each Spanish authority accepts
Electronically signed PDF or stamped paper copy: which one each Spanish administration prefers, and when each format is the right choice.
- Professional guide
How to verify an official sworn translator in Spain (MAEC)
How to check whether a translator is officially accredited by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC), and what signs to look for before hiring.
- History of translation
Alfonso X and the Toledo School of Translators
The Toledo School of Translators, King Alfonso X and the role of translation in transmitting medieval knowledge.
R.M.M. Jordán, Historian · - History of translation
The Library of Pergamon and the birth of parchment
The rivalry between Alexandria and Pergamon and the rise of parchment: a shift that transformed the transmission of the written word.
R.M.M. Jordán, Historian · - History of translation
The challenges of translating the Iberian script
Translating what has yet to be deciphered: the Iberian script and the puzzles it sets the translator.
R.M.M. Jordán, Historian · - Professional guide
Why specialisation matters in translation
Subject-matter specialisation as a quality guarantee: technical domains, precise terminology and sector knowledge.
- History of translation
An introduction to epigraphy
What epigraphy is, how ancient inscriptions are studied and why they matter for history and for translation.
R.M.M. Jordán, Historian · - Professional guide
Translation memory: what it is and how it works
What a translation memory (TM) is, how segmentation works, repetitions, 100% and fuzzy matches, file analysis and the benefits of using TM in professional translation.
- History of translation
Origins of writing: cuneiform and cylinder glyptic (I)
The birth of cuneiform writing in Mesopotamia and the earliest notation systems: a four-thousand-year history.
R.M.M. Jordán, Historian · - History of translation
Origins of writing: cuneiform and cylinder glyptic (II)
From pictographic writing to the cuneiform system: the evolution of a code that defined Mesopotamian civilisation.
R.M.M. Jordán, Historian · - History of translation
Origins of writing: cuneiform and cylinder glyptic (III)
Cylinder glyptic as a precursor to writing: seals, symbols and the administration of the first empires.
R.M.M. Jordán, Historian · - History of translation
Origins of writing: cuneiform and cylinder glyptic (IV)
The legacy of cuneiform and its decipherment in the nineteenth century: how thousands of years of lost history were recovered.
R.M.M. Jordán, Historian · - Professional guide
How to prepare a translation project
How to plan a translation project: file formats, deadlines, glossaries and communication with the translator for a strong result.
- Professional guide
Why it pays to invest in professional translation
Why entrust translation to a qualified professional: accuracy, legal accountability and guaranteed validity.
- Professional guide
Italian translation: the pitfalls of closely related languages
Why translating between two close languages like Italian and Spanish can be harder than between distant ones. False friends, linguistic interference and a quote from Edmondo De Amicis.
- Professional guide
Italian-Spanish legal translation: difficulties and considerations
The real challenges of legal translation between Italian and Spanish: shared Roman-law roots, linguistic interference and the lack of equivalence between institutions.