At a certain point in the Italian dual citizenship process you’ll want to start thinking about how you will get all of the birth, marriage and death certificates that you’ve collected and certified translated into Italian. The quality of your translations is exceptionally important, so this is not a step to be overlooked or taken lightly. Whether you are applying at a consulate in the U.S. or in Italy itself, your application can be rejected due to poor translations.

You have the option of translating the records yourself, but if you want to be absolutely sure of quality you can outsource to a professional translator. How do you find a translator? We’ve compiled a list of tips to get you started:

  1. Call the consulate – Some consulates absolutely require that you use one of their pre-approved translators. If this is the case you will obviously want to use someone on the list! While others don’t have this requirement, the suggested list that they provide can be extremely helpful. Call each person and ask for a quote for both individual documents and your entire lot. Also, ask to see samples of their work.
  2. Try search engines – You may also want to try using your favorite engine to search the terms “Italian translation” or “Italian translator” followed by your city or state. You may find talented local translators that don’t advertise in other places. Once again, ask to see samples or work and get price quotes.
  3. Use ELance.com – This site boasts hundreds of qualified translators, including companies and individuals based in Italy. Using this site allows you list a job and ask for bids. It’s a great way to let the professionals come to you.

Quality is key, so if your translator provides a finished product that doesn’t meet your standards, be sure to let them know so that the work can be redone.