The anatomy of corporate documents: which field is critical in translation, which seal is looked for.
Corporate documents
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Last updated: 13 July 2026
Corporate documents
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Corporate documents
The anatomy of corporate documents: which field is critical in translation, which seal is looked for.
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Pages in this section
- Access restriction and password How password-protected files are handled in the translation process and how the password is passed on securely.
- Address field The order of address components, the parts translated and carried over, and head office versus branch address.
- Annex list field How annexes are numbered, how they match the references in the text and how a missing annex is reported.
- Approval matrix Reading the approval table in a document, sequential approvals and what a missing approval shows.
- Archival file format Why the file format matters for documents that will be kept for a long time, and the font embedding problem.
- Article and paragraph references Tracking references between articles within a contract, and the risk that arises when the numbering shifts.
- Bank identifier code field The structure of the eight or eleven-character bank code and its place on international payment documents.
- Bilingual document layout Aligning the translation in a facing-column or consecutive-section layout, and the question of the prevailing text.
- Blank fields and fill-in lines What fields left blank on pre-printed forms mean, how they are closed with a line and how they are shown in translation.
- Bulk document jobs Arrangement, consistency and the method of checking when hundreds of similar documents are translated together.
- Chamber registration number field The function of the chamber of commerce and industry record number, its place on the certificate of activity and the risk of confusion.
- Company name and legal form abbreviations Why the trade name of a legal entity is not translated, what the type abbreviations mean and how similar names are told apart.
- Company stamp What is printed on a company stamp, which parts are translated and which are carried over unchanged.
- Confidentiality marking What the confidentiality mark on a document means, the classification levels and its effect on the translation process.
- Conflicting fields The stance of the translation when a document contradicts itself, and the method of reporting it.
- Correction and deletion annotation How handwritten corrections on a text are approved, and how legible and illegible parts are recorded.
- Cross-references Tracking the references one document makes to another document, and their effect on the integrity of the file.
- Currency notation The position of the currency code and symbol, and points to watch in documents that carry more than one currency.
- Customs tariff heading field The structure of the tariff code that classifies goods, the shared first six digits and its link with the product name.
- Date format field How the order of day and month varies by country, ambiguous dates and how they are safeguarded in translation.
- Definitions section Why the defined terms of a contract must be used with a single equivalent throughout the text.
- Delivery package Which files are handed over together on delivery, and what the delivery letter contains.
- Distinguishing a copy from the original Establishing whether the document we hold is an original or a copy, and what this means for the translation.
- Distribution list field The function of the list showing to whom the document was sent, and what it means for confidentiality.
- Document checklist The items of the checklist applied before delivery, and why the list is kept in writing.
- Document handover record What the record drawn up when a physical document is received contains, and its function in terms of responsibility.
- Document security features How the marks on security paper disappear in a scan, and the limit that the translation passes no judgement.
- Document series and serial number The function of the series letter and serial number on pre-printed documents, the expectation of continuity and carry-over.
- Document set structure How the documents in a file relate to one another, and the distinction between main and supporting documents.
- Electronic signature Where the signature information sits in an electronically signed document and what is carried over to the translation.
- Embossed and dry seal How an inkless embossed impression disappears in a scan and how it is put on record in translation.
- Fields carried over verbatim Carrying fields whose format carries meaning without altering them, and preventing corruption caused by tools.
- Fields in a third language How sections written in a language other than the main language of the document are handled for scope and competence.
- Fields not to be translated Which fields are left untranslated, what the decision rests on and how consistency is kept.
- Fields that need an explanatory note How concepts that have no equivalent for the target reader are introduced, and the limits of the note.
- Figure and chart captions Figure numbering, text inside charts and the rule that images are not redrawn.
- File and reference number The function of the file, number and reference fields in correspondence and why they are kept in the chain of replies.
- File integrity Early detection of corrupted, incomplete or unopenable files, and losses that stem from transfer.
- File metadata The hidden information fields carried inside a file and the risk of sharing them without being aware of it.
- File naming convention Setting up the naming rule in multi-file jobs and keeping each translation matched to its original.
- Footer and imprint area The function of the imprint, legal notices and document codes at the foot of the page, and how they are preserved in translation.
- Glossary annex Using the glossary supplied by the client, resolving conflicts and managing versions.
- Handwritten fields Reading handwritten additions on pre-printed documents, recording what cannot be read and managing the risk.
- IBAN field How IBAN length varies by country, the spacing pattern and the carry-over rule on payment documents.
- Incoming document registration number The date and number carried by the registration stamp applied on receipt, and their role in calculating time limits.
- Institutional seal The difference between an official institutional seal and a company stamp, and how a seal is described in translation.
- Letterhead and logo area The corporate information a letterhead carries, why the logo is not translated and consistency between letterhead and text.
- List of abbreviations Using the list of abbreviations in a document, the expansion rule and how organisation-specific abbreviations are handled.
- MERSIS number field Where the sixteen-digit MERSIS number appears on a document and how it differs from the registry number.
- Mixed-language documents More than one language inside a single document, and the effect this has on the scope of the job.
- Notification and delivery annotation The content of the annotation showing that the document reached the other side, and its role in the start of time limits.
- Numbers and decimal separator How dot and comma swap roles by country, thousands grouping and the risk this creates in financial statements.
- Page initials The function of page initials, how they differ from a signature and how they are tracked in multi-page documents.
- Page numbering The statement of total pages, broken numbering and the separate numbering of annexes.
- Percentage and ratio notation The position of the per cent sign, percentage points versus per cent, and keeping rate wording intact in translation.
- QR code and verification code The function of the verification code on a document, why it is not translated and what it means on copies.
- References to legislation How references to laws and regulations in documents are carried over, and the limit on looking for equivalents.
- References to standards and norms Why standard numbers in technical specifications are not translated and what the edition year means.
- Repeated fields Translating fixed phrases that occur many times in a document consistently, and the use of translation memory.
- Routing and instruction note The function of routing and instruction notes written by hand in the margin, why they are hard to read and how they are carried over.
- Scanned document quality What scan resolution, skew and compression lead to in the file that is handed over for translation.
- Scope of partial translation Defining and indicating the scope when only one part of a document is translated.
- Seal and stamp legibility How faint, smudged or cut-off seal impressions are worked with, and when a new copy is requested.
- Sector-specific abbreviation fields Resolving sector-specific abbreviations, the consequences of a wrong expansion and the method of verification.
- Signature by proxy What the proxy wording beside a signature means, how it is kept in translation and which extra document is asked for.
- Signature page Verifying which text the signature blocks gathered on a separate page belong to.
- Signature verification report What the separate report showing the validity of an electronic signature contains and how it is handled in translation.
- Signing authority and its limits Which authority a signature on a document rests on, sole and joint signature, and wording that limits authority.
- Social security registration field The structure of the workplace registration details, their place on personnel documents and the personal data point to watch.
- Stamp duty field How the stamp duty entry looks on a document, in which documents it is looked for and how it is carried over.
- Statement of the number of copies The statement in the document of how many copies were drawn up, differences between copies and which copy was translated.
- Table headings and column layout The information column headings carry, tables that continue over pages and preserving alignment.
- Table of contents Agreement between the table of contents and the page numbers, and the problem of page shift in translation.
- Tax identification number field Where the tax number sits on a document, which numbers it gets confused with and why it is not translated.
- Text layer and character recognition How reliable the automatic text layer in a scanned file is, and the way it produces silent errors.
- Time and time zone field The function of the time of day on bid and notice documents and the risk created when no time zone is stated.
- Time stamp How the stamp proving that data existed at a given moment appears on a document and how it is read.
- Trade registry number field Which registry office the registry number is tied to, its link with the province and the carry-over rule.
- Translation archive How completed jobs are stored, the retention period and their reuse in later jobs.
- Translator's note format Where notes are written, in what form and in which language; why they must be set apart from the original text.
- Translator's stamp and declaration Which declaration appears on the translated copy, what it says and what it does not cover.
- True copy endorsement What the wording that certifies a copy says, who gives it and how a certified copy differs from the original.
- Units of measurement field Unit abbreviations in technical and commercial documents, the ban on conversion and the consequences of a unit error.
- Validity period wording Reading the wording that shows until when a document can be used, and its effect on the delivery plan.
- Version and revision record Reading the revision table, fixing which version has been translated and the risk of version confusion.
- Version conflict When more than one state of the same document is in circulation: fixing which one the translation is based on.
- Watermark area The information carried by the watermark behind the text, how it hinders reading and how it is described in translation.
- Wet-ink signature The place of a handwritten signature on a document, illegible signatures and how they are indicated in translation.
- Writing first names and surnames Spelling personal names consistently across documents, transliteration and matching the identity document.
- Writing positions and job titles Choosing equivalents for corporate job titles, differences of hierarchy and their function in the signature block.