Latin Translation Services — Parish Records, Diplomas, Church Documents & More

Latin Translation Rates

See all translation prices

Latin Parish Records and Genealogy Translation

For centuries, Catholic priests across Europe and the Americas recorded baptisms, marriages, and burials in Latin — in Poland, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Ireland, Italy, and many other countries. These registers are the key to family history and often to citizenship by descent.

We transcribe and translate handwritten entries into English, including:

• Baptisms — child, parents, mother's maiden name, godparents (patrini), house number, and dates of birth and baptism
• Marriages — bride and groom, ages, parents, witnesses, and banns
• Burials — the deceased, age, cause of death, and survivors
• Marginal notes — later marriages, legitimations, and certificates issued

What we watch for:

• Month abbreviations — 7ber, 8ber, 9ber, Xber are September to December, not July to October
• Latinized names — Jacobus may be James, Jakob, or Jakub; Joannes may be John, Johann, Jan, or János. We give the Latin form and the likely local name
• Formulas and abbreviations — filius legitimus, copulati sunt, obiit, and the scribal shorthand used in each region
• Mixed-language registers — Latin entries alongside German, Polish, Hungarian, or Czech notes

Send a clear scan or a link to the digitized register (for example, an archive or FamilySearch image), and we'll quote per entry based on length and legibility.

→ Polish translation · German translation · Czech translation · Hungarian translation

Certified Translation of Latin Diplomas and Church Certificates

Latin diplomas. Many universities issue diplomas in Latin. We translate them into English for credential evaluation services, licensing boards, employers, universities, and immigration — rendering the degree title (Artium Baccalaureus, Scientiae Magister, Philosophiae Doctor), honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude), and the university's name consistently with the official English forms.

Church certificates. Baptismal, confirmation, and marriage certificates, dispensations, and ordination documents. When a civil birth certificate isn't available, USCIS may accept a baptismal certificate as secondary evidence of birth.

Every Latin document filed with USCIS needs a complete English translation and a signed translator certification (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)). Notarization is not required.

Every certified translation includes: complete translation of text, seals, and signatures; consistent rendering of names and titles; the signed Translation Accuracy Certificate; 24-hour delivery for most 1-page typed documents; and the USCIS acceptance guarantee.

→ USCIS certified translation · Birth certificate translation · Academic translation

 

English to Latin: Mottos, Inscriptions, and Tattoos

Latin is a favorite for mottos, family crests, school and company slogans, book titles, inscriptions, and tattoos. It's also easy to get wrong. Latin words change their endings depending on their role in the sentence and must agree in gender and number, so a phrase from an online tool can be grammatically wrong — or say something you didn't intend.

A specialist Latinist will:

• translate your phrase with correct grammar and natural Latin word order
• explain what the Latin says, word by word
• offer Classical or Ecclesiastical Latin versions where they differ
• check the final spelling and spacing before you engrave, print, or tattoo it

Latin Texts for Research, Law, the Church, and Publishing

Classical and medieval texts. Authors from Cicero and Virgil to medieval chronicles, charters, letters, and manuscripts — translated and, where needed, transcribed from the original handwriting. → Art and literature translation

Church and canon law. Papal and diocesan documents, canon-law texts, tribunal documents, and historic church records. Latin remains the official language of the Holy See.

Legal history. Historic deeds, charters, court records, and Roman and canon law sources. → Legal translation

Science and medicine. Anatomical terminology, historic medical and botanical works, and scientific names and descriptions of plants and animals.

Academic and publishing. Theses, articles, critical editions, and translations for publishers and researchers. → Academic translation

Which Latin? From Classical to Neo-Latin

Latin was written for more than two thousand years, and it changed. We match each project to a specialist in the right period:

• Old and Classical Latin — the language of Republican and Imperial Rome
• Vulgar and Late Latin — everyday and late-antique Latin, the ancestor of the Romance languages
• Medieval and Ecclesiastical Latin — church, legal, and scholarly Latin of the Middle Ages, with its own spelling (e for ae) and abbreviations
• Renaissance and Neo-Latin — scholarship and science from the 15th century on

Did you know? English uses many Latin phrases every day — de facto, et cetera, vice versa, ad hoc, per capita — and a large share of English vocabulary comes from Latin, often by way of French.

Why Choose TheWordPoint for Latin

Specialist Latinists, not generalists. Latin has no native speakers. Our translators are classicists, medievalists, and paleographers matched to the period and type of your text.

Human translation — for good reason. Machine translation handles Latin's case system, abbreviations, and handwriting poorly. Every Latin project is translated and checked by specialists.

We read handwriting. Parish registers and manuscripts are transcribed before they are translated, so you get both the Latin text and the English.

Fast for typed documents. Most 1-page typed certificates and diplomas within 24 hours; handwritten records on a confirmed date.

Confidential. Your documents are never shared.

24/7 support.

Reviewed and updated  on October 2, 2026, by

Christakis Christodoulou,
Managing Director
Head of the Certified Translation Department