Posted by Carmel Casas on 6/15/07 5:17pm
Msg #195399

Notary in another language

I have been doing notarys for awhile now but never
came across this until now. A guy came in wanting me to
notarize a permission request to let his duaghter out
of the country of Brazil. He had all her passports but
I could not understand the release because it was in
another language. I did not notrize. Was this correct?

Reply by Gerry_VT on 6/15/07 5:31pm
Msg #195401

Please rephrase question

Notaries are human beings and government officers. Notarial acts are the official actions performed by notaries, such as taking an acknowledgment or administering an oath.

Also, it is always best to indicate what state you are a notary in.

Reply by CaliNotary on 6/15/07 5:43pm
Msg #195407

No, you were wrong

The contents of the document aren't your concern. You're notarizing the signature, not the document. You should have done the notarization. The CA notary handbook even has a specific section that answers this very question.

Reply by cara on 6/15/07 7:31pm
Msg #195420

Once again Cali has aced the California notary Handbook Exam. As a refresher page 19 provides:

'FOREIGN LANGUAGE

A notary public can notarize a signature on a document in a foreign language with which
they are not familiar, as a notary public is not responsible for the contents of the document.
The notary public should be able to identify the type of document being notarized for entry in
the notary public’s journal. If unable to identify the type of document, the notary public must
make an entry to that effect in their journal, e.g. “a document in a foreign language.” The
notary public should be mindful of the completeness of the document and must not notarize
the signature on the document if the document appears to be incomplete. The notary public is
responsible for completing the acknowledgment or jurat form. When notarizing a signature
on a document, a notary public must be able to communicate with their customer in order for
the signer to either swear to or affirm the contents of the affidavit or to acknowledge the
execution of the document. An interpreter should not be used, as vital information could be
lost in the translation. If a notary public is unable to communicate with a customer, the customer
should be referred to a notary public who speaks the customer’s language."

I always carry a copy of the handbook together with all all my notary gear. I find it as indespensible as extra acknowledgement and jurat forms.