Spanish Language Notary Guide

A Spanish language notary guide is a tool to help notarize a document written in the Spanish language, or for a signer who speaks Spanish.  If the notary does not speak Spanish, this helps to bridge the language barrier.  It is similar to a Spanish phrase book used by a tourist when traveling in a Spanish speaking country.

In Colorado, the notary may not use a human as a translator or interpreter.  This is because the notary would not know if the translator is being honest.  The notary must communicate directly with the signer.

Spanish is ranked number 2 in the most-spoken languages in the U.S., with about 38 million native speakers.

Google Translate

Google Translate is free software that can translate a Spanish document.  It is available at https://translate.google.com/ or can be downloaded as a phone application.

You can cut and paste text from a Spanish language document, upload a document file, or enter a website address for translation.  That may be useful to translate a Spanish language foreign embassy website.

It helps the notary to use reasonable care to confirm the title and purpose of the document.  The translated document is not notarized, so the translation does not need to be 100% accurate.  The original document in the Spanish language is notarized.

The notary certificate can be in the Spanish language if the notary speaks Spanish.  If the document is going to a foreign country and needs an apostille certificate attached by the Colorado Secretary of State (SOS), then the notary certificate must be in English.

If the signer does not speak good English, a Spanish language notary guide that includes common notary questions and sentences may be a useful tool.  Below are some suggestions.  The notary may include others as needed for the situation, and then use Google Translate to generate a numbered list.  The notary can then point to the line number to select a phrase or question.  The signer could type an answer in Google Translate and then translate it into English.

Spanish Language Notary Guide

1.  Hello.  My name is [John].  I am a Notary Public.
1.  Hola. Mi nombre es [John]. Soy un Notary Public.
2.  I do not speak your language.
2.  Yo no hablo su idioma.
3.  What is your name?
3.  ¿Cuál es su nombre?
4.  Please print your [name] on this paper.
4.  Por favor, escriba su [nombre] [respuesta] en este trabajo.
5.  May I please see your identification?
5.  ¿Puedo por favor consulte a su identificación?
6.  What type of document is this?
6.  ¿Qué tipo de documento es esto?
7.  Please print the document title on this paper.
7.  Por favor escriba el título del documento en este papel.
8.  Have you read this document?
8.  ¿Ha leído este documento?
9.  Please fill in this blank space.
9.  Por favor, rellene este espacio en blanco.
10.  Do you understand the purpose of this document?
10.  ¿Entiende el propósito de este documento?
11.  Are you signing this document voluntarily?
11.  ¿Está la firma de este documento voluntariamente?
12.  Do you acknowledge that this is your signature?
12.  ¿Usted reconoce que este es su firma?
13.  Do you swear or affirm that these statements are true and correct?
13.  ¿Jura o afirmo que estas declaraciones son verdaderas y correctas?
14.  Please sign your name here.
14.  Por favor ingrese su nombre aquí.
15.  My fee is [number] dollars.
15.  Mi cargo es [número] de dólares.
16.  Yes
16.  Sí
17.  No
17.  No
18.  I do not understand.
18.  No entiendo.
19.  I do not know.
19.  No sé.
20.  Please repeat.
20.  Por favor repita.
21.  Please speak slowly.
21.  Por favor, hable despacio.
22.  Thank you.
22.  Gracias.
23.  Nice to meet you.
23.  Encantado de conocerte.
24.  Here is my business card.
24.  Aquí está mi tarjeta de visita.
25.  Have a nice day.
25.  Tener un buen día.
26.  Good bye.
26.  Adiós.
27.  Here is the name and phone number of a notary that speaks Spanish.
27.  Aquí es el nombre y número de teléfono de un notary que hable español.
28.  I am not a notario publico.
28.  Yo no soy un notario público.
29.  I am not an attorney.
29.  Yo no soy un abogado.
30.  I do not give legal advice.
30.  Yo no doy un consejo legal.

The notary should write the title and description of the document in the notary journal.  For example, a Power of Attorney in Spanish is called a Carta de Poder.  The number of pages should be shown.  Ask the signer to fill in any blank spaces before notarizing.

It is best to use the date format: July 4, 2015, rather than 7/4/15 (mm-dd-yy).  In many foreign countries, the date is in dd-mm-yy format, so 7/4/15 would be 7 Apr 2015.

A Spanish language notary guide can be a useful tool for a notary to accommodate a Spanish language speaker.

Disclaimer: This information is not legal advice.  For legal advice, contact a licensed, competent attorney.

Disclaimer:  CRS 12-55-110.3
I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Colorado
and I may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice.

Yo no soy un abogado con licencia para practicar leyes en el estado de Colorado
y puedo no dar asesoría legal o aceptar honorarios de asesoramiento juridíco.

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