Translation of Court Judgments, Orders and Powers of Attorney
A supplementary judgment, a court order, a power of attorney: long texts, heavy with set phrases, where each word carries weight. Send every page on WhatsApp. A sworn translator works through them from the first page to the last, and the quote counts each page before you pay.
Send my judgment on WhatsApp
10,000 FCFA per page
Turnaround 48 hours
Fixed price, quote on WhatsApp
Translating a supplementary judgment and other court papers
Many Cameroonians have a birth certificate drawn up late, on the strength of a court decision: what people usually call the jugement supplétif, or supplementary judgment (the 2024 civil status law calls it a declaratory judgment when a birth was not declared in time). When that certificate goes into a file abroad, the judgment sometimes travels with it. Other decisions travel too: succession, adoption or name correction judgments, an order signed by the president of a court.
A power of attorney is a different kind of paper: you give someone the authority to act for you, to sell, manage property, collect a document or represent you. Whoever it is shown to has to be able to read it.
Our part ends with the translation. We do not say which judgment your file needs, whether it is enough, or how to obtain one. For that, ask the receiving office, the court registry or a lawyer.
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What to send us
- Every page of the decision, from the heading to the last signature, in order.
- The closing entries: enforcement formula, registration notes, a certificate of non-appeal if one is attached.
- Registry stamps and signatures, clearly visible.
- For a power of attorney: the signature pages and any signature legalisation on the document.
- The passport photo page of the people named, so we can compare spellings.
- The language you need and the office that will receive the translation.
Photograph a long decision page by page, flat. Number your photos or send a PDF: a page out of order is easy to spot, a missing one is not.
Where judgment and power of attorney translations go wrong
A missing page. The operative part, where the court sets out what it decides, is often on the last page. A translation without it says nothing. Every page is translated, no exceptions.
The closing formulas. Enforcement formula, registration entries, “certified true copy”: these lines look like paperwork, yet offices read them. They are translated in full.
Registry stamps. Court stamp, registrar’s signature, revenue stamp: each is described in square brackets where it sits on the original, so the reader knows what is there.
The parties’ names. Applicant, child, witnesses, the person giving the power and the one receiving it: names are copied in the exact order and spelling of the decision. If they differ from a passport, we tell you and change nothing.
An unreadable copy. Old judgments circulate as photocopies of photocopies. Where a word or a line can no longer be read, the translation marks it “illegible”. Nothing is guessed, nothing filled in.
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Price and turnaround for a court judgment
10,000 FCFA per page, fixed. A judgment is counted page by page, and every page is translated. A two-page supplementary judgment is 20,000 FCFA; a three-page court order, 30,000 FCFA; a one-page power of attorney, 10,000 FCFA.
Turnaround is 48 hours between French and English for a short decision. For a long judgment, the quote gives you the exact time before you pay.
The total is on the WhatsApp quote. Orange Money, MTN Mobile Money or bank transfer.
After the translation
You receive the sealed translation as a PDF. Paper can be collected by appointment in Yaoundé, Carrefour Tam-Tam, or sent by parcel to your town.
Anything else the office wants, such as a registry-certified copy, legalisation or a recent copy, is its own requirement. Check the current list with the office receiving your file.
If you have a question about what the decision means or what it allows, ask a lawyer or the court registry. We give no legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to translate a supplementary judgment?
10,000 FCFA per page. A two-page judgment is 20,000 FCFA. The total is confirmed on WhatsApp before you pay.
Do all the pages of a judgment need translating?
Yes. We always translate the full decision, closing entries included. Each page is counted.
Does my file need the judgment as well as the birth certificate?
We cannot answer for the receiving office. Ask it, then send us what needs translating.
Can you translate a power of attorney from French into English?
Yes, either way between French and English.
What if a line on my copy cannot be read?
We mark it “illegible” in the translation. If the registry can give you a cleaner copy, send that before we start.