Q1208. What font typography and paper stock rules apply to MFA-accepted translations?

Answered by the NYC Visa & Translation certified translation team

The MFA's physical presentation requirements for translations are practical rather than ornate — but the details cause rejections when ignored. The presentation standards: the translation is printed on clean A4 paper (plain white, standard weight — no letterheads that obscure the content, no colored paper), in a clear standard typeface at a readable size (the Thai and foreign text must be legible — ornate or compressed fonts that strain reading are a problem), with the layout following the original's structure (the translation mirrors the original's arrangement — the fields, the tables, the sections — so the reviewer can check element by element), and with the translator's signature and seal on each page or as the department requires. The content presentation rules: every element of the original is translated or accounted for (the stamps, the seals, the handwritten entries — described in the translation where they appear); the names and numbers are transcribed exactly as the original (the romanisation matching the original document); and the translation identifies itself (the translator's or the company's identification, the date, the reference to the original document). Points that matter: the translation is presented with the original and the required copies — the set's completeness is checked at submission; multi-page translations are bound or stapled as the department requires (loose pages get lost); and the physical condition matters (clean, unfolded, unmarked prints — a coffee-stained translation is a bad start). Practice points: the translation provider's standard format usually satisfies the requirements — confirm it does before printing; and for the express counter, the physical set's completeness is what keeps the express counter moving without a repeat visit. Confirm the MFA's current presentation requirements before the visit.