Capability statement
Certified document translation for California public agencies.
A San Francisco translation studio for government and civic documents. Every job is reviewed by a qualified human linguist and delivered with a signed certificate of accuracy.
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Snapshot
Firm snapshot.
- Civic Translation Co.
- San Francisco, CA
- California public agencies — state, county, city, and special district.
- Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Pacific
- civictranslation.com
- 541930 — Translation and Interpretation Services561410 — Document Preparation Services
Core competencies
What we produce.
Written translation of government and civic documents. Interpretation is a separate discipline and we do not provide it.
Document translation
Notices, forms, applications, outreach materials, and public-facing web copy — translated, reviewed, and returned in the layout you sent.
Certified translation
A signed, dated certificate of accuracy accompanying each delivery, in the form agencies and courts expect for the record.
Review of existing translations
Independent review of translations you already hold — including machine output — with a written finding and, where warranted, certification.
Formatting and layout
Text expansion, right-to-left scripts, and CJK line breaking handled so the translated file prints and posts like the source.
- Agency glossaries and term lists applied on intake and carried across every subsequent job.
- Multi-document programs — handbooks, manuals, and notice families — delivered on a milestone schedule.
- Output for print, for a CMS, and for tagged PDF, from the same source file.
- A signed certificate of accuracy per document, per language pair, issued with the delivery.
Languages
Languages.
Core pairs carry retained reviewers, which is what makes the 2 business days standard real rather than aspirational. Network pairs are delivered through vetted partner linguists on confirmed availability.
- SpanishEspañol
- The threshold language in every California jurisdiction that has one, and the highest-volume pair in public-agency translation statewide.
- Chinese中文
- Traditional and SimplifiedThe largest limited-English-proficient population in San Francisco. We set script and regional convention per audience rather than defaulting to one.
- VietnameseTiếng Việt
- Added to San Francisco's Language Access Ordinance requirements as of January 2026, when the threshold fell to 6,000 limited-English-proficient speakers.
Filipino, Russian, Korean, Arabic. See all languages
Turnaround and practice
What is different about buying from us.
Written quotes
Returned same business day, itemized by document and by language, with a delivery date rather than a range.
Human review on every job
A qualified linguist in the language pair reviews the full text against the source. The step is not sampled and is not dropped under deadline.
Certificate of accuracy
Signed and dated with every delivery, carrying a job reference number that also appears on the invoice.
No minimum order
A one-page notice is a job we take. No minimum, and no small-order surcharge.
Script and convention set per audience
Traditional or Simplified Chinese, and regional convention, chosen for the readership rather than defaulted to one.
Source layout preserved
Text expansion, right-to-left scripts, and CJK line breaking handled so the delivered file prints and posts like the source.
- Standard
- Documents up to roughly 2,500 words, per language.
- Priority
- Documents up to roughly 1,200 words, per language. Same-day intake before 11 a.m. PT.
- Scheduled
- Handbooks, manuals, and multi-document programs, delivered on a milestone schedule.
Contracting
How to contract with us.
Direct purchase order, or as a subcontractor under a prime. Full purchasing detail sits on the public agencies page.
Request a quote
Send the file, the languages, the date, and the delivery format to quotes@civictranslation.com. A written, itemized quote comes back same business day.
Raise a purchase order
A completed W-9 is available on request. Standard net terms, or your department's terms where they differ. Blanket purchase orders and term contracts are drawn down job by job.
Delivery
Returned in the format you sent, with a signed certificate of accuracy for each document and language pair.
Invoice
Referencing the purchase order number, the documents, the languages, and the delivery date, so it reconciles without a phone call.
Confidentiality, recordkeeping, and rush handling are set out in full on the public agencies page. Subcontract terms for language service providers are on the partners page.
Registrations
Registrations and credentials.
This page lists a registration, certification, or insurance line only after it has been issued, so anything printed here can go into a vendor file without being verified first.
Nothing is listed here yet. Registrations, certifications, and insurance are in process, and none of them appear on this site until they have been issued and can be verified.
Ask for the current status of any specific item your vendor file requires and you will have it in writing, same business day. A completed W-9, a signed confidentiality agreement on your form, a specimen certificate of accuracy, and a written statement of process are all available now.
No UEI, CAGE code, or certification number is published here because none has been issued. When one is, it appears on this page with its number.
Send a document, or ask for the vendor file.
Attach the file, name the languages, and give us the date. A written, itemized quote comes back same business day.