Numbers, separators and currencies in document translation

Read numbers as labeled data

A comma or period may separate decimals or thousands depending on the source convention. Check the surrounding table and currency code. Identity numbers should remain identifiers, including leading zeros, rather than being reformatted as quantities or spreadsheet calculations.

Keep conversion separate from transcription

Rendering a number in English does not require changing its currency or measurement system. If the recipient requests an additional conversion, identify the rate or formula and date separately. A translator should not use a present exchange rate to rewrite a historical statement balance.

Review high-consequence fields twice

Compare dates, account identifiers, doses, amounts and page references against the source. A missing minus sign or shifted decimal can reverse meaning. Use a field-by-field review and resolve discrepancies before the certified version is sent rather than editing the delivered certificate yourself.

Read numbers through their labels and separators

Commas, periods and spaces can serve as decimal or thousands separators in different source conventions. A value that looks like 1.250 may therefore require context from the currency, column heading and neighboring entries. Ask for faithful presentation with an unambiguous label rather than converting punctuation mechanically. Identification numbers should generally remain character strings; a leading zero is not disposable simply because a spreadsheet treats the field as a number.

Financial tables can contain amounts, percentages, quantities and exchange rates in adjacent columns. Retain the units and signs. A minus sign, parentheses or a debit indicator can change the meaning of a balance. In an illustrative payroll table, a deduction of 250 and a payment of 250 share digits but not economic meaning. Column alignment is therefore part of accuracy, not only visual formatting.

Keep conversion separate from translation

A currency symbol alone may be ambiguous. Preserve a stated code or country label and do not insert an assumed currency from the document's language. If a recipient separately asks for a conversion, the method, rate date and resulting calculation should be distinguishable from the source amount. A current exchange rate cannot be silently substituted into a historical bank or tax record.

For USCIS use, the source's numerical information belongs within the required full English translation; the applicable evidence request determines what it proves. Review totals as a way to locate transcription mistakes, not as permission to alter the original accounting. If source arithmetic does not reconcile, flag the discrepancy and keep the printed figures. Likewise, a percent sign missing from a scan should be resolved through a clearer source rather than guessed. The goal is readable numerical evidence with its original scale and limits intact.