English to Indonesian Translation

This direction is used when an English document has to be submitted in Indonesia. The typical applicant is a person or a company presenting a diploma, registry record or company document issued in an English-speaking country to an institution in Indonesia; Indonesia’s growing investment and labour market keeps English commercial and education documents in demand in this direction.

Concrete examples make the direction clear: a foreign company producing its registry documents for an investment in Indonesia, a work permit application in Indonesia made with an English diploma, an international contract being submitted to a local authority. The source carries an Anglo-Saxon order, while the target assesses it against Indonesian administrative tradition.

The weight in this direction falls on investment and business documents: for a foreign company to set up a subsidiary in Indonesia, to bid for a tender or to obtain a work permit, English registry, signature and contract documents have to be submitted to the local authorities in Indonesian. In these files the functional rendering of company types and legal concepts directly determines whether the document is accepted by the relevant authority; a wrong rendering makes the application contentious from the outset.

On the education side, English diplomas are translated for recognition or employment in Indonesia. In both cases dates and currency are not converted, only the spelling of the target language is used; abbreviations in English documents are expanded and, where necessary, given in their original form in brackets so that they carry meaning for the official on the receiving side.

In this direction there is a problem of fit that goes beyond translation: the English document is written with Anglo-Saxon legal concepts, and the Indonesian administrative system does not recognise many of them exactly. The translation therefore places the term in its function within the target system rather than transferring it word for word; a wrong match leads to the document being seen as contentious at the relevant authority.

In investment files company documents are usually submitted as a set: the registry record, the signature authority, the articles of association and the financial statements. Rendering the company name, the names of the shareholders and the shareholding details exactly and consistently across these documents is necessary for the application to be assessed as a whole. Amounts and dates are not converted, only adapted in spelling.

The signature, seal and date details in the document are kept in place; English abbreviations are expanded and, where necessary, given in their original form in brackets. These details make it easier for the Indonesian authority to verify the source and the validity of the document.

Technical issues specific to English into Indonesian

English names are kept in the Indonesian text in their original Latin spelling. English legal concepts (for example affidavit, power of attorney) are rendered in Indonesian according to their function; word for word transfer blurs the official meaning. Company types (Ltd., LLC) are not automatically converted into the local PT structure; the original abbreviation is kept and an explanation added.

Indonesian has a simplified grammar; the subtleties of tense and mood in English are conveyed through context in the target text. Abbreviations in English documents are expanded and, where necessary, given in their original form in brackets.

Dates and currency are not converted, only the target spelling is used. In investment and work permit files the correct functional rendering of institution names directly affects whether the document is accepted by the relevant Indonesian authority.

Terminological consistency is particularly important in technical and commercial texts; giving the same concept the same rendering throughout the document prevents disputes over the interpretation of the contract. The signature and date details in the document are kept in place.

Which documents call for this direction

• Diplomas, transcripts and professional certificates
• Birth, marriage and residence certificates
• Company registry records, signature circulars and commercial contracts
• Investment and work permit application documents
• Powers of attorney and consent documents

Commercial and investment files predominate in this direction; the consistent rendering of the names of the parties and of the terms in contracts is necessary for liability to remain where it belongs. Education files call for a breakdown of the courses.

In powers of attorney the wording setting the limits of authority is preserved to the letter. In family documents kinship relationships are stated clearly.

Chain of certification

Indonesia accepts official translation under the sworn translator (penerjemah tersumpah) system; notarisation and attestation by the relevant authority may also be required. Since the apostille and attestation position for documents from an English-speaking source country changes with current practice, it should be confirmed from an official source.

To see these expectations and the certification regime of the destination country, look at the country page and the document type requirements. Tell us which institution the document is to be submitted to before you send it.

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The figures here are for a typical file; the page count and the difficulty of the subject may affect the outcome. For the conditions in force, consult the institution’s current list of documents.