The Notary Hotline receives hundreds of calls daily from Notaries nationwide who find themselves in challenging situations. To boost your knowledge of Notary standards of practice, we’ve created a series of scenarios based on actual situations and ask a simple question: What would you do?
Notaries often encounter documents in a foreign language or signers who only speak a foreign language. While these situations present a variety of challenges, this real-life scenario poses a different conundrum. A signer needed his signature notarized on a document that was written in Japanese. However, the signer did not speak or read Japanese — only English — and he brought a translator with him to explain the document.
As the Notary began going through the normal steps, the signer and the translator began arguing over what the document said. Eventually the signer decided to sign the document but did not appear happy about it.
What Would You Do?
Members of the NNA community frequently share accounts of dubious or confusing notarial situations, and it is not always clear how they should respond. This case suggests several issues.
To participate in this week’s “What Would You Do?” scenario, share your answers in the comments section below. We may mention your response in next week’s Bulletin, when we offer the best possible answer(s) to this notarial challenge.
Michael Lewis is Managing Editor of member publications for the National Notary Association.