The notary may be unable to complete the notarial certificate correctly because he or she can't follow the document's instructions, or does not recognize blank spaces. The notary may be unable to detect blatant frauds. If the signer signs in a non-Roman alphabet, such as Arabic, Russian, or Japanese, the notary may be unable to determine that the signer is signing the same name as the party named in the document, or if the notary is named in the document. When in doubt, a notary can always refuse to notarize and refer the customer to a bilingual notary. These can be found at consulates and embassies, in an ethnic community, at universities and community colleges, and sometimes in the Yellow Pages.
Translators are often notaries.
As an alternative, a notary can notarize signed, English translations, but these may not be acceptable to the receiving agency. It is best to confirm that option first. If a non-Roman alphabet is used, some recorders require translation. A notary public may use a certificate written in a foreign language, if he or she can read and write the language on the certificate, and the certificate meets the minimum requirements of Oregon statute. ORS 194.565, ORS 194.575.