How to Start a Translation, Localisation or Interpreting Company for US Clients from Abroad (2026), Without Visiting: US LLC or C-Corp, EIN Without an SSN, Bank Account, Certified Translations for USCIS, Medical Interpreting and HIPAA, Court Work and Freelancer Networks
How a translation agency, localisation company, subtitling studio or remote interpreting provider outside the USA sets up a US company remotely to serve American clients: LLC or C-Corporation, EIN without an SSN or ITIN, a US business bank account without visiting, services and pricing, certified translations for USCIS, what notarisation means, medical interpreting, HIPAA and language access laws, court and legal work, machine translation, freelancer networks, tax, and worked examples.
The USA buys translation from the whole world. Immigrants need birth certificates and diplomas translated for USCIS. Hospitals need interpreters for patients who speak Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic or Haitian Creole. Law firms need foreign-language evidence translated. Software companies, game studios and streaming services need their products and shows in 30 languages.
Most of that work is done by translators who live in the country where the language is spoken, or work remotely from anywhere. A translation or localisation company abroad, with a US company at the front, can sign American clients, pass their vendor checks and get paid in dollars.
This guide explains how to set up without visiting the USA, and the US rules for certified translations, medical interpreting, legal work and client data.
In short: A non-resident can form a US LLC or C-Corporation without visiting, get an EIN without an SSN or ITIN, and open a US business bank account remotely. With translators working abroad, a foreign-owned single-member LLC usually owes no US federal income tax, but files Form 5472 every year. Certified translations for USCIS need a signed translator's certification, not a licence. Medical interpreting brings HIPAA and "qualified interpreter" standards. Court interpreting in person needs state certification. Pay your freelance network properly and collect Form W-8BEN from each translator.
What translation companies sell
| Service | Typical client | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Certified document translation (birth, marriage, academic, police records) | Immigrants, students, immigration lawyers | Per page |
| Legal translation (contracts, evidence, discovery documents) | Law firms, courts, companies | Per word, rush fees |
| Medical and life sciences (records, clinical trial documents, labels) | Hospitals, pharma, CROs, device makers | Per word |
| Software and website localisation | SaaS, app and e-commerce companies | Per word, per string or monthly |
| Game localisation | Game studios and publishers | Per word, plus testing |
| Subtitling and dubbing | Streaming, e-learning, marketing | Per minute |
| Over-the-phone and video interpreting | Hospitals, clinics, insurers, call centres, government | Per minute |
| Machine translation post-editing | High-volume content | Per word, lower rates |
Most agencies start in a few language pairs where they have real depth, such as Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic or Hindi to and from English, then add languages through freelancers.
Can you start a translation company in the USA without visiting?
Yes:
- Form the LLC or corporation online through a registered agent
- Get the EIN without an SSN or ITIN with Form SS-4
- Open a US business bank account without visiting
- Take card payments from individuals through Stripe; see Stripe for non-residents
- Get a US phone number for clients and interpreting lines; see the VoIP company guide if you plan to run your own phone platform
Expect four to eight weeks for the company, EIN and bank account. See opening a US company without visiting, EIN for non-residents and the US business bank account guide.
US LLC or C-Corp?
US LLC formation for a translation agency
A single-member LLC suits most agencies. It is disregarded for US tax, and fees for translation done by translators outside the USA are generally foreign-source. With no US office or US staff, the LLC usually owes no US federal income tax. It files Form 5472 with a pro forma 1120 every year ($25,000 penalty if missed). See Form 5472 explained.
A Wyoming LLC with EIN is $249, or $348 with a bank account, then $121 a year.
US C-Corp formation for a localisation company
A C-Corporation (21% federal tax) fits better if you:
- use US-based translators or interpreters regularly, whose work is US-source income for your company
- build a translation platform or interpreting app
- plan to raise money or sell the business
A Delaware corporation with EIN is $358, then $578 a year. See LLC vs Inc and effectively connected income.
Certified translations for USCIS
US immigration is one of the steadiest sources of translation work. USCIS requires that any foreign-language document be submitted with a full English translation and a certification by the translator stating that:
- the translator is competent to translate from the foreign language into English, and
- the translation is complete and accurate
The certification is signed and dated, with the translator's name and address. USCIS does not require the translator to be licensed, US-based or a member of any association, and does not require notarisation. That means a well-run agency abroad can serve this market fully. Good practice:
- translate everything on the document, including stamps, seals and handwritten notes, and mark what is illegible
- keep the layout close to the original
- deliver a PDF that the client or lawyer can file online
- keep records of who translated what
Notarised translations: some US schools, courts or state agencies ask for a translation with a notary's stamp. A notary only confirms the identity of the person signing the certification, not the translation. The notary must be commissioned in a US state; many states now allow remote online notarisation, so a translator abroad can sign in front of a US notary by video. Your own team abroad cannot notarise for US use.
Medical interpreting and translation
US hospitals and clinics that receive federal funds must provide language assistance to patients with limited English, under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act and Title VI. The rules call for qualified interpreters: people with proven proficiency in both languages, knowledge of medical terms, and who follow interpreter ethics such as accuracy and confidentiality. Family members and untrained staff generally don't qualify.
That creates a large market for over-the-phone (OPI) and video remote interpreting (VRI), much of it served from abroad. What US buyers will expect:
- HIPAA: you hear and see patient information, so you are a business associate and sign a business associate agreement (BAA). Interpreters work from secure, private rooms on company devices, with no recording unless the client requires it
- Interpreter qualifications: language testing, medical terminology training and ethics training. US national medical interpreter certifications exist, and some buyers ask for them for certain languages
- Service levels: average answer time, language coverage, 24/7 availability for major languages
- Call quality: stable connections and backup lines
Translation of medical records and clinical trial documents also involves PHI and BAAs where the data is identifiable. See the medical billing company guide for HIPAA work from abroad.
Legal and court work
- Court interpreting in US courtrooms usually requires state or federal court certification, which normally involves exams taken in the USA. A company abroad rarely does in-person court work, though some courts use remote interpreters for certain hearings
- Legal document translation for law firms is open to agencies abroad. Expect strict confidentiality, sometimes affidavits from the translator for use as evidence, and fast turnaround for discovery projects with thousands of documents
- Export-controlled or defence documents, such as technical drawings for military products, may not be sent abroad without a licence. Ask the client before accepting technical translation for defence or aerospace
Localisation for software, games and media
Localisation clients care less about certification and more about process:
- Translation management systems and translation memory, so the client pays less for repeated text
- Quality assurance: review by a second linguist, linguistic testing in the actual app or game
- Confidentiality: unreleased games and products are trade secrets. Expect NDAs with penalties and secure file handling
- Accessibility work: closed captions and audio description for US media follow FCC and accessibility standards
- Standards: some buyers prefer agencies certified to ISO 17100
Machine translation and AI
Most agencies now offer machine translation with human post-editing. Two rules:
- Ask the client before using machine translation on their content. Many contracts ban putting confidential text into public AI tools
- Never use raw machine translation for certified, legal or medical documents without full human translation and review
Your freelance network
Translation agencies usually rely on freelancers around the world.
- Each freelancer signs a contractor agreement with confidentiality, quality standards and IP assignment of the translation
- Freelancers outside the USA give Form W-8BEN. Foreign individuals working outside the USA don't get a Form 1099
- US-resident freelancers give Form W-9, and you file Form 1099-NEC for them if you pay them over the yearly threshold ($600 for 2025, $2,000 for payments from 2026)
- Payments: pay on time and in the freelancer's preferred method. See paying contractors abroad
A local company in your home country can employ in-house project managers and linguists and invoice the US company under an intercompany service agreement, reported on Form 5472. Indian owners must follow the ODI rules; see ODI and FEMA rules.
Getting paid and sales tax
- Individuals pay by card through Stripe before delivery
- Businesses and law firms pay by ACH after invoice; give them your company's Form W-9. See W-8BEN-E vs W-8BEN and receiving payments from US clients
- Sales tax: translation and interpreting are services and are not taxed in most states. A few states with broad taxes on services, such as Hawaii, New Mexico and South Dakota, can be exceptions. See state taxes for a foreign-owned LLC
Examples
These examples are illustrative.
Ahmed, Cairo: Arabic certified translations. Ahmed's team translates Arabic birth, marriage and school records for US immigration lawyers. A Wyoming LLC takes payment by card and bills law firms monthly. Every translation comes with a signed translator's certification; when a client needs a notarised version, the translator signs before a US online notary by video. All work is done in Egypt, so the LLC files Form 5472 and owes no US federal income tax.
Mariana, São Paulo: video interpreting for US clinics. Mariana's company provides Portuguese and Spanish video interpreting to US community clinics. Each clinic signed a BAA with the US LLC, interpreters work from private rooms on company laptops, and every interpreter passed language and medical terminology tests. Mariana tracks answer times by language because clinics ask for them every month.
Hiroshi, Osaka: game localisation. Hiroshi localises US indie games into Japanese and Korean, including in-game testing. Unreleased builds are only opened on company devices, and every freelancer signed an NDA with IP assignment. The US LLC is paid by wire by the publishers and pays freelancers in Japan and Korea, each with a Form W-8BEN.
Anna, Warsaw: localisation platform. Anna built a translation management platform with an agency attached. After raising money from US investors, Anna formed a Delaware C-Corporation, which files Form 1120 and now collects sales tax on platform subscriptions in states where SaaS is taxed.
Common mistakes
- Leaving stamps or handwritten notes untranslated on USCIS documents.
- Confusing notarisation with certification.
- Using untested bilingual staff as medical interpreters.
- No BAA for medical interpreting or medical records.
- Pasting confidential client text into public AI tools.
- No IP assignment from freelancers.
- Forgetting Form 5472 because the LLC owes no US income tax.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start a translation agency for US clients from abroad without visiting? Yes. The company, EIN and US bank account are all set up remotely.
Do I need an SSN or ITIN for the EIN? No. Foreign owners apply with Form SS-4.
Can translators outside the USA do certified translations for USCIS? Yes. USCIS needs a complete translation and a signed certification of competence and accuracy. It doesn't require a US-based or licensed translator.
Do I need a licence to run a translation company in the USA? No general licence is needed. In-person court interpreting usually requires certification.
Will my US LLC pay US tax on translation fees? Usually not, if the work is done abroad and there is no US office or staff. It still files Form 5472.
How UCB can help
We form US LLCs and C-Corporations for translation, localisation and interpreting companies outside the USA, get the EIN without an SSN, and help open a US business bank account without visiting, through our formation, EIN and bank account package. Each year we prepare Form 5472 with the pro forma 1120, Form 1120 or Form 1065, through our US tax filing service. We do not provide notary, HIPAA, immigration or legal services.
Related guides: freelancers and consultants, VA and BPO companies and contracts with US clients.
Starting a translation or localisation company for US clients? WhatsApp us at +1 315 961 2956 or email enquiries@ucbsolutions.com.
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This article is general information for non-resident business owners and is not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change; contact us to confirm what applies to your situation.
