notary
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notary
A legally trained person appointed by the state to certify and authenticate legal transactions such as real estate purchases or wills.
Der Kaufvertrag für das Haus muss von einem Notar beglaubigt werden.
The purchase contract for the house must be certified by a notary.
To express movement to a notary, you use 'zum Notar gehen' (to go to the notary). If you are already there or have an appointment, you say 'beim Notar sein' (to be at the notary's office).
Wir müssen morgen zum Notar, um den Vertrag zu unterschreiben.
We have to go to the notary tomorrow to sign the contract.
A notary performs certain legal actions. Typical verbs associated with a notary are 'beurkunden' (to officially record/certify, e.g. a contract) and 'beglaubigen' (to authenticate/certify, e.g. a copy or signature).
Der Notar muss die Echtheit der Unterschrift auf dem Dokument beglaubigen.
The notary has to certify the authenticity of the signature on the document.
In Germany, a notary has an important public function. For many major legal transactions, such as buying a house or founding a company, an appointment with a notary is required by law.
Ohne einen Notar ist der Hauskauf in Deutschland rechtlich nicht gültig.
Without a notary, buying a house in Germany is not legally valid.
judge
'der Richter' and 'der Notar' are both legal professions and work with legally important decisions or documents. Even so, their tasks are different. A judge works at a court and makes judgments in disputes. A notary certifies and authenticates important legal transactions, for example when buying an apartment or making a will. The words can be confused because both have legally important duties assigned by the state. In court, the judge decides; for contracts and official documents, people often go to a notary.
Zum Kauf des Hauses müssen die Eltern einen Termin beim Notar machen.
To buy the house, the parents have to make an appointment with the notary.
Der Richter entscheidet, ob der Angeklagte schuldig ist.
The judge decides whether the defendant is guilty.