Step-by-step explanation
Make a bank, account, period and page manifest before translating a row.
Confirm the source set that the customer has already selected, then inventory the issuing country and bank, a privacy-safe internal account label, the visible statement period, statement count, page number and source version. Identify duplicates, missing page numbers, export copies and separate transfer receipts before pricing or production. Ordinary quote fields should contain only non-sensitive scope facts; account-holder names, account numbers, balances and transactions belong in secure upload. The manifest controls completeness within the selected set without deciding which evidence the recipient requires.
Original fictional example: secure upload contains January and February statements from Costa Azul Banco for one account, plus a duplicate export of February page 2. The working manifest records “Spain / Bank A / Account 1 / Jan: 3 pages / Feb: 4 pages / duplicate excluded.” No holder name, IBAN, balance or transaction appears in the ordinary quote note.
01
Inventory every statement, page and source version.
Create one manifest row for each selected statement. Record country and bank, an internal account label, period start and end, page sequence, file name, export or scan format, language and whether another file is a duplicate or separate attachment. Keep sensitive values inside the controlled job workspace. If the visible sequence says page 1 of 5 and page 4 is absent, pause that statement for a complete source rather than silently delivering four pages.
Original fictional example: a Mexico packet contains three monthly PDF statements and one standalone CEP. The manifest lists three statements and one transfer attachment; it does not merge the CEP into the March transaction table or count a repeated cover sheet as a fourth statement.
02
Lock the transaction grid before translating descriptions.
Map the exact heading order, column boundaries, reading direction and row-continuation behavior for each statement design. Preserve one source row as one translation row even when the description wraps over two printed lines. Do not slide a value into the neighboring amount or balance column to improve visual symmetry. When an export and a scanned copy differ, identify which selected version governs instead of combining their layouts.
Original fictional example: “TRANSFERENCIA RECIBIDA / REF. AB-804” wraps onto a second visual line, but its operation date, value date, credit and running balance appear only on the first line. The English table keeps it as one transaction row and does not create a blank-date second transaction.
03
Keep operation, posting and value dates in their own columns.
Translate fecha de operación, fecha contable or fecha de contabilización and fecha valor according to the printed labels and approved glossary. They can describe different points in a movement timeline, so never merge them, sort rows by the other date or substitute one for a missing value. Preserve the source date values and make the English date style unambiguous under the project rules without changing which column they occupy.
Original fictional example: a row displays “Operación 28/02/2026” and “Valor 01/03/2026.” The translation shows “Operation date: 28 Feb 2026” and “Value date: 1 Mar 2026” in separate columns; it does not choose 1 March as the only transaction date.
04
Preserve debit, credit, signs and every displayed balance.
Follow the source convention for cargo or adeudo, abono, debe, haber, a single signed amount column, parentheses, trailing minus signs and blank cells. Copy opening, previous, available, running and closing balances exactly as displayed. Bilingual QA can identify a visible mismatch for source comparison, but it must not reconcile the account, infer a missing sign, move an amount between debit and credit or replace a balance with a calculated result.
Original fictional example: the source prints an opening balance of EUR 1,240.00, one debit of EUR 90.00 and a displayed closing balance of EUR 1,151.00. The translation copies all three values and flags the apparent one-euro difference; it does not silently change the closing balance to EUR 1,150.00.
05
Retain currency codes, symbols, units and source number style.
Keep EUR, MXN, USD and other printed currency codes or symbols tied to the amount or column they govern. Preserve any statement-level unit note, decimal separator, thousands separator and exchange-rate field so the source can be compared with the translation. Do not convert currencies, update exchange rates, normalize every symbol to a different code or infer a currency from the issuing country when the page does not state one.
Original fictional example: one account summary labels its main column “MXN,” while a separate international-transfer detail prints “USD 325.40 / tipo de cambio 17,2045.” The translation preserves both stated currencies and the printed rate; it does not calculate or add an MXN equivalent.
06
Translate labels but preserve identifiers and abbreviations.
Distinguish account numbers and masked endings from IBAN, BIC or SWIFT, CCC, CLABE, SPEI, clave de rastreo, referencia, concepto and authorization fields. Translate or explain a label when context supports it, retain the displayed identifier string and mask characters, and record one approved expansion for repeated abbreviations. A CEP or transfer receipt remains a separately inventoried attachment. Reproducing a code does not verify the account, transfer or document.
Original fictional example: “CLABE destino: ••••7712 / Clave de rastreo: SOL260301X7” becomes “Destination CLABE: ••••7712 / Tracking key: SOL260301X7.” The masked ending and fictional key are copied character for character, and the translation makes no claim that the SPEI payment was completed.
07
Run page-continuity, redaction and bilingual QA.
Compare every translated page with the corresponding source page, including repeated headers, page numbers, carried balances, footers, legends and rows split at a page break. Mark text that is visibly redacted in the source with the approved notation; do not reconstruct or conceal additional data. Request a secure replacement for cropped, blurred or missing content. The final delivery manifest should identify the selected statements and pages without exposing account details in ordinary messages.
Original fictional example: page 2 begins with “Saldo anterior: EUR 842,16,” matching the displayed carryover on page 1, but the final transaction on page 3 is cut off at the right edge. QA confirms the carryover and requests a full page 3; it does not guess the missing amount from a later balance.