Do I need a notarized affidavit before the apostille and French translation?

I am a British citizen with a birth certificate issued in Japan, I have been a permanent resident in the US for the past ten years and will be going to France for a semester to study. I understand I need to translate by birth certificate to French for the submission, and have been told it is necessary to have an apostille on it before the translation; however in order to do so I must have it translated to English as per the US Department of State guidelines. As I will be submitting to you the apostilled French translation of an English translation of the original Japanese, is it necessary for the English version to become a notarized affidavit before gaining the apostille?