English is the language we handle most. Two very different jobs sit behind that word: documents issued in the UK, the United States, Canada, Ireland or Australia that a Turkish authority now wants in Turkish, and Turkish documents that have to be understood by an office abroad. Since 1992 we have prepared both with sworn translators registered at Istanbul notaries.
SWORN ENGLISH TRANSLATION IN ISTANBUL
CERTIFIED TRANSLATION MEANS SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN TURKEY
In the United States and the United Kingdom, a certified translation usually means the translator signs a statement of accuracy and attaches it. There is no register of translators and no court involvement.
Turkey works differently. A translation for an official file must be produced by a translator who has given an oath before a Turkish notary (noter yeminli tercüman), and the notary then certifies the translator’s signature. A statement of accuracy printed abroad does not replace this, which is why translations people bring with them are often rejected at the counter.
The practical consequence: if the document will be used in Turkey, have it translated in Turkey. It is faster and cheaper than paying twice.
WHERE THE APOSTILLE COMES FROM DEPENDS ON THE COUNTRY
All the main English-speaking countries are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, so no consular legalisation is needed — but the issuing body is not the same everywhere.
- United Kingdom — the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- United States — the Secretary of State of the state that issued the document; federal documents go to the US Department of State instead. There is no single national authority
- Canada — a recent arrival: the Convention only entered into force for Canada on 11 January 2024, so older documents may still carry the old authentication and legalisation stamps
- Ireland, Australia, New Zealand — the foreign ministry or its designated office
The apostille goes on the original document, not on the translation. Get it before you send the file to us.
AMERICAN DOCUMENTS ARE ISSUED BY STATES, NOT BY THE COUNTRY
There is no national birth certificate in the United States. Vital records are held by each state, and sometimes by a county, so two American birth certificates can look nothing alike. A short-form or “abstract” copy often lacks the parents’ details a Turkish registry office needs.
Before ordering a copy from abroad, ask the Turkish office which version it wants. A long-form certified copy issued by the state, with an apostille from that same state, is what usually clears.
Middle names cause the second most common problem. English-speaking countries put the middle name between the given name and the surname; Turkish records treat a person as having a name and a surname only. We carry the middle name across exactly as printed and never fold it into the surname, so the file matches your passport.
DOCUMENTS WE TRANSLATE MOST OFTEN
- Civil status: birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates, single status letters
- Education: degrees, diplomas, transcripts, course descriptions, recognition (denklik) files
- Official: passports, driving licences, police certificates and DBS checks, residence and work permit files
- Legal: powers of attorney, court judgments, wills and probate papers, contracts
- Commercial: company registrations, articles of association, audited accounts, tenders, patents, invoices and customs papers
For technical and commercial files we build a client glossary and keep the same translator team on your account, so terminology stays consistent across years of documents. We also provide consecutive interpreters for notary, land registry and marriage office appointments, and simultaneous teams for conferences.
Other languages are listed on our translation languages page.
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