Legal Translation

Legal translation covers any text that creates rights or obligations: judgments, powers of attorney, contracts, company records. To order, reach our legal translation office by WhatsApp or e-mail or visit a branch, and tell us which country it is going to and who will receive it. That recipient decides whether a sworn translation is enough or whether you also need a notary, an apostille or consular legalization.

Documents we translate

• Court papers: divorce and custody judgments, inheritance certificates (veraset ilamı), statements of claim, expert reports.
• Authority documents: powers of attorney, parental travel consent letters.
• Contracts: sale, lease, employment, distribution and shareholder agreements.
• Company records: Trade Registry Gazette extracts, signature circulars (imza sirküleri), articles of association, board resolutions.

Court document translation for use abroad

Start with the finality annotation (kesinleşme şerhi). In practice, authorities that register a Turkish divorce or custody judgment want proof that it is final. The annotation and every stamp are translated along with the text.

The next step depends on the destination:

• Apostille Convention country: According to the Hague Conference (HCCH) record for Turkey, judicial documents are apostilled by the Judicial Commission presidencies in places with a high criminal court. That entry dates from 2012, so confirm the current office at the courthouse.
• Non-Convention country, or a foreign embassy in Turkey: The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs says an apostille does not work here. You obtain a notarized copy of the judgment, have it approved by the district governor's office (kaymakamlık) or the governorship (valilik), and then apply to the Ministry's Authentication Unit. Our page on document authentication covers this route.

An apostille does not verify what the judgment says. Whether it goes on the judgment, the translation or both varies by destination, so ask the receiving authority before you start. The apostille page explains how the system works.

Using a foreign document in Turkey

A document issued abroad normally needs an apostille. If the country is outside the Convention, it needs legalization by that country's foreign ministry and the Turkish mission there. A notarized Turkish translation comes next. Keep the original to hand: a Turkish notary cannot certify a copy of a document issued by a foreign authority.

A foreign judgment is a separate case. Translation alone may not give it effect in Turkey, so ask your lawyer whether recognition or enforcement proceedings are needed.

Power of attorney translation in Turkey

If you sign a power of attorney at a Turkish notary and do not speak Turkish, the Notaries Law requires a sworn interpreter to be present. You can arrange one through our interpreting service.

For use abroad, the Foreign Ministry describes this order:

1. A sworn translator translates the power of attorney into the required language.
2. The notary approves the translation together with the Turkish text.
3. The governorship or district governor's office approves the notary's seal. The Ministry does not authenticate notary papers directly.
4. The Authentication Unit authenticates the document and its translation.

If the destination is a Convention country, an apostille replaces this chain. Foreign nationals can also have it drawn up through their own embassy or consulate in Turkey.

Turkish wording such as “ahzu kabz” (authority to collect and give receipt), settlement, release and waiver of claim grants specific rights. If one is lost in translation, your representative may be unable to act on it.

Contract translation in Istanbul

Defined terms must stay identical from the first clause to the last. If “Buyer” or “Delivery Date” changes wording halfway through, the clause numbers still match but the meaning starts to drift. Termination, penalty, force majeure, governing law and jurisdiction clauses deserve the closest reading. English boilerplate is a problem of its own: “indemnify and hold harmless” has no single settled Turkish equivalent.

In a bilingual contract, the parties and their lawyers should state which version prevails. If an institution wants a notarized translation of your contract, remember that the notary approves the translator's signature and oath record and does not verify the content. A contract is a private document, so under the HCCH handbook any apostille relates to the notary's certificate, not the contract itself.

Company records

For business documents going abroad, the chamber of commerce joins the chain. The Foreign Ministry gives the order as chamber, then governorship or district governor's office, then the Ministry. If another language is required, it becomes sworn translator, notary, chamber, district governor's office, Ministry.

Where Turkish legal terms go wrong

• İstinaf and temyiz: both tend to become “appeal”, yet they go to different courts. The translation has to show which one is meant.
• Tazminat: depending on context this is damages, compensation or indemnity, which are not interchangeable.
• Anonim şirket: “joint-stock company” shows the legal form more clearly than “corporation”.

Sworn translators and court translators

In Turkey, a sworn translator has an oath record at a notary and translates for notarial work. A court translator (adli yeminli tercüman) is, in practice, sworn in before a justice commission and works on assignments from courts and prosecutors. For a hearing or a statement, the court or prosecutor appoints the interpreter. If you are filing a foreign-language document, ask your lawyer or the court registry which certification it expects.

What does legal translation cost?

The translation fee depends on length, language pair and how readable the scan is. Notary fees are separate, and so is any apostille or legalization follow-up. Faster delivery may be possible depending on the document, the language and the approvals involved. We confirm the amount and date in your quote after seeing the document. Delivery is at a branch or by courier.

Confidentiality

Case files and contracts often hold information that should stay between the parties. For corporate work, a confidentiality agreement can be signed. For judgments that reveal criminal or health information: these documents are special categories of personal data, and your explicit consent to process them is obtained separately.

Official sources

• HCCH: apostille competent authorities
• Turkish Foreign Ministry Authentication Unit FAQ (in Turkish)
• HCCH Apostille Handbook