About German Translators: Sworn Translations for Foreign Documents

Why experience with foreign documents matters

A German office can only work with what the translation shows. If a stamp is skipped or a name is spelled differently from your other papers, you may be asked for a new translation. That is why we look closely at the script, the layout and the issuing office of every document before the translator starts.

We regularly work with documents in four scripts and with Turkish documents:

• Arabic script: Syrian and Iraqi civil registry extracts, family statements and Sharia court marriage contracts, often with handwritten entries and several stamps.
• Cyrillic script: Ukrainian and Russian certificates, including Soviet-era documents in Russian and court decisions on divorce.
• Persian script: Afghan Tazkiras and Nikah-Khats in Dari or Pashto, and Persian (Farsi) documents.
• Devanagari and other Indian scripts: bilingual Indian certificates that mix English with Hindi or a regional language.
• Turkish documents: e-Devlet printouts such as the Nüfus Kayıt Örneği, divorce judgments with the Kesinleşme Şerhi and Turkish diplomas.

A sworn translator may be an expert in the language but not know every regional format. We prepare your file so the translator knows what each stamp, field and abbreviation means.

How we work

The full flow is on the page how our process works. In short, every order goes through five steps and two separate checks before you receive it:

1. 1You upload a scan or photo of your document and get a fixed price before you pay.
2. 2Our team prepares the file: it reads every stamp and handwritten line and marks names, dates and numbers.
3. 3A partner translator sworn by a German court translates the document and checks it against the original.
4. 4Our team checks it a second time before the translator signs: names, dates, numbers, stamps and completeness.
5. 5You get a PDF first, then the signed original by post to your German address.

This is our two-step check: the translator's own check, then a separate check by our team. Only the sworn translator can certify the translation. We never change a certified translation ourselves.

Our name policy for every script

A sworn translation must show your name exactly as it appears on your document. We keep the same order and spelling, and we do not add, drop or expand names or short forms. Names in Arabic, Cyrillic, Persian or Devanagari script are transliterated (written in Latin letters). Turkish names keep their Turkish letters, such as ş, ğ or ı, as printed on the document.

If your passport spells your name differently, the translator adds the passport spelling in a translator's note. The office can then link your documents, while the translation still says exactly what the original says. A sworn translation is valid throughout Germany; the office makes the final decision. More on the legal side: what a sworn translation is.

Meet our partner translators

Every translation for a German office is made and certified by a translator sworn by a German court. You can check each one in the official register of the state justice administrations at justiz-dolmetscher.de. The translator's name, language and court on your translation must match the entry.

See all services by purpose and the documents we translate.

What we do and what we don't do

We only translate. We translate the documents you need for citizenship, a settlement permit, marriage, family reunion or a driving licence conversion. Everything else stays with you and your office.

We do not:

• fill in or submit applications for you
• give legal, immigration or tax advice
• tell you which documents your office needs (your office's letter or checklist decides this)
• get apostilles, legalisations or verifications for you
• promise how an office will decide

If you are unsure which documents you need, ask your office first. Then send us the list.

How we protect your documents

Your documents contain personal data, so we handle them with care. Files are transferred encrypted and deleted after 30 days (GDPR). Only our team and the partner translator working on your order see them. Our privacy policy explains who processes your data and on which legal basis.

Frequently asked questions about German Translators