Translation of Education Documents for France

The Campus France process and the recognition process run separately

Most candidates hoping to go to France as students meet two parallel processes. The first is the application and pre-admission procedure that runs through Campus France: the file is built up electronically, academic history, motivation and language level are assessed together, and an interview is usually held. The second is the recognition statement showing what a degree corresponds to within the French system, and there the body you deal with is ENIC-NARIC France. The two serve different ends. Campus France steers you towards a programme; the recognition statement documents the level of the degree you already hold.

Knowing that distinction changes the way you plan your documents. What is uploaded to the Campus France file and what is sent to the recognition application need not be the same: the first expects a complete academic record, while in the second it is the documents showing the nature of the degree and of the programme that come to the fore. Where the application goes directly to a university, that institution’s own admissions office is a third reader.

Why each document is asked for

The diploma proves the degree; the transcript supplies what the French assessor is really looking for – progress year by year, and the course load. Because the French higher education system reads degrees by the number of years behind them, the semester and year information on the transcript is decisive. The secondary school diploma and the examination result establish the entitlement to enter at undergraduate level. Course contents are called for above all in regulated fields and in transfer applications. A language certificate is a threshold of its own on programmes taught in French, and is required independently of the academic assessment.

Process	What it is for	Key document
Campus France application	Steering towards a programme, and pre-admission	The academic record in full
ENIC-NARIC France	The level the degree corresponds to	Diploma and transcript
University admission	The decision to admit to a programme	Transcript and course contents

The shortcoming seen most often

In files bound for France the most widespread problem is a translation made by someone who does not appear on a court of appeal’s official list of translators. Entry on that list is a condition strictly applied in France, and a translation from outside the list leaves the file waiting. The second frequent problem is that the scans uploaded to the Campus France file are illegible or missing pages; the reverse of the transcript is the side most often forgotten. The third is that the French spelling of the name varies from one document to another – where Turkish characters have been converted inconsistently, identity cannot be matched up.

Where translation cuts into the process

The most efficient order is this: the original documents are obtained, the certification step in Türkiye is completed, and the whole text is then translated into French, the certification endorsement included. Left to last, the translation is finished in a single pass. A sworn translator’s translation is bound to the source document and sealed, and that same integrity has to be preserved in an electronic upload too. You will find which document needs which approval on our document page, and the differences country by country in our country guide.

In an electronic file the quality of the scan matters as much as the content

Because the bulk of French applications runs electronically, the quality of the scan bears on the outcome as much as the physical condition of the document. Seals, signatures and certification endorsements are expected to be legible; a seal that cannot be read means the document cannot be verified, and the file is put on hold. Colour scanning is usually preferred, because it lets the colour of the seal show. Keeping the pages in their proper order and uploading each document as a separate file also makes the assessor’s work easier.

A second point of detail is uploading the translation together with the source document. French assessors usually want to see the original document and its translation side by side; uploading the translation alone counts as incomplete. So that it is plain which document a translation belongs to, merging the two into the same file, in the same order, is a practical solution.

• Scan your documents in colour and at high resolution.
• Upload every document as source and translation together.
• Check that the certification endorsement can be read in the scan.
• Keep your file names tidy and ordered by document type.

The second problem often met with in France is finding different information on different documents belonging to the same candidate. The graduation date shown on the transcript may not agree with the date on the diploma; at Turkish universities the graduation decision and the printing of the diploma fall on different dates, so this is ordinary enough. The French assessor does not know that and reads it as an inconsistency. In such a case a letter of explanation from the university moves the file on without a wait.

When settling the scope of the translation it is worth asking whether the course contents are genuinely needed. For the Campus France file a summary of the academic record is usually enough; detailed content is asked for where there is a request for exemption or transfer. Narrowing the scope at the outset brings down both the cost and the preparation time. If a document turns out to be needed later, it can be added in a second round.

Because the Campus France calendar is tied to the application period, preparing the documents early is the safest course. You can see how the pages are counted on our pricing page, and you can upload your file to request a quotation.

The information here is general in nature; a destination country’s admission requirements and chain of certification may change from time to time. The safest course is to ask the relevant office for written confirmation before you begin.