Academic Transcript Translation for France

Campus France and uploading the file electronically

A large share of undergraduate and postgraduate applications to France runs through the Campus France online procedure, and the transcript is scanned and uploaded into that file. The scan of the translation must therefore be legible, with the seals and signatures clearly visible; a blurred scan makes even a flawless translation impossible to assess. The translation shows in its declaration which copy the scanned document is based on.

In a Campus France file the transcript is read together with the diploma and the supporting statements; the spelling of the name, the name of the institution and the dates must agree across every document belonging to the applicant. If a date or a name on the transcript differs from the one on the diploma, the coherence of the file is called into question and further documents may be requested.

Progress by semestre and repeated courses

A French assessor reads academic progress semester by semester, which is why the semestre headings and the academic year on the transcript are preserved in translation. Where repeated courses, cancelled marks or courses counted from a transfer are shown separately, the translation carries those distinctions across as they stand; reducing a repeated course to a single line distorts the course load. Explanatory footnotes and symbols are given with their counterparts, because they show how the average was arrived at.

Coherence in an Études en France file

Many applicants to France manage their file through the Études en France platform, and the transcript is uploaded there along with the other documents. In that setting the assessor reads the documents not one by one but as a whole, and the consistency between transcript, diploma and letter of motivation is examined closely. If a course title or a date on the transcript contradicts what the diploma says, the file is questioned. The translation must therefore be more than accurate: it has to sit alongside the same person’s other documents, with the name of the institution, the dates of study and the spelling of the name appearing the same way in each. A legible scan of the translation, with the seals and signatures visible, is what keeps the electronic file assessable; a blurred scan renders even a flawless translation useless.

Do not convert into the /20 scale

French higher education reads a mark out of twenty: 12/20, mention assez bien, and so on. Turning a Turkish mark out of four or out of a hundred straight into a /20 equivalent in the translation is, in truth, performing a conversion of marks, and that conversion belongs to the French institution carrying out the assessment. The translator carries the mark across as it stands and, where necessary, translates the explanation of the marking scale on the reverse, but assigns no /20 equivalent to the document. The same principle holds for degree classifications (mention): wording such as “pekiyi” or “onur” is carried across, but not equated with a French mention.

ECTS and course titles

Since France uses the ECTS system, the ECTS (AKTS) value on the transcript is read directly; the translation carries that value across exactly and does not recalculate it. Course titles (matières) are translated with comprehensible French counterparts, because the curriculum is assessed through its content; course codes are identifiers and are kept. The semestre headings and, where given, the year of study also take their place in the translation, so that the French side can see the progression.

The court of appeal list (Cour d’appel) requirement

In France a translation submitted to an official body must be made by a sworn translator (traducteur assermenté) on the list of a court of appeal, and that holds for transcripts too. Where the translation is produced in Türkiye the chain is different: a sworn translator signs it, a notary public notarises it and an apostille is added. The safest step is to confirm with the body you will be submitting to, the university or Campus France, whether your transcript should be prepared by a listed translator in France or through the chain in Türkiye.

The reverse, the seal and common mistakes

The explanation of the marking system on the reverse of the transcript has to be translated in full; the faculty seal and the registrar’s signature are marked in square brackets. Watch these points before delivery:

• Avoid raising a claim of equivalence by converting the mark into a /20 figure.
• Confirm that the translation has been prepared by a listed sworn translator or through the chain in Türkiye.
• Obtain the apostille before the translation.

France is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention; confirm the current position from the official HCCH list. You can see the level of certification other documents need in our document guide, look at the cost on our pricing page and upload your document for a quote. Institutional practice can change, so verify the position from an official source before you apply.