Diploma Translation for Germany

The institution’s name is not translated; it is written so that it matches anabin

The anabin classification recognises the institution you graduated from by its name. If your university’s name is not reproduced in its original Turkish spelling, the assessor cannot match the document against the database record. Anglicising a name such as “Boğaziçi Üniversitesi” at will, or translating its meaning, makes the institution invisible. The right approach is to leave the institution’s name as it stands and add an explanation in brackets beside it. The same principle applies to the names of the faculty and the programme: the classification is read through these, and even a small change of name in translation can break the match.

A degree title is not a claim of equivalence

The most delicate decision in a diploma translation is how to write the name of the degree. Translating “Lisans” directly as “Bachelor” is in fact an act of levelling one system against another, and the power to do that lies with the ZAB and the anabin classification, not with the translator. A translator sworn in by a court (öffentlich bestellter und beeidigter Übersetzer) reproduces the text of the diploma as it stands, adds an explanatory note in brackets where necessary, but does not assign a German degree title to the document. The same holds for the wording of the graduation grade: expressions such as “pekiyi” or “onur derecesi” are carried across, but not converted into a value on the German grading scale.

Seals, signatures and the reverse side

On Turkish diplomas the elements of authentication – the institutional seal, the wet signatures, any hologram or embossed stamp – are part of what makes the document valid. In the translation it is not their text but their presence that is marked in square brackets, so that the German side can read the original and the translation side by side. Where the writing on a seal cannot be made out, an [illegible] note is added; an invented reading opens the accuracy of the document to question. If there is explanatory wording on the reverse of the diploma, that part must be included in the translation as well. A missing note about a seal gives the impression that the document could not be authenticated.

Is it translated from the original or from a certified copy?

Many institutions in Germany accept, or indeed ask for, a translation not of the original itself but of an officially certified copy (beglaubigte Kopie). Which copy the translation is attached to must therefore be plain from the statement: the translation is bound to the copy of the source document and completed with the translator’s stamp. If it is left unclear whether the translation was made from the original or from a copy, the institution will query the source of the document. If you are applying to several universities or recognition authorities at once, each recipient may need its own certified copy and its own translation set attached to it; planning for that from the start covers the requests that come later.

QR-coded e-diplomas and the form of the copy

Some Turkish universities issue the diploma not as a printed copy with a wet signature but as a QR-coded, electronically signed document via e-Devlet. With such a document the translation marks the presence of the QR code and the electronic verification wording with [QR code] and [e-signature verification] notes; no attempt is made to decode the contents of the code, and whatever the document says is what is reproduced. The ZAB and a university’s admissions office may take different views on whether they accept a QR-coded document; some offices ask only for a printed copy bearing the institutional seal and a wet signature. Because the form required differs from one institution to another, preparing the electronic and the printed copy together is the safest course; the translation is based on the same text for both forms, but the authentication elements on the document itself are reflected separately in the translation.

If the diploma runs to several pages or has annexes, the page order is preserved and the translation is presented in the same arrangement as the source document; a disjointed translation opens the integrity of the document to question during the ZAB’s review. The verification link or reference code visible on a printout of an electronic document is also noted in the translation, since it is the element showing that the document can be verified later.

The order of approvals, and the commonest error

The correct order is generally this: the original diploma is obtained, the apostille is completed in Türkiye if required, and then the whole document, apostille included, is translated. The commonest error is having the translation done before the apostille; because the apostille certificate is itself part of the document, obtaining it afterwards means the translation has to be done a second time. The second most common error is translating the institution’s name and breaking the anabin match; the third is settling the degree title on a German level in the translation. Germany is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, though it remains a good habit to verify the current position from the HCCH’s official list.

You can see which level of approval applies to documents other than the diploma on our document types page, review the cost by number of pages on our pricing page, and upload your document to request a quotation. This page is for general information; confirm the current requirements from the official announcements of the institution you are applying to.