English to Bulgarian Translation

This direction is used when an English document has to be put before an authority in Bulgaria. The typical applicant is someone presenting a diploma, a registry document or a company document issued in an English-speaking country to a university, an employer or an authority in Bulgaria. The source carries a Latin-script layout; the target is transferred into the Cyrillic alphabet, and certification falls under the Bulgarian regime.

Concrete examples make the direction plain: a diploma obtained abroad being taken through recognition in Bulgaria, a foreign company entering the Bulgarian market with its registry documents, criminal record and income documents submitted for a work permit. The source carries an Anglo-Saxon reality, while the target assesses it against Bulgarian administrative language and its writing system.

Education and work files carry most of the weight in this direction; the consistency of the transliterated name with the person’s Bulgarian documents is secured from the outset. That makes identity matching easier.

Translating these documents means settling Anglo-Saxon concepts into their Bulgarian administrative counterparts and transliterating Latin-script names correctly into Cyrillic.

In this direction the Bulgarian authority the document is bound for is established at the outset; a university, an employer and the immigration service each make different use of a document, and the translation is built accordingly. It is at this stage that the transliterated name is secured against the person’s Bulgarian records.

English diploma and degree titles are given in their original form with an explanation, not according to their counterpart in the Bulgarian higher education framework; the recognition decision belongs to the Bulgarian authority. Credit information is preserved in a comparable form.

When Latin-script names are carried into Cyrillic, the spelling already used in the person’s existing records in the country is taken as the basis; inventing a new reading creates a conflict with the identity documents. The original English spelling is also kept where needed, so that verification remains possible.

In commercial and residence files the documents are submitted as a series; the company name, the names of the parties and the amounts are carried across in exactly the same form from one document to the next. Official wording is settled into the established administrative patterns of Bulgarian and not rewritten freely.

Because of the arrangement under which translation is done by agencies contracted to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, preparing the translation in a form and layout that suit that mode of certification makes it easier for the relevant authority to accept the document without difficulty. For that reason, if the receiving institution is known from the start, the translation can be laid out in the form that institution expects.

Technical matters peculiar to English into Bulgarian

In this direction the change of alphabet runs the other way: when Latin-script names are carried into Cyrillic, any existing Cyrillic spelling on the person’s Bulgarian documents is taken as the basis; an arbitrary transliteration breaks identity matching. English names are also often supported in the Cyrillic text by their original Latin spelling.

Bulgarian Cyrillic is used with its own sound values; where it departs from Russian Cyrillic forms, Bulgarian spelling is followed. Place names are given in their official Bulgarian form.

English legal concepts are matched in Bulgarian according to the function they perform; company forms (Ltd., LLC) are not converted automatically into the Bulgarian ООД/ЕООД structure, and the original abbreviation is kept and explained.

Dates and currency are not converted; the date is adapted to day-month-year order and the decimal separator to a comma. English abbreviations are unpacked and, where necessary, given in brackets.

The signature and date details on the document are preserved in place. Across documents belonging to the same person, the Cyrillic spelling of the name is kept consistent.

In diploma applications the degree and credit details are carried across clearly; English degree titles are not forced into equivalence with a Bulgarian degree but explained, and the decision belongs to the Bulgarian authority.

In commercial files the company name, the partners and the amounts must be carried across in exactly the same form; registry numbers are not translated but given with a reference to the record they belong to. Official wording is settled into the established administrative patterns of Bulgarian.

Which documents call for this direction

• Diplomas, transcripts and professional documents
• Birth, marriage and residence documents
• Company registry documents and commercial contracts
• Work and residence application documents
• Criminal record and income documents

Education and work files carry most of the weight in this direction; the consistency of the transliterated name with the person’s Bulgarian documents is secured. Degree and credit details are carried across clearly.

In commercial documents the company form and the registry details are preserved in their original form. In criminal record documents the date and the issuing authority are stated openly.

Chain of certification

Bulgaria works on the basis of translations by agencies contracted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A document arriving from an English-speaking source country is expected to carry an apostille.

To see these expectations and the Bulgarian certification regime, look at the country page and at the requirements for the document type. Tell us the institution the document is to be submitted to before you send it.

Upload your document to see the page count and the current fee, and compare the unit prices.

The information below is offered as guidance; in this language pair the level of certification is determined by the receiving institution. Where you are in doubt, it is as well to put the question to the institution before applying.