English to Greek Translation

This direction is used when an English document has to be put before an authority in Greece or Cyprus. 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 Greece. Unlike the de|el pair, the source language here is English rather than German; the Greek regime at the receiving end is the same, and the power to certify lies with lawyers and sworn translators.

Concrete examples make the direction plain: a diploma obtained abroad being taken through recognition in Greece (DOATAP), a foreign company entering the Greek 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 Greek administrative language and the Greek alphabet.

Education and work files carry most of the weight in this direction; for diploma recognition DOATAP asks for a detailed breakdown of the courses taken. That widens the set of documents and increases the volume of translation.

Translating these documents means settling Anglo-Saxon concepts into their Greek administrative counterparts and rendering Latin-script names correctly.

In this direction the Greek authority the document is bound for is established at the outset; a university, the recognition body (DOATAP), an employer and the immigration service each make different use of a document, and the translation is built accordingly. Settling this in advance is what makes the choice of terminology and layout the right one.

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

Since the power to certify lies with lawyers and sworn translators, the layout is prepared on the understanding that the translation will be submitted together with that form of attestation; the position of the signature and seal areas is preserved.

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. That coherence allows the application to be assessed without contradictions.

Technical matters peculiar to English into Greek

In this direction the change of alphabet runs the other way: English names in Latin script are for the most part kept in their original Latin spelling inside the Greek text, with a Greek-alphabet reading supplied where it is needed; keeping a person’s name in the Latin spelling that appears in the passport is critical for the Greek authority’s identity matching.

Company forms (Ltd., LLC) are not converted automatically into the Greek Ε.Π.Ε. or Α.Ε. structure; the original abbreviation is kept and explained, because the liability structures do not overlap. English legal concepts are matched in Greek according to the function they perform.

The grading system is not converted; the system used in the source is explained rather than forced onto the Greek scale. Dates and currency are not converted either, only adapted to the writing conventions of the target.

English abbreviations are unpacked and, where necessary, given in brackets. The signature and date details on the document are preserved in place.

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

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. Across documents belonging to the same person the spelling of the name is kept consistent.

In work permit files the date and the issuing authority of the criminal record and income documents are stated openly; the official formulas in these documents are settled into the established administrative patterns of Greek and not rewritten freely.

Where Cyprus is concerned it is worth remembering that English is in official use and that some institutions may accept an English document directly; for that reason it is clarified before the application whether a translation into Greek is genuinely needed.

Because the Greek authorities also verify the original form of the document, the position of the seal and date areas is preserved in the translation and the document is carried across with its integrity intact.

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; for diploma recognition DOATAP asks for a detailed breakdown of the courses taken. 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

After the translation service of its Foreign Ministry closed, Greece handed the power to certify to lawyers and sworn translators; official translations are certified through that channel. A document arriving from an English-speaking source country is expected to carry an apostille. It should not be forgotten that English is in official use in Cyprus.

To see these expectations and the Greek 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, and the spelling of the name in the passport, before you send it.

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

The account here summarises the typical case; notarisation and apostille steps are costed as separate items. The final requirement is set by the authority the application is made to, so confirm it in advance.