English to Hebrew Translation

This direction is used when an English document has to be submitted in Israel. The typical applicant is someone presenting a diploma, a record or a family document issued in an English-speaking country to an institution in Israel; settlement (aliyah) and work applications call for this direction often. The source carries the Latin alphabet and a left-to-right layout, while the target is carried into a system written in the Hebrew alphabet and running from right to left.

Concrete examples make the direction clearer: taking a diploma obtained abroad through recognition in Israel, entering a marriage contracted abroad in the Israeli civil register, submitting birth and descent documents in a settlement application. The source carries an Anglo-Saxon reality, while the target assesses it according to Hebrew administrative language and the Hebrew writing system.

Settlement and family documents predominate in this direction; in these files the accurate transfer of names and relationship details is what allows the Israeli authority to match its records. Education and work documents form the second large group.

Translating these documents is not merely a conversion of alphabet; it requires Anglo-Saxon concepts to be settled into their Hebrew administrative counterparts, and that is a matter of functional mapping.

Since the documents in a settlement application will be assessed by the Israeli interior authority, the translation is prepared with the clarity and completeness that this authority expects; a missing or ambiguous statement of relationship can delay the assessment of entitlement. Descent and family ties are therefore transferred in full.

Because it is common in Israel for an official translation to be used with notarisation, the page layout is prepared on the assumption that the translation will be submitted together with the original document. The position of the signature and seal areas is preserved.

The official formulas in English documents are not rewritten freely in Hebrew; they are settled into their established administrative counterparts. This is what makes the document look familiar and reliable to the Israeli authority.

Diploma and degree titles are not forced into an equivalence with an Israeli degree; they are explained and the recognition decision is left to the relevant authority. Credit and level information is preserved explicitly.

Technical matters specific to English into Hebrew

The direction of writing is reversed here: the text is set from right to left, and page layout, table orientation and number alignment are rebuilt. When English names are given in transliteration in a Hebrew text, any existing Hebrew spelling in the person’s Israeli documents is taken as the basis; because Hebrew is written without vowel marks, a consistent transliteration is chosen.

Where necessary, the Hebrew calendar equivalent is stated alongside the Gregorian date; in civil registry and settlement procedures in particular, this dual presentation makes it easier for the Israeli authority to place the document in its own records. English legal concepts are rendered in Hebrew according to their function.

Company forms are kept with their original abbreviation and explained; English abbreviations are unpacked and, where necessary, given in brackets. Currency is not converted, only adapted to the target script.

The signature, seal and date information in the document is preserved in its position. Across documents belonging to the same person, the Hebrew form of the name is kept consistent.

In settlement applications, documents showing descent and kinship are translated with particular care; since who is connected to whom and by what tie has a direct bearing on the Israeli authority’s assessment of entitlement, these relationships are transferred completely and clearly.

In marriage and divorce documents the names of the parties and of the authorities are given in full; the official expressions in the English source are settled into established administrative formulas in Hebrew and are not rewritten freely.

In multi-page documents the page order and numbering are rearranged to follow the right-to-left flow, so that the reader can follow the document in the correct order and see that no section is missing.

Which documents call for this direction

• Diplomas, transcripts and professional documents
• Birth, marriage and family/descent documents
• Settlement (aliyah) and residence application documents
• Company and commercial contract documents
• Criminal record and residence certificates

Settlement and family documents predominate in this direction; consistent transfer of names and relationship details is what allows the Israeli authority to match its records. In education documents the degree title and course information are transferred accurately.

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

The chain of certification

Israel accepts a translation on the basis of notarisation; a notarised translation is widely accepted. A document coming from the English-speaking source country is expected to carry an apostille.

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

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

The account here summarises the typical case; notarisation and apostille steps are costed as separate items. We recommend following the practice in force through official announcements.