English to Norwegian Translation

This direction is used when an English document has to be submitted in Norway. The typical applicant is someone presenting a diploma, a registry record or a company document issued in an English-speaking country to a university, an employer or the immigration authority (UDI) in Norway. The source carries an Anglo-Saxon layout, while the destination assesses it according to Norwegian administrative tradition and certification falls under the Norwegian regime.

Concrete examples bring the direction into focus: taking a diploma obtained abroad through recognition in Norway, a foreign company entering the Norwegian market with its registry documents, criminal record and income documents submitted for a work permit. The source carries an Anglo-Saxon reality, while the destination assesses it in the language of Norwegian administration.

Education and employment files predominate in this direction; the international character of the oil, maritime and engineering sectors makes English professional and company documents a frequent request here. In these files the documents are submitted as a set.

Translating these documents means settling Anglo-Saxon concepts into their Norwegian administrative counterparts; the written standard of the target is also fixed at the outset.

The first step of an application in this direction is to identify the target standard and the institution, because the document may go to a university, to the immigration directorate (UDI) or to an employer, and each of them makes different use of it. Settling this makes the choice of terminology and register right from the start.

The Norwegian higher education recognition authority wants to see the degree and credit information on an English diploma exactly as it stands; that information is not forced into equivalence with a Norwegian degree but explained, and the decision is left to the authority. An incomplete or interpretative rendering delays the recognition process.

Documents from the oil, maritime and engineering sectors are often seen in this direction; in them technical titles and fields of competence are conveyed according to their function and, where necessary, kept in their original form. A wrong match can make professional recognition contentious.

The date, currency and number formats in the English source are adapted to Norwegian usage but their values do not change; the decimal separator becomes a comma and the amount stays as it is. The position of the signature and seal fields is preserved.

Technical points specific to English into Norwegian

Although the target written standard (Bokmål or Nynorsk) is Bokmål in most official contexts, it is settled according to the institution’s preference and the translation is built on that basis. English names are kept in their original Latin spelling in the Norwegian text, because the Norwegian records system uses the Latin alphabet.

Company forms (Ltd., LLC) are not automatically converted into the Norwegian AS structure; the original abbreviation is kept and explained, because the liability structures do not overlap. English legal concepts are rendered according to their function; a word-for-word rendering blurs the official meaning.

Dates and currency are not converted; the Norwegian text uses a comma as the decimal separator and gives the date in day-month-year order. English abbreviations are expanded and, where needed, given in brackets.

The signature and date information in the document is kept in place. In documents belonging to the same person the spelling of the name is kept consistent.

In diploma applications the degree and credit information is conveyed explicitly; English degree names are not forced into equivalence with a Norwegian degree but explained, and the Norwegian authority takes the decision. This is decisive in the recognition process.

In commercial files, conveying the company name, the partners and the amounts with exact consistency is necessary for the application to be assessed as a whole; registration numbers are not translated but given with a reference to the record. In sector documents technical titles and areas of competence are rendered according to their function.

In work permit files the date and the issuing authority of criminal record and medical documents are stated explicitly; the official wording in these documents is settled into the established administrative formulas of Norwegian rather than freely rewritten.

Documents for which this direction is requested

• Diplomas, transcripts and professional documents
• Birth, marriage and residence documents
• Company registry records and commercial contracts
• Work and residence application documents
• Sector and professional qualification documents

Education and employment files predominate in this direction; the target institution’s preference of language standard is clarified at the outset. Degree and credit information is conveyed explicitly.

In commercial documents the company form and the registry details are kept in their original form. In sector documents technical titles are rendered according to their function.

Chain of certification

Norway rests on a state-authorised translator (statsautorisert translatør) system; the title is obtained by examination and the holders are few in number, so official applications commonly call for a translation carrying that authority. A document arriving from the English-speaking source country is expected to bear an apostille.

To see these expectations and Norway’s certification regime, look through the country page and the requirements for the document type. Tell us the target language standard and the institution before you send the document.

By uploading your document you can see the page count and the current fee, and compare the unit prices.

This page is for general information; the exact fee and delivery date become clear once the document has been uploaded. We recommend obtaining confirmation from an official source before proceeding.