Why “official translation” matters

Not every translation can be used for official purposes.

A document may be accurately translated and still be rejected by an authority if it does not meet the required formal conditions. This is why the distinction matters.

In Greece, official translations are often needed for public authorities, courts, tax offices, municipalities, universities, employers, immigration procedures, banks and foreign institutions.

The risk is practical. If the translation is not accepted, the client may lose time, miss a deadline or have to repeat the process.

At OMADA, we treat official translation as a controlled process. Accuracy matters, but so do certification, document handling, formatting and instructions from the receiving authority.

What is an official translation?

An official translation is a translation prepared and certified for formal use.

In simple terms, it is a translation that can be submitted to a public body, court, university, company, bank or other institution when that institution requires a formally valid translation.

However, “official” does not only mean “good quality”. A translation may be linguistically excellent, but it still needs the correct certification route.

In Greece, official translations are commonly connected with two main routes:

• translations by certified translators included in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Register;
• translations by lawyers, under the conditions provided by the Greek Lawyers’ Code.

In practice, the right route depends on the document, the language pair, the destination country, the receiving authority and any special instructions given to the client.

Who can provide official translations in Greece?

Greece now has a digital service for the Register of Certified Translators. Through this service, users can search for certified translators included in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Register.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that certified translators translate officially from a foreign language into Greek and from Greek into a foreign language.

Another common route is certification by a Greek lawyer. Article 36 of Law 4194/2013, the Greek Lawyers’ Code, provides that a lawyer may translate documents from a foreign language into Greek and from Greek into a foreign language, provided the relevant legal conditions are met.

For lawyer-certified translations, the translation must be accompanied by a certified copy of the document translated, and the lawyer must certify sufficient knowledge of the language from and into which they translated.

This is why official translation is not just a linguistic task. It is also a formal document process.

What documents usually need official translation?

Official translations are often required when a document will be submitted to an authority or institution.

Common examples include:

• birth certificates;
• marriage certificates;
• death certificates;
• family status certificates;
• criminal record certificates;
• residence or immigration documents;
• court documents;
• contracts and legal declarations;
• tax certificates;
• company documents;
• academic degrees and transcripts;
• employment certificates;
• medical certificates;
• banking and financial documents.

Some documents are simple. Others are more sensitive. Legal, medical, financial and academic documents need extra care because terminology, names, dates and official references must be handled consistently.

What makes a translation acceptable?

Acceptance depends on more than the translation itself.

Before starting, it is important to check the receiving authority’s requirements. One authority may accept a lawyer-certified translation. Another may request a certified translator. A foreign authority may also ask for an apostille, legalization or a specific certification format.

In most cases, an official translation should include:

• a faithful translation of the full document;
• clear rendering of names, dates, stamps, seals and signatures;
• consistent terminology;
• a certification statement;
• signature and professional details of the certifying person;
• the required link to the source document or certified copy, where applicable.

The goal is simple: the authority must be able to understand the document and trust the translation.

Apostille, legalization and official translation are not the same

This is where many clients get confused.

An apostille or legalization usually confirms the authenticity of the original public document or signature. It does not translate the document.

The official translation, by contrast, transfers the content into another language and certifies the translation for formal use.

In many cases, the original document may need to be apostilled or legalized before translation. However, this depends on the country of issue, the country of submission and the receiving authority’s rules.

Therefore, the safest approach is to ask the receiving authority what it requires before ordering the translation.

Why accuracy still matters

Certification does not fix a poor translation.

An official translation must be formally valid, but it must also be accurate. Names, dates, numbers, official titles, legal terms and institutional references must be translated or transcribed carefully.

A small error can create a serious problem. A wrong date may delay an application. An inconsistent name spelling may raise questions. A mistranslated legal term may change the meaning of a document.

This is why official translation requires both formal knowledge and linguistic discipline.

For specialized documents, terminology management is especially useful. OMADA’s work with terminology management helps ensure consistency across names, legal terms, institutional titles and recurring document types.

Official translation into Greek

Foreign documents submitted to Greek authorities often need to be translated into Greek.

These may include civil status documents, company documents, academic certificates, employment records, medical certificates or court papers.

For Greek authorities, clarity and completeness are essential. The translation should reflect the original document faithfully. Stamps, seals, handwritten notes and signatures should also be indicated where relevant.

If the original document contains a name, address, authority or legal term that can be rendered in more than one way, the translator must choose a consistent and defensible solution.

Official translation from Greek into another language

Greek documents may also need official translation for use abroad.

Common examples include tax certificates, court documents, company records, academic documents and certificates issued by Greek authorities.

Here, the destination country matters. Some foreign authorities may accept a lawyer-certified translation from Greece. Others may require a local sworn translator, a consular process or a different certification route.

For this reason, clients should always check the exact requirement before submitting documents abroad.

OMADA can support the translation process and help clients understand the practical questions they should clarify with the receiving body.

How OMADA helps

OMADA supports official and certified translation workflows from and into Greek.

Our role is not only to translate the words. We help clients prepare documents for formal use with accuracy, consistency and care.

Depending on the project, OMADA can support:

• Greek official and certified translation workflows;
• legal, financial, medical, academic and company documents;
• terminology-sensitive document translation;
• formatting that follows the original document as closely as possible;
• clear handling of stamps, signatures and official notes;
• review of names, dates, numbers and references;
• translation memories and terminology consistency for recurring document types;
• linguistic QA for high-risk content.

For documents intended for public authorities, courts, universities or formal procedures, there is no room for casual handling.

The translation must be accurate. The certification route must be appropriate. The final document must be clear enough to stand up to review.