What Is the Difference Between Sworn and Notarised Translation?
The two terms are often confused. Which one does your document need, and how do cost and timing change?
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Small but critical diploma translation errors that lead to rejected applications, and how to prevent them.
Diploma translation is the document most often requested for overseas master's degrees, job applications and equivalence procedures. A small mistake can turn into weeks of reapplying. Here are the seven mistakes we see most often on our sworn translation desk.
1. Translating the institution's name wrongly
University and faculty names must be written with the institution's own official English name, not a dictionary equivalent. A wrong name can mean the document cannot be found during verification.
2. Mixing up degree names
"Lisans", "ön lisans", "yüksek lisans" and "tezsiz yüksek lisans" are different degrees. Confusing a "Bachelor of Science" with an "Associate degree" can lead to a rejected equivalence application.
3. Not explaining the grading system
Turkey uses 4-point, 100-point and letter-grade systems together. In a transcript you should translate the grading system and carry the average as it appears in the source; adding your own calculation is wrong.
4. Omitting stamps and signatures
Stamps, wet-ink signatures, holograms and serial numbers on the diploma should be shown in square brackets in the translation (for example [Stamp: ...]). If omitted, the receiving institution may treat the document as incomplete.
5. Date format confusion
03.04.2022 is 3 April in Turkey but is read as 4 March in the US. Writing the month in letters removes the ambiguity.
6. Different spellings of the name
A difference such as "Ayşe Gül Çelik" on the passport and "Ayse Gul Celik" on the diploma causes problems in visa and equivalence procedures. Use the passport spelling in the translation and do not alter the source document.
7. Translating only the diploma
Institutions usually also ask for a transcript, student certificate and sometimes course contents. Giving the whole set to the same translator keeps terminology consistent and saves money on bulk processing.
How do we prevent them?
At Lisanova, diploma translations are checked by a second translator in the same language pair for figures, dates and proper names. We verify the institution's name and the required approval type when the order is placed. With the Diploma Bundle, the diploma and transcript are prepared at a fixed price with sworn translation and notarisation included.
Pre-application checklist
- Confirm in writing the language and approval type the institution asks for.
- Check that the spelling of your name is identical on the diploma, transcript and student certificate.
- Make sure the grading system table is translated together with the transcript.
- Review the stamp and hologram notes in the translation.
These four steps noticeably raise the chance of the file being accepted on the first submission.
Conclusion
Although diploma translation looks like a simple job, details such as institution name, degree and grading system decide the fate of an application. An experienced sworn translator and a second check cost far less than reapplying. Send us your documents and we will flag missing or risky points before translation starts.