Academic degree diploma translation

If "Candidate of Sciences" is translated into English simply as "candidate", a foreign professor will read that the person is still working on their dissertation. In reality it is a defended dissertation, which the recognition bodies of Europe and America treat as PhD level. The translation of one word here decides twenty years of a scientific career: whether the degree counts in a postdoc competition, in a German Blue Card application or in an appointment to a university chair. Academic degree diplomas are a separate category in our bureau in Tbilisi precisely because terminology weighs more here than usual, and because most of the documents were issued before 1990, in Russian, with the seals of institutions that no longer exist.

Which degrees exist in the Georgian system

Three generations of academic diploma are in circulation in Tbilisi today. The Soviet and early-1990s "Candidate of Sciences" and "Doctor of Sciences" diplomas are on the letterhead of the all-Union Higher Attestation Commission (VAK), in Russian, with a speciality code and the name of the dissertation council. From the 1990s to 2005 the same two degrees were awarded by the Georgian Council of Learned Experts, already on Georgian letterhead. After 2005, with the Bologna reform, the only academic degree is Academic Doctor (PhD), which a university awards and issues with a diploma and supplement. Added to these are the certificates of academic-pedagogical titles: docent and professor, which, unlike a degree, confirm a position status and need separate interpretation abroad.

Equivalents by country, and what the translator writes

In the translation the degree is rendered with its original name, transliterated and explained in brackets: Candidate of Sciences (Kandidat Nauk; a research doctorate-level degree), Doctor of Sciences (Doktor Nauk; a higher doctorate awarded after the Candidate degree), Academic Doctor (PhD). The equivalent is established by the recognition body, and we know how:

• Germany (Anabin, ZAB): Kandidat nauk is usually assessed as equivalent to a Doktor, Doktor nauk as habilitation level. It is precisely this entry that is needed for the Blue Card and a professorial position.
• The ENIC-NARIC network (France, the Netherlands, Scandinavia): both Soviet degrees are described as third-cycle (doctoral) qualifications.
• The United Kingdom (UK ENIC): Candidate of Sciences corresponds to the standard of a British PhD; Doctor of Sciences has no direct analogue and is described as a higher doctorate.
• The USA and Canada (WES, ECE): Candidate of Sciences is usually equivalent to a Doctor of Philosophy; for WES the dissertation topic and the date of defence must appear in the translation of the diploma.
• Turkey, Israel, the Gulf: universities often ask for a certificate from the Quality Center on the validity of the degree, together with the translation of the diploma.

That is why we never write "PhD" in the translation of a diploma where the original says "Candidate": the recognition body treats that as altering the document. Instead we add a translator's note on the degree system, which saves the expert time.

Where a degree diploma is submitted most often

Four directions dominate in our practice. Academic competitions and postdocs, where the diploma is accompanied by the dissertation abstract and publications and the committee reads the English or German version. Highly qualified specialist visas, above all the German Blue Card and its Dutch, Austrian and Czech analogues, where the immigration service compares the Anabin entry with the translation of the diploma. Licensing of doctors and pharmacists, where the academic degree is submitted to the medical chamber together with the documents proving specialisation. And finally, researchers returning to Georgia, who need a foreign PhD translated into Georgian for submission to a state university or a science foundation.

What goes into the "academic package"

The degree diploma

A one-page, often booklet-form document: the degree, the speciality code and name, the name of the dissertation council or university, the date and number of the decision, the diploma series. Soviet codes (for example 05.13.11) are carried over unchanged and the name of the speciality is translated in brackets, because it is by the code that the expert identifies the field.

The dissertation abstract and summary

For an academic position and research grants (Horizon Europe, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Humboldt) the committee reads the content of the dissertation. A full translation of the abstract is 20-30 pages; often the summary, the scientific novelty and the defended propositions are enough. The translation is done by a specialist in the field and the terminology is agreed with the author.

The list of publications and the docent certificate

In the bibliographic list the titles of articles are translated, the names of journals stay transliterated (or in their official English name, if they have one), and pages, years and co-authors stay unchanged. Docent and professor certificates are translated as Associate Professor / Full Professor (academic title), with a note that this is a title and not a degree.

Accompanying documents

The package often includes the doctoral academic transcript, the supervisor's recommendation, an academic CV and a language certificate; for teaching positions, the syllabi of courses taught. One glossary applies across the whole package.

The apostille on Soviet and Georgian academic diplomas

On a PhD diploma issued by a university after 2005 the apostille is placed by the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement under the same rules as on other diplomas: verification of authenticity with the university, then the apostille. On VAK and Council of Learned Experts diplomas the procedure is more complex: the Center verifies the award of the degree from the archive materials of the dissertation council, which takes weeks, and in some cases issues, instead of or alongside the diploma, a certificate on the degree, which receives the apostille. If the defence took place outside Georgia, in another Soviet republic, the apostille has to be obtained in that country. So for academic diplomas we start planning the apostille at the first consultation, counting back from the competition deadline. The translation is always made after the apostille; the notary binds it to a notarized copy of the diploma, since nothing can be attached to a booklet-form original. The general rules are on the category page, and recognition of a foreign PhD in Georgia has a separate page.

Turnaround

A degree diploma or certificate is ready with notarization within one working day. The dissertation abstract and the list of publications usually take 2-4 days, including agreeing the field terminology. Send the scan through the website form; you receive the finished package at the office, by courier or as a PDF for uploading to the competition portal.

Frequently asked questions