Greek legal and medical translation

Greek legal and medical terminology is the linguistic foundation of European law and medicine: "codex", "notary", "epicrisis", "diagnosis", "therapy" are Greek words that came into Georgian from Greek too. This closeness is at the same time an advantage and a trap: a term that sounds familiar to a Georgian may carry different content in a modern Greek legal or clinical text. Greek legal and medical translation with us is fed by two flows: the court, pension, insurance and medical cases of Georgians living in Greece, and the dealings of Georgian business, seafarers and patients with Greek companies, the maritime industry and clinics. This page describes how we work on Greek legal and medical text, which codes and terminological systems we rely on and which traps we avoid.

Greece's legal system: the Civil Code and the Latin notariat

Greek law is of the continental tradition, with German influence: the Civil Code (Αστικός Κώδικας, 1946) is based on the German model, just like the Georgian Civil Code, and most institutions have a direct equivalent. The Greek notary (συμβολαιογράφος) is a figure of the Latin notariat, a close relative of the Georgian notary, and every real estate transaction, will and a large part of company founding require a notarial deed (συμβολαιογραφική πράξη). The difference is in the details: the structure of the judiciary (magistrates' court, court of first instance, court of appeal, Areios Pagos), the enforcement system with court bailiffs (δικαστικοί επιμελητές), the lawyer's broad authority in certifying documents. In translation the names of codes and the numbers of articles stay unchanged, because a Greek lawyer recognises a norm precisely by its number, while an institution without a Georgian analogue goes across with a short explanation.

Institutions that require attention

• IKE, EPE, AE, OE: company forms (private capital company, limited liability company, joint-stock company, general partnership), whose bodies are translated with the Georgian equivalent
• GEMI: the business register, kept by the chambers of commerce, whose extract performs the function of a Georgian Public Registry extract
• AFM and AMKA: the tax number and the social insurance number, without which in Greece neither an employment contract is executed nor a bank account opened
• Κτηματολόγιο and υποθηκοφυλακείο: the National Cadastre and the mortgage registry, two parallel systems whose merger is still in progress and which create a double entry in real estate documents
• υπεύθυνη δήλωση: the solemn declaration, the universal document of Greek administration by which a citizen confirms a fact under their own responsibility and which has no direct Georgian analogue
• EFKA: the Unified Social Security Fund, which since 2017 unites all the previous funds (IKA, OAEE and others) and whose old records still appear in pension cases

Contracts, GEMI and real estate

The dealings of Georgian business with Greece, the export of wine and food products, tourism cooperation, maritime crewing, the founding of companies and the acquisition of real estate in Greece by Georgians, create a flow of contracts: distribution, supply, lease, sale and service contracts, shareholder agreements, crewing contracts. These documents are often bilingual or written via English, and both versions must coincide legally. Our bilingual contract is checked by two native-speaking editors, a lawyer draws up a terminology consistency table where every key term, deadline and amount is identical in both columns, and we always advise a "prevailing language" clause. In Greece a non-EU citizen can freely acquire real estate, with the exception of border zones, and the Greek notarial deed, cadastre extract, mortgage registry certificate and power of attorney are translated in both directions so that the type of ownership right, encumbrances and cadastre data are recognisable for the other country's lawyer.

Recognition of court judgments and family cases

The divorce, alimony and custody cases of Georgians living in Greece are decided in a Greek court, and the judgment requires recognition in Georgia, or the other way round; a consensual divorce in Greece has been possible at a notary since 2018 too, in the form of a notarial deed, and this document is also subject to Georgian recognition. A Greek court judgment for recognition in Georgia requires a certified copy with the certificate of finality (πιστοποιητικό τελεσιδικίας), an apostille from the Court of First Instance and a full, notarised translation, including the reasoning part. Greek court language is formal, with elements of katharevousa and long, nested sentences where the article of law, the factual circumstance and the conclusion are in one period; in the Georgian translation the article numbers stay unchanged, institutions go across with the Georgian equivalent, and sentences are divided so that a Georgian judge can understand them, without losing exactness of meaning. Both countries are members of the Council of Europe and the Hague children's conventions.

Church marriage and civil force

In Greece a church marriage has civil force and is registered at the lixiarchio, and a wedding certificate issued by a Greek metropolis (πιστοποιητικό θρησκευτικού γάμου) is legally equivalent to a civil marriage certificate. This has practical consequences for a Georgian client: the marriage of Georgians married in church in Greece is registered at the Public Service Hall of Georgia with the lixiarchio extract and, when needed, a translation of the church certificate, while for an Orthodox wedding in Georgia a Greek citizen needs the permission of the Greek metropolis and the documents of the Georgian eparchy, both with translation. The terminology of church documents, the names of saints, church offices and liturgical terms must sound in the established form in both languages, and the shared Greek-Georgian church history is an advantage here, because both languages have one Byzantine terminological foundation.

Employment relations and pension law

Georgian workers are employed in Greece in elderly care, domestic services, construction, agriculture and tourism, often for decades, and their employment and pension documents are the most voluminous flow of Greek legal translation. The employment contract follows Greek labour legislation, which regulates working time, leave, end-of-service compensation (αποζημίωση απόλυσης) and, in the case of domestic services, a special insurance regime differently from the Georgian Labour Code. Pension documents (the EFKA extract of insurance periods, the pension decision, the disability conclusion from the KEPA committee) are translated for the Pension Agency of Georgia, where the Greek system of insurance days, insurance classes and retirement age categories differs from the Georgian system and goes across with notes. We translate the employment contract into Georgian with notes where a Greek institution differs in substance from the Georgian one.

The medical direction: Greek clinics and EOPYY

The medical documents of Georgians living in Greece, discharge summaries of Greek public and private clinics, certificates of EOPYY (the National Organisation for Healthcare), KEPA disability conclusions, are translated into Georgian for continuing treatment in Georgia, insurance reimbursement and pension matters, while a Georgian medical history is translated into Greek for planning treatment in Greece or for the medical certificate for Greek residence. Greek medical language stands on Latin-Greek terminology, where the Greek original of the international term and the modern Greek clinical form coincide, but it is often written with abbreviations and English insertions. In the Georgian translation the diagnosis goes into Georgian clinical terminology, the ICD-10 code, if stated, stays unchanged, the trade name of the drug is kept and the international non-proprietary name is added beside it, because a trade name registered on the Greek market often does not exist in Georgia. In both directions the translation is checked by an editor with a medical education.

KEPA and disability conclusions: medical and legal at the same time

In Greece the degree of disability is established by the KEPA committee (Disability Certification Centres), and its conclusion is at the same time a medical and a legal document: diagnosis, disability percentage, period and entitlement to benefits. For a Georgian worker who returns to Georgia after an injury or illness in Greece, this conclusion is translated for the Social Service Agency and the Pension Agency of Georgia, where the Greek percentage system differs from the Georgian system of disability groups and goes across with a note. In the opposite direction a Georgian medical-social expert opinion is translated into Greek for KEPA. A medical and a legal editor work on such a document at the same time.

Types of medical documents we work with

• Discharge summary (εξιτήριο, ιατρική γνωμάτευση) after inpatient and outpatient treatment
• Operation report and anaesthesia record
• Pathology and histology conclusion for an oncological diagnosis
• Radiology reports and laboratory tests with reference values
• KEPA disability conclusion and EOPYY certificates
• Medical fitness certificate for seafarers in the international standard form
• Medical certificate for residence, employment and a student visa
• Insurance policy and cost reimbursement documentation
• Vaccination card and paediatric history for enrolling a child in school or kindergarten
• Psychiatric and forensic medical conclusions for legal capacity or court cases

Recognition of doctors and nurses in Greece

For Georgian doctors and nurses Greece is a possible but long road: a non-EU medical diploma is recognised by DOATAP, the licence to practise the profession (άδεια άσκησης επαγγέλματος) is issued by the regional administration, the licence by the local medical association (Ιατρικός Σύλλογος), while a high level of Greek and, depending on the speciality, exams are obligatory. The document package (diploma, transcript, specialisation certificate, internship certificate, work experience certificate, certificate of good standing) is prepared with an apostille and a Greek translation, and the names of subjects and speciality must correspond to the terminology of Greek medical education. For nurses and carers, who work in Greece in large numbers, professional qualification certificates and experience certificates are translated by the same logic. We prepare the package with one transliteration table and one terminology.

Maritime law and seafarer's documents

The Greek maritime industry, with the largest fleet in the world, is the main employer of Georgian seafarers, and maritime law documents unite legal and medical translation at one point: the crewing contract in the terminology of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), the medical fitness certificate, the maritime incident report and the medical conclusion on an injury for a compensation case, certificates of the Greek seafarers' pension fund (NAT) for pension record, documents of the maritime administration on recognition of certificates. This text stands on the terminology of international conventions, which must sound in the established form in both languages, and in compensation cases, where a Greek shipping company, an insurance club and a Georgian seafarer take part at the same time, the clauses on wages, repatriation and medical care are checked one to one in both languages. A legal and a medical editor work on these documents at the same time.

Expert opinions and forensic medicine

The legal and medical directions merge in forensic medical examination: a work injury on a construction site or a ship in Greece whose compensation case continues in both countries; a road accident conclusion for an insurance dispute; a psychiatric examination in a legal capacity case. The opinion of a Greek court expert (πραγματογνώμονας) in a Georgian court, or a Georgian expert opinion in Greece, requires the terminology of both fields, is always notarised and sent with an apostille, and two editors work on the translation: a medical one for the description of the injury, a legal one for the legal qualification of the conclusion.

Inheritance in two countries

The inheritance cases of Georgians who have lived in Greece for decades and of families of Greek origin often concern property in both countries. In Greece an inheritance case begins at the magistrates' court or a notary, a will is in the form of a notarial deed or is published by the court, acceptance of the inheritance (αποδοχή κληρονομιάς) requires a notarial deed, and the certificate of next of kin (πιστοποιητικό πλησιεστέρων συγγενών) is a concept of the Greek system with no direct Georgian analogue. These documents are needed by a Georgian notary and the registry with an apostille and a Georgian translation, while a Georgian certificate of inheritance goes to Greece with an apostille and a Greek translation. In these cases the translation is often processed together with a lawyer, because the difference between the two systems (for example, the rules on the compulsory share) cannot be resolved by the translation itself, but the translation must show it clearly.

Confidentiality and deadlines

A medical and legal document is strictly personal. We work under a signed confidentiality agreement, keep the files in encrypted channels and, at the client's request, delete them after the order is completed; only one translator and one editor work on one document, which takes into account the requirements of the European data protection regulation (GDPR) and Georgian legislation. A standard volume of a medical discharge summary and a contract is ready within 1-2 working days, in urgent cases on the same day. Notarisation is needed for court, corporate, pension, recognition and insurance documents, while for clinics, as a rule, agency certification is enough; which form is needed in your case, we clarify when taking the order.

Frequently asked questions