Legal and medical documents are the two categories where a single inaccuracy in translation turns into financial loss or a health risk. In the Turkish direction both categories are especially voluminous: Turkey is one of the main treatment destinations for Georgians, and Georgian-Turkish trade constantly generates contracts, court disputes and corporate documents. This page describes how we work on Turkish legal and medical text, which terminology systems we rely on and which traps we avoid.
The Turkish legal system: continental roots, its own codes
Turkish law belongs to the continental tradition and is structurally similar to Georgian law, which simplifies translation: both countries have a civil code, a code of obligations and company legislation whose concepts largely overlap. The Turkish Civil Code (Türk Medeni Kanunu, No. 4721) is based on the Swiss model, the Code of Obligations (Türk Borçlar Kanunu, No. 6098) likewise on the Swiss one, and the Commercial Code (Türk Ticaret Kanunu, No. 6102) was renewed in 2012 and brought closer to European directives. In translation we leave the code numbers and article numbering unchanged, because a Turkish lawyer recognises a norm precisely by its number.
Despite the similarity, Turkish legal language has institutions with no direct Georgian equivalent that need explanation. Tapu, the title deed from the real estate registry, performs the function of a Public Registry extract but is a physical document and is executed at the tapu office itself during a transaction. Kat mülkiyeti, condominium ownership, is the Turkish form of apartment ownership, which the Georgian concept of a homeowners' association covers only partially. Kefalet (suretyship), ipotek (mortgage) and rehin (pledge) must be clearly distinguished from each other, because in Turkish contracts all three often appear together.
Which legal documents we work with
- Sale, lease and distribution contracts between Georgian and Turkish companies, often in bilingual format
- Real estate purchases and tapu documentation, including apartments bought by Georgians in Turkey
- Powers of attorney (vekaletname) for property, company or court representation
- Court judgments in divorce, alimony and inheritance cases that must be recognised and enforced in the other country
- Corporate papers: articles of association (ana sözleşme), trade registry gazette, signature circular, meeting minutes
- Arbitration documents where the Istanbul Arbitration Centre (ISTAC) or ICC arbitration has been chosen
- Criminal case materials, interrogation records and indictments within international legal assistance
Bilingual contracts and the prevailing language clause
In Georgian-Turkish business a contract is often written in two parallel columns. This format is convenient but carries one risk: if the two versions differ in substance, in a dispute the court or arbitral tribunal decides which version prevails. So a bilingual contract is checked by two native editors at our agency, after which a lawyer draws up a terminology consistency table in which every key term, deadline and amount is identical in both columns. And we always advise writing a prevailing language clause into the contract. Bear in mind that in a Turkish court the proceedings are conducted in Turkish and foreign-language evidence is submitted with a sworn translator's translation, so the quality of the Turkish version is decisive in the event of a dispute.
Recognition of Turkish court judgments in Georgia and vice versa
Judgments in divorce, alimony and property disputes cross the border regularly. Recognition of a Turkish court judgment in Georgia (and vice versa) requires a certified copy of the judgment with a note on entry into legal force, an apostille from the judicial commission of the court and a full, notarised translation, including the reasoning part. It is precisely the reasoning part where unqualified translation shows: Turkish judicial language writes in long, nested sentences in which the article of law, the factual circumstance and the conclusion are in one period. For a Georgian judge this must be restructured to be understandable, without losing accuracy of meaning.
The medical direction: Turkey as a treatment destination
Clinics in Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya receive Georgian patients in oncology, cardiac surgery, IVF, orthopaedics, hair transplantation and dentistry. The Turkish healthcare system uses a separate structure for international patients (USHAŞ, the International Health Services agency), and private networks (Acıbadem, Memorial, Medical Park, Liv Hospital and others) issue documentation in a standardised form. This means that a Turkish discharge summary, operation report and examination conclusion are usually well structured but three-layered in terminology: Turkish, Latin and English terms alternate within the same document.
At the treatment planning stage the Georgian medical history is translated into Turkish: anamnesis, results of previous tests, histology, CT/MRI conclusions. After treatment the Turkish documentation is translated into Georgian so that the Georgian doctor can continue treatment or the insurer can reimburse the cost. In both directions the translation is checked by an editor with medical training, because dosage, drug name and diagnosis code do not forgive mistakes.
Terminology traps in medical Turkish
In Turkish medical language a term often exists in three variants: a Turkish neologism, an old word of Arabic-Persian origin and a Latin-English form. Kalp krizi, miyokard enfarktüsü and MI are the same diagnosis in three registers; böbrek yetmezliği and renal yetmezlik are the same condition. In the Georgian translation a single term accepted in Georgian clinical practice is used, while the ICD-10 code, which Turkish documents almost always indicate, remains unchanged and works as the unambiguous identifier of the diagnosis.
Drug names are a separate topic. Many drugs on the Turkish market are sold under a local trade name that does not exist in Georgia. In translation the trade name stays unchanged and the international nonproprietary name (INN) is added next to it so that a Georgian doctor or pharmacist can find the analogue. Dosage, regimen and units (mg, ml, IU) are checked one-to-one against the original.
Types of medical documents we work with
- Discharge summary (epikriz) and discharge sheet (taburcu özeti) after inpatient treatment
- Operation report (ameliyat raporu) and anaesthesia record
- Pathology and histology conclusions, including immunohistochemistry for an oncological diagnosis
- Radiology conclusions: CT, MRI, PET-CT, ultrasound
- Laboratory tests with reference values, which differ from laboratory to laboratory
- IVF protocol and embryology report
- Doctor's certificate (sağlık raporu), board report (heyet raporu) and certificate of incapacity for work
- Health insurance policy and reimbursement documentation
Qualification documents of doctors and nurses
A separate flow is the documentation of Georgian doctors and nurses planning to work or do residency in Turkey, and the diplomas of Georgians who studied in Turkey which must be recognised in Georgia. In Turkey the equivalence of a foreign medical diploma goes through YÖK, and admission to residency requires the TUS examination. For this procedure the diploma, supplement, internship certificate and certificates are translated into Turkish so that the names of courses correspond to the syllabus terminology of Turkish medical faculties, otherwise the equivalence commission asks for clarification and the process drags on for months.
Employment relations with a Turkish employer
Georgian workers take jobs on Turkish construction sites, in the hotel industry, textiles and domestic services, while Turkish specialists work on Georgian energy and construction projects. In both cases the employment contract (iş sözleşmesi) follows the legislation of the country where the work is performed, and this difference must be visible in the translation. The Turkish Labour Law (İş Kanunu, No. 4857) regulates concepts such as kıdem tazminatı (severance pay based on length of service), ihbar süresi (notice period) and fazla mesai (overtime) differently from the Georgian Labour Code, and a word-for-word translation creates wrong expectations for a Georgian worker. We translate the term with its Georgian equivalent and, where needed, add a short note if the Turkish institution differs in substance from the Georgian one. The same applies to social security (SGK) certificates translated in Georgia for pension or reimbursement of medical expenses.
Customs disputes and criminal cases
A dispute that starts at Sarpi customs often ends in court, and the parties need the customs declaration, inspection report, expert opinion and customs decision in both languages. In these documents customs codes, tariff numbers and procedure names must correspond exactly to the customs terminology of both countries. In criminal cases where a Turkish citizen is the accused or the victim, or a request for international legal assistance is sent to the Turkish side, the translation of the interrogation record, indictment and verdict is notarised and sent with an apostille. Such text requires procedural terminology in which şüpheli (suspect), sanık (accused) and hükümlü (convict) must not be confused.
Children's documents and family matters
The documents of a child born of a mixed marriage are registered in both countries, and the vaccination card, paediatrician's certificate, school medical card and, in the event of divorce, the custody decision are needed in both languages. A Turkish court decision on the child's place of residence (velayet) requires recognition in Georgia, and the other parent's consent to the child travelling abroad (muvafakatname) must be in Turkish at the Turkish border and in Georgian at the Georgian border. We often prepare these documents urgently, because the travel date has already been set.
Insurance and reimbursement of costs
After treatment in Turkey, a Georgian insurance company requires, for reimbursement, the clinic's invoice, the discharge sheet, the list of procedures performed and proof of payment, all in Georgian and, as a rule, notarised. In a Turkish clinic's invoice the procedures are listed with SUT codes (Sağlık Uygulama Tebliği), which have no direct Georgian equivalent; in the translation the code stays unchanged and a Georgian description of the procedure is added next to it so that the insurance expert can assign the cost to a category. In the opposite direction, Turkish insurance companies require documents of treatment in Georgia in Turkish, and the same logic applies there.
Pharmaceutical and medical device documentation
Turkey is a major supplier of medicines and medical equipment to Georgia, and registration documentation is a separate flow: summary of product characteristics, patient leaflet, quality certificates (GMP, ISO 13485), permits of the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK) and clinical trial results. For the Georgian regulator these documents are translated into Georgian with strict terminological consistency, where the same term must look the same across hundreds of pages. For this we build the term base first and translate afterwards, and every updated version is processed on the same base. Instructions for medical equipment and manuals for surgical and diagnostic devices require technical and medical terminology at the same time, so two editors work on them.
Expert opinions and forensic medicine
The legal and medical directions meet in forensic medical examination: an opinion on the degree of injury after a road accident, an examination of a workplace injury, a certificate of incapacity for work for an insurance dispute, or a psychiatric examination in a legal capacity case. An opinion of the Turkish Council of Forensic Medicine (Adli Tıp Kurumu) in a Georgian court, or a Georgian expert opinion in a Turkish court, both require both kinds of terminology: medical for the diagnosis and description of the injury, legal for the legal qualification of the conclusion. Such a document is always notarised and sent with an apostille, and editors from both fields work on the translation.
Telemedicine and second opinions from Turkish clinics
More and more often a Georgian patient first approaches a Turkish clinic remotely: sends test results online and asks for a second opinion (ikinci görüş) before deciding to travel. At this stage the quality of the translation determines the decision, because the Turkish doctor sees only the translation. We prepare the package of Georgian tests (histology, CT/MRI conclusion, laboratory, discharge summary of previous treatment) in Turkish or, at the clinic's request, in English within 1-2 days, with agency certification, which is entirely sufficient for this stage. The written opinion received from Turkey is then translated into Georgian so that the patient and the Georgian doctor can decide together. This two-way process often spares the patient an unnecessary trip altogether.
Confidentiality and data protection
A medical or legal document is strictly personal. We work under a signed confidentiality agreement, keep files in encrypted channels and delete them after the order is completed at the client's request. The Turkish Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK, No. 6698) and the corresponding Georgian legislation both require that health data be seen only by those who need to, and our process takes this into account: only one translator and one editor work on a medical translation.
Deadlines and certification
A standard volume of a medical discharge summary or a contract is ready in 1-2 working days, and in urgent cases, for example when the patient is already leaving for Turkey, the same day. Notarisation is needed for court, corporate and insurance documents, while clinics are usually satisfied with a translation certified with the agency's seal. Which form is needed in your case we clarify when ordering, and we do not recommend unnecessary expense.
Frequently asked questions
Does a medical history to be taken to a Turkish clinic need notarisation?
Usually not. Clinics accept a translation certified with the agency's seal. Notarisation is needed if the document is submitted to an insurer, a court or a state body.
How accurately are drug names translated?
The trade name stays unchanged, the international nonproprietary name is added next to it, and the dose and regimen are checked one-to-one against the original. This is done by an editor with medical training.
How is a Turkish court's divorce judgment recognised in Georgia?
You need a copy of the judgment with a note on entry into legal force, an apostille from the judicial commission of the Turkish court and a full notarised Georgian translation, which is then submitted to a Georgian court together with a petition for recognition.
Which version applies in a bilingual contract?
The one the contract declares to prevail. If there is no such clause, the matter is decided by a court or arbitral tribunal, so we always advise including this clause.
Who checks a legal translation?
The translation is done by a translator who knows legal terminology, then checked by a native editor of the target language, and bilingual contracts are additionally compared by a lawyer for terminological consistency.
Can you translate tapu documents for buying an apartment?
Yes. The tapu senedi, the sale contract, the valuation report and the power of attorney are our regular work. For the Turkish tapu office, Georgian papers are prepared with an apostille and a Turkish translation.