Common reasons translations are rejected

Where rejections come from

A rejected translation rarely means a mistranslated word. In the cases that reach us, the translation was incomplete, uncertified, made for the wrong country's system, or attached to the wrong document. The receiving body checks form before content, and most refusals happen at that stage. The list below is drawn from our own re-work requests and from the published rules of the bodies concerned.

For UK bodies

1. Certification statement incomplete. No date, no contact details, or no statement that the translation is true and accurate. GOV.UK names all three; a missing one is enough. For leave to remain and ILR, no details of the translator's or company's credentials. Fix: use a certificate built around the wording; see what your certified translation looks like.
2. Partial translation presented as full. Reverse sides, stamps, annotations or the apostille missing. The Home Office asks for a full translation; the GMC says it must be complete. Fix: translate every element, or state clearly that the translation covers named pages only.
3. Self-translation or a relative's translation. Not independently verifiable. Fix: an independent translator.
4. Translation without the original. Appendix FM-SE requires the original to be supplied with the translation; regulators want the original-language copy alongside. Fix: submit both, always.
5. Name mismatch. Şule on the document, Sule on the application, no explanation. Fix: reproduce the document spelling and add the passport spelling in a translator's note. See names, Turkish characters and transliteration.
6. Underlying document too old or the wrong type. A short-form birth certificate where a full one is needed; a nüfus kayıt örneği that pre-dates a marriage; a divorce decree without the kesinleşme şerhi. Fix: obtain the right document first.
7. Translation not from the original language. The GMC rejects a translation made via a third language. Fix: Turkish to English directly.
8. Unreadable translation of an unreadable scan. A caseworker cannot compare the two. Fix: better scan.

For Turkish bodies

1. Wrong kind of certification. A UK-style certified translation, or a translation notarised by a UK notary, where the Turkish office needs a translation by a notary-sworn translator in Türkiye or a consulate-listed translator with tercüme tasdiki. Fix: the Ankara notarised translation.
2. No apostille on the UK original. YÖK, courts, tapu and registries reject translations of un-apostilled documents. Fix: FCDO apostille first, then translate.
3. Translation made before the apostille was added. The apostille is missing from the translation. Fix: order the translation after the apostille.
4. Document older than the office's limit. Fix: check the limit before paying for the apostille.
5. Consulate requires its own list. Some consular acts specify a consulate-registered translator. Fix: ask the consulate which route it accepts for that act; we tell you if we are not the right supplier.

Summary table

If a translation of ours is rejected

Tell us what the body said, in its own words if possible. If the reason is the format of our certification, we re-issue free of charge under our accuracy and acceptance policy. If the reason is the underlying document, we tell you what to obtain and translate the new document at the ordinary price. If the reason is a translation error, we correct it at no cost and apologise; that is what the second-linguist revision is there to prevent.