Checklists and samples Turkish → English
Sample: certified translation of a Turkish diploma
How a Turkish university diploma is rendered in English for UK ENIC, universities and regulators — including why grades and titles are reported rather than converted.
A diploma is a short document that carries an unusual amount of weight, because a comparability assessor or a regulator reads it as the primary evidence of what you studied and at what level. The translator's job is to move it into English without adding a single judgement.
What the sample shows
The English page mirrors the parchment: the university's name at the top in the same position, the faculty and programme in the middle, the award and date beneath, and the signature block at the foot. Institutional names keep their Turkish form with an English rendering alongside — Yükseköğretim Kurulu appears as “Yükseköğretim Kurulu (Council of Higher Education)” rather than being silently replaced. Anything printed on the reverse, including the security text and the diploma number, appears under a clearly marked heading for the back of the page.
What is reported, and what is never converted
- The degree title — “Lisans” is rendered as bachelor's degree with the Turkish term retained, not turned into “BSc (Hons)”, which is a UK award structure that Turkish universities do not use.
- Grades and averages — a 3.42 on the Turkish 4.00 scale stays a 3.42 on the 4.00 scale, with a translator's note naming the scale. Mapping it onto a UK classification would be an assessment, and that belongs to UK ENIC or the admissions office.
- Honours wording — “onur” and “yüksek onur” are translated with a note explaining the Turkish threshold, since the English words carry different expectations.
- Seals and holograms — recorded as [embossed seal: university name] and [hologram], including the YÖK hologram where present.
- Signatories — rector and dean names and titles translated as printed; where only a signature appears, [signature] is used.
- Numbers — diploma number, registration number and date of the graduation decision are transcribed exactly, because verification services search on them.
How to check the translation you receive
Compare the spelling of your name with your passport, and the programme name with the wording on your transcript — the two documents should agree. Confirm that the diploma number in the translation matches the parchment digit for digit. If you see a UK classification, a converted GPA or an English degree abbreviation that does not appear on the original, ask for it to be removed: it will help nobody and may raise doubts about the whole file.
About the specimen
This sample is built from an anonymised specimen with invented names, numbers and dates; no real graduate's diploma was used. It shows house style rather than serving as a template, and a translation of your own diploma is always made from your own scan. The wording that makes it a certified translation is reproduced in full on the sample certification statement, and the document page for Turkish university diplomas explains what to send us.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't you write the UK equivalent on the translation?
Because it would be a comparability judgement dressed up as a translation, and the bodies that make those judgements do not accept them from translators. A Statement of Comparability from UK ENIC is the document that carries that weight; the translation is what lets them produce it.
My diploma is bilingual. Do I need this at all?
If the university itself issued a complete English text, often not. What we see more often is English headings above Turkish content, which no assessor can work from. Send a scan and we will tell you plainly whether there is anything to do.
What about the geçici mezuniyet belgesi while I wait for the parchment?
It is translated the same way and is accepted by most bodies as interim evidence. Replace it with the diploma once issued, since some regulators want the final document before registration.
Do you translate the transcript in the same style?
Yes, as a table that keeps the module order, credits and marks of the original, with the grade legend translated in place. See transcript translation.