A translation bureau for Akhaltsikhe - TARGMANEBI's service for a city where the region's whole legal infrastructure sits in one place and foreign nationals meet it daily. A Turkish driver in an accident on the Vale road; an Armenian businessman signing a contract before an Akhaltsikhe notary; a foreign student making a statement to the police; a European investor in a court dispute - each of them has to have the procedure conveyed in a language they understand, and their own words recorded in the minutes exactly. Court translation differs from tourism translation in that here every word becomes material in the case.
Beside the authorities, Akhaltsikhe has its ordinary flows too: the international programmes of Samtskhe-Javakheti State University, tourism at Rabati and Vardzia, Turkish and Armenian documents for local families, and family members in Europe. Tbilisi is three hours from Akhaltsikhe; the courier comes weekly, and the court interpreter on the day of the hearing.
An interpreter before an authority - court, police, notary
Interpreting before an authority runs in three different regimes, each with its own rules, responsibilities and documents:
Court hearing
- Consecutive interpreting for a foreign party, witness or defendant
- The interpreter's caution and signature on the record of the hearing
- Written translation of the claim, defence, rulings and judgment
- Translation of evidence - contracts, correspondence, expert reports
- Translation of a foreign court's judgment for recognition
Police and investigation
- Interpreting at questioning, when a statement is recorded and when the record is read back
- Accident report and diagram for a foreign driver in their language
- A foreign victim's statement in Georgian
- Explanation of rights to a foreign detainee
- Notification of and correspondence with the consulate
Notary and authorities
- Interpreting at a deal - sale, power of attorney, contract - for the foreign party
- The interpreter's signature on the notarial act confirming the accuracy
- Interpreting at the civil registry - marriage, birth, citizenship
- Interpreting at the Public Service Hall, the bank and the tax office
- Written translation of the foreign party's documents for the notary
A court interpreter is neutral: not the party's advocate and not an adviser, they translate word for word - the question and the answer alike - and by signing the record take responsibility for that accuracy. So in court and at the police our interpreter reads the case material in advance for the terminology, not for a position, and stays the same person through a multi-day process. Written procedural documents are prepared by a legal translator with notarization, because that is the form in which the court places them on the file.
Turkey and Armenia - documents from two neighbours
Samtskhe-Javakheti lives beside two borders, and Akhaltsikhe families receive documents from both. From Turkey: marriage and birth certificates, employment contracts, university diplomas, cross-border trade invoices, accident and insurance reports. From Armenia: relatives' certificates, diplomas from Yerevan universities, property and inheritance papers, pension documents. Turkish documents are translated into Georgian by a Turkish-direction translator with notarization; for documents in Armenian, call us first - we confirm availability and timing after seeing them, and most documents from Armenian authorities also carry a Russian version, which is translated directly.
The university, Rabati, Vardzia
Samtskhe-Javakheti State University has partnerships with universities in Turkey and Europe - cooperation agreements, Erasmus nominations, transcripts and faculty articles are translated into English and Turkish, and an arriving lecturer's contract and diploma into Georgian. Rabati and Vardzia are the region's tourist centres, and hotels, guides and museums need historical texts, descriptions and menus in visitors' languages - a historical text has to agree with the scholarly literature even when written plainly. Of these three directions, only the academic documents need certification.
The state representative, the municipality, NGOs
Akhaltsikhe hosts the administration of the State Representative in Samtskhe-Javakheti, the municipal city halls and regional offices, all of which work with international donors - the development programmes of the European Union, the UN, Switzerland and Germany. Grant applications, project reports, tender documents and monitoring questionnaires are written in English, while donors' replies and manuals are needed in Georgian. Local NGOs working on the integration of ethnic minorities, women's rights and rural development have several reports and presentations a month to translate, and sometimes need simultaneous interpreting into Russian or Armenian at community meetings. For authorities and organisations we build a terminology base - so that "municipal service", "city assembly" and "state representative" read identically in every report - and one translator carries a whole programme's documentation.
Akhaltsikhe families
Beyond the authorities and the borders, families in Akhaltsikhe need what every regional centre needs: a student's school certificate for universities in Tbilisi and Germany, a salary certificate for a brother working in Turkey for the bank, a parent's Soviet work record book for a pension, consent for a minor to travel. Those papers come in on the same number as a court file and go back to Akhaltsikhe on one courier run; anyone who has to travel to Tbilisi collects them at the office.
Languages in orders from Akhaltsikhe
Because of the Vale border and cross-border trade, Turkish is the language most often needed in Akhaltsikhe - in court, at the police and before the notary alike; Russian is the language of Armenian documents and of the older generation, English of the university, investors and tourism. German, Polish and Italian are the languages of family members in Europe, Arabic of guests heading towards Borjomi; Ukrainian, Greek, French, Spanish, Dutch, Czech and Chinese appear in individual cases. For Armenian we confirm availability.
The process for an authority and for a family
The hearing date and the language
For interpreting - the date of the hearing or questioning, the authority and the language, by phone or WhatsApp; the case material, if there is any, by email to info@targmanebi.ge. A written document as a file or a photo.
Regime and form
Court, police or notary - that decides the interpreter's preparation time and the certification of a written document: procedural papers notarized, consular ones with the bureau stamp.
A legal interpreter, one person for the whole case
Interpreting is done by someone who knows the procedure and stays the same through a multi-day case; written material goes to a legal translator, and the terminology is the same in speech and on paper.
Signature on the record, paper in Akhaltsikhe
The interpreter signs the record and the act on the spot; a certified written translation comes to Akhaltsikhe by courier, or the interpreter brings it on the day of the hearing.
Price and turnaround
An order from Akhaltsikhe is at Tbilisi prices. Interpreting before an authority is charged by the hour, with travel to Akhaltsikhe included, and fixed in advance for a multi-day process. A procedural document costs more per page than an official certificate, because of the legal terminology, and takes two to three days with notarization - or fits the days the court has left. A Turkish certificate with notarization takes two to three days, an academic package with an apostille one to two weeks, a family document two to three days. Advocates and the university have a contract, a terminology base and a monthly invoice. Case material and the content of a record go nowhere from us - for a court interpreter that is the foundation of the profession. The bureau's owner and the head of its translators is the lawyer Mariam Zumadze (sole trader, ID 30601010853); a confirmed inaccuracy is corrected free of charge.
Is there a foreign party at the Akhaltsikhe court, at the police or before a notary and you need an interpreter? A Turkish or Armenian document in Georgian? A university memorandum in English? Call or write - the interpreter is in Akhaltsikhe on the day of the hearing, and written documents come by courier.
Call: 501 113 200Frequently asked questions - an interpreter before an authority in Akhaltsikhe
I am an advocate, the hearing is the day after tomorrow and my client is a Turkish citizen. Will an interpreter attend?
Yes - tell us the date, the court and the language today, and send the case material for the terminology. The interpreter translates neutrally and word for word at the hearing and signs the record; the same person stays for the following hearings.
A Turkish driver had an accident on the Vale road and the police report is in Georgian. What do they need?
A Turkish translation of the report and the diagram for their insurer and their company - the same day, as a file - and an interpreter at the police if there is questioning. Their statement is recorded in Georgian with the interpreter's signature.
An Armenian partner is signing a contract before an Akhaltsikhe notary. Is an interpreter required?
If the partner does not speak Georgian, yes - the notary requires the interpreter's signature on the act. If they speak Russian, a Russian-direction interpreter attends; for translation of Armenian-language documents, call us first. We prepare the bilingual version of the contract before the deal.
A Turkish court judgment has to be recognised in Georgia. What gets translated?
The judgment in full, the certificate that it has entered into force, and the apostille page - into Georgian, with notarization, from the apostilled Turkish original. The recognition procedure is conducted by the court; we establish the extent before the order so that no unnecessary pages are translated.
I am a foreign student at the university and need to make a statement to the police. Who will help me?
An interpreter will come to the police station, have your statement recorded in Georgian and read the record back to you in your own language before you sign. Notification to your consulate, if required, is prepared the same day.
Will the interpreter be on my side in court?
No - a court interpreter is neutral and translates identically and word for word for both sides; their signature on the record confirms accuracy, not a position. It is precisely that neutrality that makes the translation trustworthy for the court, while protecting your interests is the advocate's job.
Translation bureau in the other cities of Samtskhe-Javakheti
Akhaltsikhe is the regional centre; Borjomi, Bakuriani, Akhalkalaki, Ninotsminda, Vale, Adigeni and Abastumani follow with accents of their own - resorts, borders, communities. Choose your city.