A French interpreter is most often needed when working with civil status and educational documents. French is official not only in France but also in Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and many African countries - and each of them has its own forms and terminology.
Working with a French document raises several specific issues: keeping the diacritical marks, correctly identifying the type of civil status record and reflecting the notes made in the margins of the record. The last of these is especially often overlooked.
Accents, the cedilla and how they get lost
In French, diacritical marks carry meaning and are not decorative. The direction of the accent changes the sound of the vowel, and in some cases the meaning of the word as well.
The cedilla under the letter c shows that it is pronounced softly where it would normally be hard. Losing it changes how the word is read.
The practical problem is that on official French forms names are often written entirely in capital letters, and traditionally accents are often not placed on capital letters. As a result, the same surname appears without an accent on the record and with an accent on another document.
This is not a mistake and it is not corrected in the translation. If there is such a difference between documents, it is noted in advance so that the receiving authority does not treat them as different persons.
Types of civil status record - which one you have
This is one of the most practical issues with French documents. For the same event, the civil register issues several different types of document, and their content differs substantially.
A full copy contains the entire text of the record, the parents' details and all later notes. An abridged extract contains only the main facts, and information about the parents or marital status may not be in it.
The practical consequence is that the volume and content of the translation depend directly on which type you bring. If the receiving authority asks for the parents' details, an abridged extract will not do, even if the translation is flawless.
That is why, before translating, we look at the document and tell you what information it contains - so that it does not turn out that the whole package has to be put together again.
Notes in the margins of the record
In French civil status records, important information is often not in the main text but in notes written in the margins.
Such notes record events that happened later - marriage, divorce, change of surname, acknowledgement, death. They are added to the original record years later.
These entries are a full part of the document and must be reflected in the translation. Often it is precisely the marginal note that contains the information for which the document was requested.
Marginal notes are usually in small print or handwritten and placed at the edge of the page. In a photo the page has to be fully visible, including the edges - cropped margins are one of the most common reasons why a translation turns out incomplete.
Differences between French-speaking countries
French is one language, but administrative terminology differs from country to country. In documents from France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada, the same type of institution has different names.
In Belgium a document may be in two or three languages, because the country has several official languages. A document issued in Wallonia is in French, while one issued in Flanders is in Dutch.
In Switzerland, a document issued in the French-speaking cantons follows the Swiss system, with its own details and certification rules.
In Quebec, Canada, civil status records are issued under a separate provincial system.
In the French-speaking countries of Africa, forms often follow the French model, though with local differences. That is why, in the translation, the name of the institution is specified according to the particular country.
Educational documents
In French educational documents, the grading system needs separate attention. Grades are usually on a twenty-point scale, and they are not automatically compared directly with the Georgian system.
Diplomas and certificates often state an additional grade designation that characterizes the overall result. This designation is part of the document and is reflected in the translation.
The transcript of grades is in table form and shows how subjects, hours and grades correspond. In the translation the structure of the table is kept.
Dates and numbers
In French documents the date is usually in day-month-year order. This matches Georgian practice, but when compared with an English-language entry, ambiguity can arise when both numbers are less than twelve.
In numbers, the comma is the decimal separator, and thousands are separated by a space. This differs from Georgian and English notation and needs attention when amounts are transferred.
In Belgium and Switzerland some number names differ from those used in France. In the translation the meaning is kept, and the numeric notation follows the original.
The family record book and marital status documents
In the French system, marital status is often proven with the family record book - a multi-page document that brings together the entries for the marriage, the births of children and other events.
Such a booklet is one document, but it contains many separate entries made at different times and in different municipalities. Some pages may be blank.
Before translating, we check which pages contain an entry and which ones you actually need. Often only specific pages are enough, and translating the whole booklet is an unnecessary expense.
If the receiving authority asks for the whole document, the blank pages are also reflected in the translation, with a corresponding note.
Medical and insurance documents
French medical documents make wide use of abbreviations and acronyms of institutions, which need context to decode.
Test results state reference values and units of measurement. In the translation they are carried over unchanged - converting units or interpreting values is not the task of the translation; that is done by the doctor.
Insurance documents contain policy numbers, coverage periods and percentages, which must be transferred exactly.
Handwritten medical notes are a separate case: if the text is unclear, we note this and ask for a clearer copy rather than guess the meaning.
Translation from Georgian into French
In the opposite direction, the main issue is how Georgian names and designations are written in Latin letters.
If your name is already given in Latin letters in your passport, that is the form used in the translation. Creating a new variant in French spelling creates an inconsistency.
The names of Georgian institutions, universities and ministries often have an established foreign-language form. That form is used in the translation, and no new name is created.
The structure of Georgian civil status documents differs from the French one - for example, in the order of the fields and in additional notes. In the translation the structure is kept, so that the receiving party can compare it with the original.
Frequently asked questions
Which birth certificate should I submit - the full one or the abridged one?
That depends on what information the receiving party asks for. A full copy contains the parents' details and later notes, while an abridged extract contains only the main facts. We will look at the document and tell you what it contains.
Why do you also ask for the entries at the edges of the page?
In French civil status records, important information is often in notes written in the margins - marriage, divorce, change of surname. They are part of the document and must be reflected in the translation.
My surname is written without accents in my document - is that a mistake?
No. On French forms names are often written entirely in capital letters, and traditionally accents are often not placed on capital letters. In the translation the form of the original is kept, and the difference is noted.
Are Belgian and French documents translated the same way?
The language is French in both, but the names of institutions and the administrative terminology differ. A Belgian document may also be in several languages. That is why we establish the country in advance.
How are French grades reflected in the translation?
Grades are carried over as they are in the original, with the scale stated. They are not automatically converted to the Georgian system in the translation - that is the competence of the assessing institution.
Do I need the whole family record book translated?
Often not. The booklet contains many pages and some of them may be blank. We will look at the document and tell you which pages contain an actual entry - this often reduces the volume significantly.
Will you convert test units to the Georgian system?
No. Units of measurement and reference values are carried over unchanged in the translation. Interpreting them is the competence of the doctor and is not done in the translation.