Latin Translator and Manuscript Translation

Latin is no longer a language of everyday administration, but it lives on in historical archives, Catholic documents, university symbolism, old legal texts, medicine, pharmacy, biological nomenclature and memorial inscriptions. One page may mix spelling from different centuries, abbreviations, Roman numerals, cursive handwriting, church formulas and Latinised local names. Sometimes the first step is not translation but reading the text and transcribing it into modern letters.

So we first decide what kind of work is needed: a direct translation, a transcription, an explanatory translation, a terminology check or a final version for certification. Latin the language must not be confused with the Latin alphabet: English or French is written in Latin letters, but Latin text has its own grammar, cases, tenses and historical vocabulary.

Latin translation services

We translate Latin into Georgian, compose Latin text from Georgian, transcribe old manuscripts, expand abbreviations, read headings and seals, explain legal and medical formulas and prepare parallel texts. The form of the result follows the purpose: research, genealogy, using a church record, a memorial inscription, a university project or an official case.

Classical, medieval and Neo-Latin

Latin is not uniform. Classical prose has its own syntax and style; medieval texts often show church vocabulary, local influence and non-standard spelling; Neo-Latin served as the language of science, diplomacy and universities. A form rare in Cicero may be perfectly ordinary in a seventeenth-century university act or a Catholic parish register.

Old documents may also mix Latin with Italian, Polish, German or French fragments, or give Latinised names and dates within a text in another language. In the first assessment we look at grammatical endings, function words, heading formulas, the dating system and the document's origin, so the wrong language is never chosen and other language specialists can be involved where needed.

Which Latin texts we translate

Church Latin and parish records

Latin keeps a special role in the historical and current material of the Roman Catholic Church: papal documents, canonical decrees, liturgical texts, diocesan letters, monastery records or church court material. Everyday meanings of words are often not enough; canonical terminology and formulas are needed. The translation keeps the document's hierarchy, official headings, quotations and numbering, with a note for an unclear church term.

Genealogical research often meets church books recording a child's baptism, parents, godparents, marriage witnesses, cause of death or burial place - short entries full of abbreviations and Latinised names. The same person may appear as Ioannes, Johannes or another Latin form of a local name, so the result separates the exact translation, the original name form and a probable modern equivalent. For family history we can prepare a line-by-line transcription, a Georgian translation and a separate name list, making it easy to compare records; entries may also reveal old place names, social status, degree of kinship, the father's trade, legitimacy, residence or witnesses.

Manuscripts, palaeography and abbreviations

The difficulty of old Latin manuscripts often lies more in the calligraphy than the language: letters may be joined, several words written as one sign, and common endings shortened with a stroke or symbol. In transcription we write the text in modern letters but never fill damaged places by guesswork; unclear parts are marked with square brackets, a question mark or a comment, so you know exactly what is certain and what is only probable.

Abbreviations such as D.O.M., A.D., q. or d., or a sign replacing several letters, can only be read in context, and one abbreviation may mean different words in different documents. The final text either expands it fully or keeps the original with a comment. A transcription for publication may follow the diplomatic principle - exactly as in the source - or a normalised version.

Legal, medical and scientific Latin

Diplomas, mottos, inscriptions and dates

Some universities, colleges, learned societies and ceremonial institutions still use Latin mottos and formulas, where genre tradition matters as much as grammar: degree titles, honorary titles and ceremonial wording vary by country and century. Inscriptions on stone, metal, seals or coats of arms are often damaged and abbreviated, with Roman numerals, words separated by dots, religious formulas or family mottos. Photograph them from several angles with side light, since relief rarely shows under direct light; we can add a reconstruction of full letters, expanded abbreviations and a probable date, always keeping historical conclusions separate from what is clearly read.

Latin texts may give the year in Roman numerals and the day by the Roman calendar - relative to the Kalends, Nones and Ides - while church records may date by a saint's feast, a liturgical season or the indiction year. The form is kept and the modern equivalent calculated carefully; if a date is damaged or allows several readings, both the original and a reasoned probable date are given. Personal and place names are often grammatically inflected or Latinised; we establish the base form, compare other entries and render them in Georgian so the person or place can be identified, keeping the Latin form in brackets where useful.

Composing Latin from Georgian and official use

Putting a modern Georgian sentence into Latin is rarely one Latin word per Georgian word. Many modern concepts in technology, law and daily life have no classical equivalent, so a Neo-Latin term, a descriptive construction or an established church form may be needed. For a motto or inscription a short, rhythmic, grammatically complete form matters; we can offer several options in different styles - literal meaning, classical style, a brief heraldic formula or a church sound - each with its exact Georgian meaning.

A translation of an old document may be needed in court, an archive, a university, an inheritance case or proof of citizenship. Establish first whether the recipient needs a full translation or an extract, certification of the translator's signature, a copy of an archive certificate or an expert opinion. A scholarly interpretation of a historical manuscript does not automatically equal official documentary evidence. Notarization of a translation and international authentication of the original (apostille or consular legalization) are different procedures; for an old church record or archive copy used abroad, first find out who issued the modern confirming certificate and where it will be submitted. See notarization and apostille and legalization.

How a Latin translation order runs

Deadline, price and what to send

Latin cannot be priced by word count alone: period, handwriting, paper damage, abbreviations, special terms, tables and research all count. A clearly printed modern church text and a damaged seventeenth-century record of the same length are different jobs, and a difficult manuscript may first need a short trial reading to estimate the volume realistically. The price is by agreement, with the form of the result, deadline and whether transcription or commentary is included agreed in advance. See translation prices.

Send every page including blank or stamped backs, high-resolution images without shadow or glare, the purpose, the form you want (translation only, transcription, commentary or parallel text) and your deadline and certification needs. Our office is at 118 Davit Aghmashenebeli Ave, Tbilisi, but most assessments are done online - convenient when the source is in an archive, a museum or abroad and you only have a digital copy.

Frequently asked questions about Latin translation

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