Legal Translation in Georgia

What makes legal translation different

Georgian law belongs to the continental civil-law family and borrows heavily from German legal structure; English legal language grew out of the common law; Russian and Turkish legal drafting have their own traditions. A translator who does not know this produces text that is grammatically fine and legally wrong. "Consideration" has no direct Georgian counterpart; a Georgian "khelshekruleba" can be a contract or an agreement depending on context; "warranty" and "guarantee" are distinct in English but often collapsed in translation; the Georgian concept of a "director" carries statutory authority that "manager" does not convey. We translate the legal function of each term and, where the target system has no equivalent, keep the source term with a defined rendering, which is how bilingual contracts in Georgia are drafted in practice.

Structure is the second difference. Contracts, judgments and statutes are navigated by their numbering, defined terms and cross-references. A translation that renumbers clauses, translates a defined term inconsistently or loses a cross-reference has created a different document. We preserve numbering exactly, maintain a glossary of defined terms for each document and each client, and check every internal reference before delivery. Where a document is bilingual and the client specifies which language prevails, we make sure the translation does not silently override that clause.

Contracts and commercial agreements

We translate the full range of commercial agreements used by Georgian and foreign businesses: sale and supply contracts, distribution and agency agreements, service agreements, employment contracts and non-compete undertakings, lease agreements for commercial and residential property, loan and pledge agreements, shareholder and joint venture agreements, share purchase agreements with their disclosure schedules, franchise agreements, licensing and IP assignment agreements, construction contracts on FIDIC and bespoke terms, and non-disclosure agreements. Direction is most often Georgian to English or English to Georgian, followed by Russian, Turkish, German, Italian and Chinese.

For contracts that will be signed in bilingual form, we prepare the two-column layout and coordinate with the parties' lawyers on the terminology of defined terms before the final version. For contracts that will be notarized in Georgia with a foreign party, we prepare the Georgian text for the notary and provide an interpreter at the signing, which Georgian law requires when a party does not understand Georgian. For contracts already in dispute, we translate the version actually signed, including handwritten amendments and initials, because that is the version the court or tribunal will read.

Court and arbitration documents

Litigation and arbitration generate large volumes of text under time pressure: statements of claim and defense, appeals and cassation complaints, court rulings and judgments, expert reports, witness statements, evidence bundles, correspondence, enforcement documents and requests for recognition of foreign judgments. Georgian courts require foreign-language documents to be submitted with notarized Georgian translations; foreign courts and tribunals require Georgian documents in their language, usually certified and sometimes sworn. We translate judgments of Georgian courts for recognition and enforcement abroad, and foreign judgments and arbitral awards for recognition in Georgia under the applicable conventions.

Court translation has its own conventions: the parties' procedural designations, the names of courts and chambers, the citation format of Georgian legislation and the wording of dispositive parts must follow the forms that a judge will recognize. Our translators use the terminology of the official English translations of the Georgian Civil Code, Civil Procedure Code and other key acts published by the Legislative Herald, and we can translate legislation and regulatory texts themselves for law firms and investors who need to read the source.

Corporate, registry and tender documents

Company law documents move between Georgia and foreign jurisdictions constantly: charters and articles of association, shareholder and board resolutions, share transfer instruments, registry extracts, powers of attorney, certificates of incorporation and good standing, and due diligence questionnaires. These are translated for the National Agency of Public Registry, Georgian and foreign banks, investors and counterparties, and most require notarization and, when crossing a border, an apostille. Our dedicated pages on registry extracts and powers of attorney describe the certification steps in detail.

Tender documentation is a specialty of its own. Georgian public procurement through the state e-procurement system and international tenders financed by development banks require bid documents, qualification evidence, technical proposals, contract conditions and bank guarantees to be translated precisely and quickly, often over a weekend. We translate tender packages in both directions, keep terminology consistent across the technical and legal parts, and can certify the translations for submission.

Certification, confidentiality and delivery

Whether a legal translation needs notarization depends on its use. Court filings, registry submissions and documents for notarial acts in Georgia require a notarized translation; contracts for signing and documents for due diligence usually do not; documents for foreign courts and registries need notarization and often an apostille, and a few destinations require a sworn translator in that country. We advise on the lightest format that will be accepted, and we describe the mechanics on our notarization page.

Legal documents are confidential by nature. We work under non-disclosure agreements with law firms and corporate clients, restrict access to the assigned translator and reviewer, and can deliver through the client's own secure channels. Translations are delivered in the client's format (Word with tracked changes for negotiation drafts, PDF for filing, bilingual tables for signing), and volume work is scheduled in stages so that the legal team can review the first sections while the rest is in progress. Pricing is by volume with a firm deadline agreed before work starts.

What to send for a legal translation

Send the final or current version of the document in editable form where possible, tell us its purpose and who will read it, and let us know whether it must be notarized or apostilled. If the client or their lawyers already use a glossary, a previous translation or a preferred rendering of party names and defined terms, send it: consistency with existing documents is often more important than any individual word choice.