How to Choose a Turkish Translation Company

Start with the content, not the supplier.

Three questions decide most of the choice:

 

• Sworn translation for official use in Turkey Documents submitted to Turkish courts, notaries, land registries or public authorities are usually translated by a sworn translator (yeminli tercüman) registered with a Turkish notary, and the translation is then notarised. Documents going the other way, from Turkey for use abroad, may also need an apostille. A specialist translation without these steps can be rejected, however good the language is.
  
  Choose this when: the document is being filed, registered or presented to an authority. Tell the provider exactly where it will be submitted; they should tell you what form it needs to take.
  
  
• A freelance translator A good freelance Turkish translator can be the best value for a single language, a steady volume and a subject they know well. Many of the best Turkish linguists work freelance.
  
  Watch for: capacity (one person, one set of working hours), the absence of a second reviewer unless you arrange one, and continuity when they are unavailable. For anything safety-critical or legally binding, a single translator without independent review is a risk regardless of their skill.
  
  
• A translation agency An agency adds what a single translator cannot: a second linguist who reviews the work, project management, file engineering for formats such as InDesign, FrameMaker or XML, several languages under one contract, and continuity when people change. It also means someone is accountable for the result.
  
  Watch for: agencies that resell work without checking it. Ask who will translate, who will review, and whether those people have worked in your subject before.
  
  
• AI translation, with or without human review AI translation is now good enough for internal documents, first drafts and high-volume, low-risk content such as product descriptions. Raw AI output still makes errors that a non-Turkish speaker cannot see: wrong terminology, numbers changed, negations reversed, and text that is grammatical but reads as foreign to a Turkish customer.,,
  
  The middle path is AI-assisted translation, where an AI draft is produced with your glossary and translation memory applied, and a qualified human reviews it before delivery. For regulated content such as medical device labelling, contracts and safety instructions, a fully human workflow is still the safer default.
  
  Choose this when: volume is high, the risk is low, and you can say clearly which content is allowed to go through AI.

	Best for	Second reviewer	Main risk	Relative cost
Sworn translation	Documents for Turkish courts, notaries and authorities	Not by default	Rejected if the form is wrong	Per page, plus notary fees
Freelance translator	One language, steady volume, a familiar subject	Only if you arrange one	Capacity and continuity	Often the best value for a single language
Translation agency	Several languages, complex files, ongoing programmes	Usually built in	Work resold without being checked	Higher; includes review and project management
AI with human review	High-volume, low-risk content	One qualified reviewer per language	Errors a non-Turkish speaker cannot see	Lowest for large volumes; the review is still paid work

 

Content	Examples	What it usually needs
Official documents for use in Turkey	Court filings, powers of attorney, company documents, certificates	Sworn translation, notarised, with an apostille where required
Safety-critical and regulated content	Safety instructions, medical device labelling, instructions for use	Fully human translation with independent review
Technical documentation	Manuals without safety-critical sections, datasheets, specifications	Specialist translation, or an AI draft with two human reviewers
Marketing and web content	Websites, campaigns, brand pages	Human translation adapted for Turkish readers
High-volume, low-risk content	Product descriptions, knowledge base articles, internal documents	AI draft with one qualified human review