Katharevousa translator

Katharevousa is a formal, partly archaising written register of Greek that was the official language of the Greek state from 1911 to 1976. It differs from Dimotiki (Modern Standard Greek) in grammar, case forms and vocabulary. We translate documents written in this older register and pair you with a translator who reads the historical language forms, not only Modern Greek.

As a Katharevousa translation agency we most often handle older notarial and court deeds, birth, marriage and death certificates from before 1976, title documents, press archives, scholarly texts and ecclesiastical records. For each document type we confirm the approach and any required certification in the quote.

The UK has no sworn-translator institute, so there is no "sworn translator" as a legal office here. For official acceptance we provide certified translation: a signed and dated statement of accuracy from the translator or the agency, with our contact details. Where a body asks for more, this can be escalated to notarisation by a solicitor or notary public, or to an apostille or legalisation through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Whether certification, notarisation, apostille or legalisation is needed depends on the country and the receiving authority, and we confirm it per assignment. You can read the route on GOV.UK at gov.uk/get-document-legalised.

On working days you receive a reply within 1 hour. The lead time for the translation itself depends on document type, volume, the legibility of the original and any required certification, and is confirmed in the quote. For tight deadlines we confirm a workable rush schedule up front rather than promising a fixed turnaround.

Often, yes. Many historical deeds and archive records are faded or handwritten. We assess the original first and confirm in the quote whether transcription and translation are feasible and which approach is needed. Where a passage cannot be read with confidence, we flag it rather than guess at the content.

A Katharevousa translation agency takes the coordination off your hands and finds a translator with philological knowledge of the older Greek register, not only of Modern Greek. We arrange certification, notarisation or legalisation where an authority requires it, have the work checked by a second reviewer, and keep one point of contact for register, terminology, scheduling and delivery, all under a single quote. A skilled freelance translator does excellent work too; the difference an agency adds is bringing those moving parts together so you are not managing them separately.