Document translation in Lviv: making the name and the title match
The most common reason a finished translation is sent back is not an error in the text but a mismatch in spelling. The name in the translation has to match the one in your international passport, and the name of a university or an authority has to match the way that institution writes it — otherwise the recipient sees two different people in two documents. That is why we ask for a photo of the passport along with the document: a standard form starts at UAH 150, a translation with notarial certification at UAH 250.
- Names come from the international passport, not from our own choice of transliteration
- A university is named the way it names itself: in Lviv that is most often Ivan Franko University or the Polytechnic
- A one-letter mismatch is the cheapest error for us and the dearest for you: it surfaces at the counter
- Lviv has its own interregional department of the Ministry of Justice, so documents issued here are served here
The Lviv interregional department of the Ministry of Justice works at 1 Shashkevycha Square — documents issued in Lviv are served in the city rather than in another region.
Where the spelling of each part comes from
There are four places in a translation where the spelling is not invented but carried over from an existing source. The given name and surname come from the holder's international passport: that is what the recipient compares the translation against, and that is where the Latin spelling is already fixed. The name of an institution comes from its own official spelling. Numbers and series come from the document letter by letter. The town and street appear as they stand in the document itself, even if the name has changed since.
Hence one simple requirement when ordering: send the passport page along with the document. It is the only thing we cannot reproduce ourselves, and the one thing that most often forces a translation to be redone.
| Part of the translation | Source of the spelling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Given name and surname | the holder's international passport | the recipient compares the translation with the passport |
| University or authority name | the institution's own official spelling | the institution must be found by name, not guessed |
| Number, series, date | the document, letter by letter | this is what identifies the document |
| City and street | as they stand in the document | a translation reproduces the document, not the current name |
Why a university name is not translated «by meaning»
A diploma is usually read by a procedure rather than a person: the institution has to be found in a list, matched against accreditation, sometimes checked against a register. Translate the name freely and it will not be in the list — and the case then stalls not over the quality of the translation but because the institution was not recognised. So we use the spelling the institution uses for itself.
In Lviv the question comes up more often than elsewhere: diplomas here are issued by the city's two most popular universities, Ivan Franko National University and Lviv Polytechnic. A diploma comes with a supplement of grades, and the two must be translated together: the institution and the subjects have to be named identically on both sheets, or the check stalls again.
What to do when the mismatch already exists
Sometimes the mismatch is not in the translation but between the documents themselves: an older diploma spells the surname one way and the passport another, because the passport came later. A translation does not fix that and should not — it reproduces the document. The way out is to show the chain instead: file the translation together with the passport and, where needed, the document explaining the change of surname.
If the mismatch is inside our own work, it is our mistake and we correct it, with no surcharge and no new order. That is exactly why we agree the spelling before the work rather than after: at this stage it is one line in a chat, at the counter it is a lost day.
Where a document goes in Lviv after the translation
Lviv is one of the cities with an inter-regional department of the Ministry of Justice of its own: it works at 1 Shashkevycha Square. For you that means documents issued by Lviv authorities are handled right here, without being forwarded to another region, so the deadline depends on the procedure itself rather than on logistics.
The translation is a separate step in that chain, and its place is set by the recipient: some need a translation that already carries the apostille stamp, others a translation bound to a notarial copy. We settle this before the work starts, because reordering the steps afterwards means doing the translation twice.
How we work
- 1The document and the passport pageSend a photo of the document and of your passport page — the spelling of the name comes from there.
- 2We check the titlesWe look up how the university or authority names itself and agree the spelling with you first.
- 3Translation and certificationWe translate and certify in the form your recipient requires.
- 4A check before handoverBefore handing it over we compare the name, numbers and dates against the original once more.
Prices
- Diploma or diploma supplement per sheetfrom UAH 150
- Translation with notarial certification per documentfrom UAH 250
- Certificate, extract, contract priced per documentby volume
Prices are starting figures: the total depends on language, volume and deadline. Checking the spelling of names and titles is part of the work and costs nothing extra.
FAQ
How much does document translation cost in Lviv?
A standard document starts at UAH 150 per sheet and a translation with notarial certification at UAH 250 per document. Certificates, extracts and contracts are priced by volume. The price depends on language, volume and deadline, and a quote from a photo is free.
Why do you ask for the international passport?
So that the name in the translation matches the Latin spelling already fixed there. The recipient compares the translation with the passport, and a one-letter difference reads as a different person. We cannot pick the spelling ourselves: the correct one is the one in your passport.
Should the diploma and its supplement be translated together?
Yes. They are read as one set: the institution and the subjects must be named identically on both sheets. A supplement translated on its own is usually sent back for checking.
The diploma and the passport spell my surname differently. What then?
A translation reproduces the document rather than correcting it, so the mismatch is resolved by the set, not the translation: file the translation with the passport and, if needed, the document explaining the change of surname. We will say what to add in your case.
Do I need to come to the office in Lviv?
Photos are enough for the quote and for the translation itself. The original is needed only where the translation is bound to it rather than to a notarial copy; we return the finished set by Nova Poshta or hand it over in person.
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Updated: 2026-10-13
