Armenian Translation

The first question about an Armenian document is which Armenian it is. Eastern and Western Armenian use the same alphabet but read its consonants differently, so one name produces two entirely different Latin spellings.

4 min readLast updated 2 September 2026

Writing system

Նոտարական վավերացմամբ թարգմանություն

Notarakan vaveratsmamb targmanutyun

A notarised translation

The Armenian alphabet was created in the fifth century and has 38 letters, counted as 39 with a ligature added later. It distinguishes upper and lower case. It was designed for Armenian alone and is used for no other language.

Eastern or Western Armenian?

Armenian has two written standards. Eastern Armenian is the official language of Armenia; Western Armenian is the language of communities in Türkiye, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. They are mutually intelligible but differ markedly in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.

What decides matters for translation is the difference in pronunciation. The same letter carries a different sound in each standard, and because transliteration follows pronunciation, the result is an entirely different spelling.

One letter, two sounds
Letter	Eastern Armenian	Western Armenian
Բ	b	p
Գ	g	k
Դ	d	t
Պ	p	b
Կ	k	g
Տ	t	d

One letter, two sounds

This is why we ask which country an Armenian document comes from, and for any earlier Turkish documents you hold. The translation follows the passport spelling and shows the other form in a note.

The 1922 reform and classical orthography

Soviet Armenia carried out an orthographic reform in 1922, changing the use of certain letters and the spelling rules. The diaspora did not adopt it and kept the classical orthography. The result is that the same word is written two ways, a difference of spelling rules rather than of alphabet.

Two orthographic traditions
Orthography	Where used	Where you see it
Post-reform	Armenia	Official documents after 1922
Classical	Diaspora, Türkiye, Lebanon, Iran	Community records, church documents

Two orthographic traditions

Older community records and church baptism and marriage certificates use the classical orthography. A translator trained in today's Armenian may struggle with them. If your document comes from a church or community register, tell us at the outset.

Surname endings

Most Armenian surnames end in -yan (Eastern) or -ian (Western and diaspora), an ending meaning "son of". Even that single-letter difference can break document matching: Sarkisyan and Sarkisian are one surname in two spellings.

Spelling variants of the same surname
Armenian	In an Armenian passport	Common in the diaspora
Սարգսյան	SARGSYAN	Sarkissian, Sarkisian
Հովհաննիսյան	HOVHANNISYAN	Hovanessian, Ohanian
Գրիգորյան	GRIGORYAN	Krikorian
Պետրոսյան	PETROSYAN	Bedrosian
Կարապետյան	KARAPETYAN	Garabedian

Spelling variants of the same surname

Certification and Soviet-era documents

Armenia is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille is valid between the two countries and no consular chain is required. The route works the same in both directions.

01
Soviet-era documents may be bilingual
Documents from before 1991 can carry Armenian and Russian sections together. The Armenian text is the original; any difference in name spelling between the two is stated.
02
The patronymic may follow Russian practice
Because Soviet records used three-part names, a patronymic may appear as a separate element. The translation marks which element is which.
03
Place names may have changed
Older names such as Leninakan are preserved and today's equivalent (Gyumri) noted in brackets.
04
The apostille comes from Armenia
Where the document was issued within today's Armenian borders, the apostille comes from the Armenian authorities.

letters in the Armenian alphabet: 39letters in the Armenian alphabet
Eastern and Western Armenian: 2 standardsEastern and Western Armenian
the reform the diaspora did not adopt: 1922the reform the diaspora did not adopt

Frequently asked questions

My document says Bedrosyan and my passport says Petrosyan. What should I do?

They are the same surname read in the two standards, and both are correct. For official purposes the passport spelling governs. The translation shows the other form and states the relationship between them, which is why sending both documents matters. Some institutions may also ask for a declaration.

My church record in İstanbul is in Armenian. Can a translator from Armenia handle it?

They may struggle. Community and church records use Western Armenian and the classical orthography, while a translator educated in Armenia is used to the post-reform spelling. Tell us where your document comes from and we will assign the right translator.

Is an apostille enough for a document going to Armenia?

Yes. Armenia is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so sworn translation, notarisation and an apostille are valid; consular legalisation is not required.

I do not read the Armenian alphabet. How do I know what my document is?

Send a photograph of one page and we will tell you. Because the alphabet is used for Armenian alone there is no uncertainty about the language; the uncertainty is which standard and which orthography, and we determine that by looking.