AI and sworn translation: the person certifies, not the tool

The common line

A language model can produce a draft. It is not on any register, takes no oath and signs nothing. National laws attach certification to a person; how they do it varies.

Czech Republic: register and signature

Translation work is reserved to the court translator entered in the register kept by the Ministry of Justice (Act No. 354/2019 Coll., § 2(2), § 5); a paper translation is signed by hand and bears the translator’s seal (§ 27(2)).

Czech: Překlad s AI pro soudní překladatele: příležitosti a meze

Germany: the authorised translator certifies

Under § 142(3) ZPO the certificate that a translation is correct and complete comes from a translator authorised or publicly appointed under state law and is signed by that translator.

German: KI-Übersetzung für vereidigte Übersetzer: Chancen und Grenzen

France: listed expert under oath

The translator is a judicial expert listed by a court of appeal (Loi n° 71-498, art. 2) who takes an oath on first registration (art. 6).

French: Traduction par IA pour traducteurs assermentés : atouts et limites

Italy: the oath on each translation

The oath is sworn for the translation itself before the court clerk and contains the statement of conformity with the original (R.D. 1366/1922, art. 5).

Italian: Traduzione con IA per traduttori giurati: opportunità e limiti

Poland: professional liability

Art. 21(1) of the Polish act: «Tłumacz przysięgły niewypełniający obowiązków, o których mowa w art. 8 ust. 2, art. 14, art. 15, art. 17 ust. 1 i art. 18 ust. 2 albo wypełniający te obowiązki nienależycie lub nierzetelnie podlega odpowiedzialności zawodowej».

Polish: AI w pracy tłumacza przysięgłego: co wolno, a co nie

What to check in a draft

• Numbers, dates and reference numbers against the original.
• Names and institutions — no invented equivalents.
• Illegible passages marked as illegible, not filled in.
• Legal terms that only look equivalent across systems.

Data protection

Civil-status documents contain personal data. Ask any tool provider where documents are processed, how long they are kept and whether they are used for training — and expect the answers in writing.

Where Lingverra fits

Lingverra produces a precise translation in the original layout and marks uncertain passages; the translation and the responsibility are yours. It does not certify: review, certificate, signature and stamp remain the translator’s.

Read also: Where your client's document goes when you translate with Lingverra

Read also: Free online translators and client documents: what the terms say