Sworn / official translator for certified translations

To do this, the translator must apply to the competent court to be sworn in and prove their suitability in advance. In most cases, this is done by submitting the university diploma or Master's certificate etc. that the translator has been awarded in the ‘Translation / Interpreting’ or ‘Multilingual Communication’ degree programme.

It is important that the translator's command of legal terminology in the source and target languages can be demonstrated.

Once these documents have been examined by the court and the applicant has been found suitable, they will receive an ‘Invitation to the swearing-in appointment for document translators’. At this appointment, the translator is informed of their duties and rights as a future ‘publicly appointed and court-sworn (or sworn) document translator’. The translator must then take the oath. Here he can choose between the ‘oath with religious affirmation’ or the ‘oath without religious affirmation’.
With the subsequent signature, the now sworn/sworn translator of documents undertakes to faithfully and conscientiously carry out all ‘certified translations’ made by him/her, in accordance with §1 of the Verpflichtungsgesetz of 2 March 1974. As part of this obligation, the publicly appointed and court-sworn/sworn translator is informed of the contents of the following criminal provisions of the Criminal Code:

• § Section 133 (3) Breach of custody
• § Section 201 para. 3 Breach of confidentiality of the word
• § Section 203 para. 2,4,5 Breach of private secrets
• § Section 204 Utilisation of other people's secrets
• §§ Sections 331, 332 Acceptance of advantages and corruption
• § Section 353 b Breach of official secrecy and a special duty of confidentiality
• § Section 358 Ancillary consequences
• § Section 97 b para. 2 in conjunction with Sections 94 to 97 Betrayal on the mistaken assumption of an illegal secret
• § Section 120 (2) release of prisoners
• and Section 355 Violation of tax secrecy

These penal provisions apply to the now publicly appointed and sworn/sworn translator of documents on the basis of his obligation.

The publicly appointed and sworn/sworn translator now receives his certificate of appointment or his record of swearing in as a translator of documents from the president of the court.
With this official document, he can have a so-called round stamp made, with which the ‘certified translations’ he produces can be stamped as such with immediate effect.

Certified translations are often required in the context of court proceedings, naturalisation procedures, binational marriages, emigration, repatriation, semesters abroad, etc.

If you need foreign documents/certificates in German, it may be cheaper to have them translated directly into German abroad - but these translations are not recognised by German offices, authorities and courts. In order for your official foreign documents to be recognised and used in Germany, they must be prepared by a sworn translator who has been sworn in at a German court.

Or if you need a certified translation of a German document into a foreign language (e.g. a certified translation of a school-leaving certificate into English), please contact us.