Did you know you can easily find a reliable certified Polish translator by searching on the  Polish Ministry of Justice website?  It contains a database of all the certified Polish translators and you can browse it to find the one nearest you. Here’s how to use it.

What is the profession of the certified Polish translator?

A certified translator, also known as a sworn translator, is a person of public trust who is legally authorized to do certified translations (also informally known as sworn translations) that are accepted e.g. by the state authorities in Poland. A written certified translation has the same validity as the source document.

Certified translator or translation agency – which should I choose?

Have you ever wondered how to find a certified translator fast? If the answer is yes, then you might have come across translation agencies advertising as certified translators. So how exactly do they operate and is it actually legal?

Many certified translators in Poland, including myself, run their offices as one-person companies. Having a freelance business, we act in compliance with the Polish Act on the Profession of Certified Translators.

Apart from that, you might have seen translation agencies that offer certified translations even though you won’t come across any certified translators on the site. Such companies are go-betweens turning a profit on the margin between your price and the rate they pay to the certified translator who eventually gets your documents for translation.

This may cause some confusion, right? For example, if you Google “certified Polish translator” some search results will redirect you to one of the agencies instead of an actual translator. This marketing practice by translation agencies may be regarded as misleading the consumer under the Act on Counteracting Unfair Market Practices, but it’s a much broader topic for another post.

Anyway, it’s good to remember that finding a direct contact to a certified translator in Poland may not be as simple as it seems. Nonetheless, we are lucky to have the official list of Polish translators.

How to find a certified Polish translator fast?

Certified translators in Poland used to be listed by regional courts (sądy okręgowe, i.e. mid-level courts) but it has changed and now we have a nationwide register of certified translators.

Here is a step-by-step tutorial as if you were looking for a certified Polish translator for English in Wrocław:

Step 1 – Go to the website of certified translators in Poland

• with this link: https://arch-bip.ms.gov.pl/pl/rejestry-i-ewidencje/tlumacze-przysiegli/lista-tlumaczy-przysieglych/search.html

or

• by Googling lista tłumaczy przysięgłych (certified translators’ list) and clicking the first search result.

This is the only official and complete list of certified translators in Poland. Paradoxically enough, it is available only in Polish ? No matter how absurd this may sound, Google Translate may come in handy here. If your Google Chrome language is English, just right click on any free space on the page and choose Translate to English, as shown in the screenshot below:

Then you’ll be able to search in English as shown in the following picture:

Step 2 – Select the translator’s language and city

• Select English from the dropdown list (Do you see Tongue? I guess my profession won’t be replaced by Google Translate just yet ?).
• Enter Wrocław in the City box (CAUTION: make sure you are using Polish letters when entering your search criteria because otherwise you’ll get no results)
• Click Search and voila, there it is!

 

 

 

Step 3 – Choose a certified translator near you

You have just accessed an alphabetical register of certified Polish translators in Wrocław with a click. Simple, isn’t it?

You’ll probably notice that some translators do not have a telephone number or email address. It’s because they most likely don’t want to be contacted, as translation is not their primary job. So – if you want good service – it’s best to:

• choose a certified translator near you,
• call them to make sure they’re available,
• send them an email with your documents for translation.

Here’s my entry on the list of certified Polish translators:

If you click my name, you’ll see all the details and the page should look like this:

The important thing with the Ministry of Justice’s list of certified translators, is that you are certain to contact an officially qualified translator who guarantees the quality and confidentiality of the translations in accordance with Polish law.

Without getting into relevant legal provisions (for the curious – Article 14 of the Act on the Profession of Certified Translators), I’ll just mention that as certified translators in Poland, we are obliged to perform our duties:

• with the utmost care and impartiality,
• in accordance with the provisions of the law,
• while maintaining the confidentiality of the facts we learn in connection with the translations.

You can rest assured that if you order your translation directly from a certified translator, your documents will be in safe hands and no one will illegally forward them without your knowledge and consent.

Is it worth using the list of certified translators?

The answer really depends on your needs at a given moment. In my opinion, if you use the services of a certified translator from the list instead of Googling for a translation agency, there is a fair chance that:

• you will pay less – as your translation will be done without a go-between,
• you will have personal contact with the actual translator – in case anything needs to be quickly clarified,
• you will be sure your documents won’t be forwarded without your permission and knowledge – each certified translator in Poland is obliged to absolute confidentiality.

If you find tis post valuable, I’d be grateful for a comment and a share on Facebook and LinkedIn. Let me know if you have any topic regarding Polish translations you’d like to read about here – I’ll see what I can do ?

 

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