Before you appear on the Ministry of Justice list: the hard path to the title of sworn translator

Most people assume that becoming a sworn translator is a matter of language proficiency and a good CV. This is a mistake. The Polish Act of 25 November 2004 on the Profession of Sworn Translator creates a precise selection mechanism in which language knowledge is merely a starting point, not a pass to the profession.

What the law says: formal requirements without exceptions

The path to entry on the list of sworn translators begins with meeting absolute statutory requirements. A candidate must hold Polish citizenship or the citizenship of one of the European Union member states, the Swiss Confederation, or an EFTA member state. A full higher education degree is mandatory; the act does not provide for any exceptions for individuals with secondary education, regardless of their professional experience. In addition, this requires full legal capacity and a clean criminal record regarding intentional offences or intentional fiscal offences.

This last condition is often underestimated. Registration requires the submission of a certificate from the National Criminal Register, and the clean criminal record must be current at the time of submitting the application, not at the time of taking the examination.

State examination: structure and scope

The central element of the certification path is the state examination conducted by the State Examination Commission, appointed by the Minister of Justice. The examination consists of two parts: written and oral.

The written part comprises four tasks: translation of a general text from a foreign language into Polish, translation of a specialised text from a foreign language into Polish, translation of a general text from Polish into a foreign language, and translation of a specialised text from Polish into a foreign language. Specialised texts usually concern legal, judicial or administrative matters. This is no coincidence, as these are the areas in which a sworn translator most frequently operates. Only candidates who have achieved a pass mark in every written task will proceed to the oral part. The oral part tests the ability to perform consecutive interpretation, in both directions, without preparation.

Candidates applying for registration as sworn translator of English they face an examination in which a board assesses terminological precision, faithfulness to the original, and stylistic correctness simultaneously. This combination of requirements is rarely encountered in other regulated professions.

From examination to oath: administrative procedure

Passing the examination opens the way to registration, but it does not conclude the process. The candidate submits an application to the Minister of Justice, attaching the required documents: a copy of their diploma, a certificate of no criminal record, and proof of payment of the stamp duty. The Minister issues a decision on entry onto the list of sworn translators maintained by the Ministry of Justice.

An entry on the gov sworn translator list, i.e. in the publicly available register accessible on the Ministry’s website, takes place after taking an oath before the president of the appropriate regional court. The wording of the oath is defined by statute and obliges one to perform duties conscientiously and impartially. Only from the moment of taking the oath may a translator use the title, seal and perform the activities provided for by the Act.

Continuity of authorisations and post-registration obligations

The Act regulates not only entry into the profession, but also the conditions for its practice. A sworn translator is obliged to maintain a repertory, which is a chronological register of all translations and certifications performed. Every translation certified by a sworn translator must include a note with the entry number in the repertory, a seal, and a signature.

Authorisations can be lost. The Minister of Justice shall remove a translator from the list in cases including the loss of legal capacity, a final conviction for an intentional offence, or the unjustified cessation of professional practice for an extended period.

It is a symmetrical legal structure: entry into the profession is difficult and formalised, but remaining in it requires activity and blamelessness. For clients looking for a specialist in the Ministry’s register, this is useful information. Presence on the list is not a lifelong certificate. It is confirmation that a given person meets the requirements at the moment you are looking for them, which means that the register only has value if someone actively ensures they remain in it.

This article was prepared using artificial intelligence tools and is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, linguistic, or professional advice and cannot be treated as a substitute for consultation with a specialist. The author and publisher are not liable for decisions made based on the content provided herein. For matters requiring official translations or legal opinions, we recommend contacting a certified sworn translator or a legal advisor.