What is the difference between a sworn translator and a certified translator?
By Keran Chaussard, administrator of the Directory of Sworn Translators of France — updated on
In France, a “sworn translator” (traducteur assermenté) is a translator-interpreter registered as a court-appointed expert on the list of a court of appeal: only such a translator can produce a translation that has official value before French authorities.
“Certified translator”, on the other hand, has no legal definition in France. It is a commercial expression, sometimes borrowed from the English “certified translator”, which guarantees nothing in itself. If an authority asks you for an official translation, insist on the word “sworn”.
What exactly “sworn translator” means
The everyday term refers to an administrative reality: a court-appointed expert registered in branch H — Interpreting and Translation — of the list drawn up each year by a court of appeal. Registration involves an application, a review of the file, the taking of an oath, then a three-year probationary period before possible five-yearly re-registrations.
It is this status, and this status alone, that allows a translator to add to a translation the certification statement, the stamp and the registration number that give it evidential value in France.
Why “certified translator” is confusing
The word largely comes from abroad. In English-speaking countries, a certified translation is a translation accompanied by a signed statement from the translator or agency attesting to its accuracy. There is no oath and no court registration: the provider certifies their own work. The system works there, but it has no equivalent in French procedure.
Used in France, the word is therefore ambiguous. Some sworn professionals speak of a “certified translation” as a synonym, which is legitimate. Others use it precisely because they are not sworn. Nothing in the word allows you to tell the two apart.
| Term used | Status in France | Value before a French authority |
|---|---|---|
| Sworn translator | Court-appointed expert registered on a court of appeal list | Yes |
| Certified translator | No legal definition | None in itself |
| Approved or official translator | No legal definition | None in itself |
| ISO 17100 certified agency | Quality process standard | None in itself |
| Qualified translator | University degree | None in itself |
The same professional may of course combine several of these qualities. What matters for your application is the first row.
Key point — for a French application, look for “sworn” and check the registration on the court of appeal list.
Other terms you will come across
“Traduction jurée” is the term used in Belgium and Switzerland. “Traducción jurada” in Spain, “beglaubigte Übersetzung” in Germany, “traduzione giurata” in Italy: each refers to a separate national system, with its own authorising bodies.
ISO 17100 certification belongs to yet another category: it is a quality management standard that describes a process — skills, third-party revision, traceability. It is perfectly respectable and has no effect on the administrative admissibility of a document.
Translation agencies
A translation agency is never sworn: only an individual can be. An agency can, however, work with registered experts and provide you with a proper sworn translation.
In that case, take one simple precaution: ask for the name of the expert who will sign, and the court of appeal they are attached to. You can then check for yourself, and a reputable agency will have no difficulty giving you this information.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a certified translation be rejected by a prefecture?
- Yes, if it does not come from a sworn translator registered on a court of appeal list. This is a common reason for rejection, as the term “certified” has no legal value in France.
- Is a translator sworn abroad valid in France?
- Not automatically. A French authority normally expects a translator registered with a French court of appeal, unless a specific convention or exemption applies.
- Does a sworn translation cost more?
- Yes, generally. The sworn translator takes on legal responsibility and signs and stamps each copy by hand. The price difference reflects a difference in nature, not in linguistic quality.
Sources
- Lists of court-appointed experts of the courts of appeal, centralised by the Court of Cassation
- Decree No. 2004-1463 of 23 December 2004 on court-appointed experts
- Decree No. 2021-1205 of 17 September 2021, amended by Decree No. 2024-1200 of 23 December 2024, on legalisation and the apostille
- Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of 6 July 2016 on the circulation of certain public documents
