Government Translation
Translate policy papers, notices, procurement files, and public guidance with names and administrative terms kept consistent.
Why the subject matters
What changes in this kind of work
Public documents may need formal legal wording in one section and plain instructions in the next. Reviewers can set the appropriate tone, apply agency terminology, and check names, dates, references, and numbering against the source.
Public bodies write for several readers at once. One decision letter can hold the legal basis, a deadline for objection and practical instructions for the person who receives it. Where a region publishes in more than one language, the translation sits next to the original and is read just as closely. A wrong name for a ministry or a shifted date is noticed quickly, and in a letter with a deadline it can affect someone's rights.
In DeepReference, the translation model produces a first draft on DeepReference's own servers in the EU, and the body's translators or language service review and approve every segment. Approved terms, such as the names of departments, programmes and legal instruments, go into a glossary. When one of them occurs in a sentence, it is sent to the model with that sentence, and the quality check flags a segment where a required term is missing. With Translator Pro, approved segments go into translation memory, so standard passages, such as the data protection notice at the end of a letter, are reused once they have been approved.
Public bodies also ask three practical questions: where the data is, which security accreditations exist, and whether the result is accessible. The short answers are: the servers are in the EU, DeepReference holds no government security accreditation, and there is no formal WCAG certificate. The limits and questions below explain what this means in practice.
How it works
A project from upload to delivery
- 1
Prepare the terminology
Import the body's existing glossary as CSV, XLSX, TMX or TBX, or extract terms from an earlier document and its published translation. Review the extracted terms, approve or dismiss them, and add the approved ones to a glossary. Official names are worth settling here, before the first file.
How to do it, step by step: 2.6 Import terms into a glossary · 3. Terminology extraction
- 2
Upload the document and choose the tone
Upload DOCX, PDF, PPTX or XLSX files up to 50 MB (75 MB on Business), or paste text. Choose the tone that fits the document: formal for decisions and official letters, simplified for guidance written for the public. A PDF needs selectable text; an image-only scan is refused.
How to do it, step by step: 6. Document translation · 5. Text translation, tones and glossary
- 3
Let the model draft
The model translates on DeepReference's servers in the EU. Glossary terms that occur in a sentence are sent with it. On Translator Pro, an exact match from translation memory is reused instead of being translated again.
How to do it, step by step: 2.15 Use a glossary correctly
- 4
Review segment by segment
In the segment editor, the reviewer sees source and target side by side, with glossary hits, translation memory matches and quality-check flags for numbers, missing glossary terms and untranslated text. A person approves each segment, and each segment keeps a version history. On Business, the project can be shared with reviewers, who can leave comments.
How to do it, step by step: 7. Translation Editor
- 5
Handle amended drafts
Policy texts and tender documents often change after translation has started. Revision comparison (Freelance and up) shows what changed in the source as a redline and as a DOCX with real tracked changes. In “with translation” mode, only the segments the revision affected are retranslated, and nothing is charged until you confirm.
How to do it, step by step: 9. Revision comparison
- 6
Export and sign off
The file comes back in its original format, with tables, headings, numbering, headers and footers. Check the layout, especially of PDFs, before publication. Approval for publication stays with the public body.
How to do it, step by step: 8. Document Editor
Document types
What we translate
- Policy papers and strategiesLong, argued texts where the same concept must keep the same name from the summary to the annex.
- Public notices and announcementsShort texts with dates, places and deadlines that readers act on, so every number is checked against the source.
- Administrative letters and decisionsThey combine the legal basis, the outcome and a notice of remedies; the remedies paragraph has legal effect and needs the closest review.
- Procurement documentsTender specifications, award criteria and contract terms, where the terminology must match the procurement rules bidders work under.
- Permits, licences and application formsForm labels and conditions must match the version of the form the applicant actually fills in.
- Guidance for the publicWritten for readers who are not experts; the simplified tone helps, and a reviewer checks that the plain wording is still correct.
- Reports and statistical tablesOften XLSX files: formulas are kept, and labels, units and footnotes are reviewed so the figures keep their meaning.
- Consultation documentsQuestions put to the public must stay neutral in translation, with no leading wording added or lost.
- Presentations for meetingsPPTX slides with short phrases and little context, so terms are checked against the glossary rather than guessed.
How to do it, step by step: 6. Document translation
Quality controls
Checks available during review
Domain terminology
A domain glossary or termbase can be applied to keep preferred vocabulary consistent during review.
How to do it, step by step: 3. Terminology extraction
Format and structure checks
Document structure, numbering, tables, and section conventions remain visible for reviewer checks.
How to do it, step by step: 8. Document Editor
Translation memory
Approved translations can be reused when the same or similar text appears again.
How to do it, step by step: 4. Translation memory
Review records
Reviewer actions, translation settings, and approval timestamps are kept where the workflow supports them.
How to do it, step by step: 7.3 Project tools
Glossary filtering
Only glossary terms found in the current text are sent with the translation request.
How to do it, step by step: 2.15 Use a glossary correctly
Recommended settings
How to set up a job in this field
Domain for terminology extraction
Choose Government when you extract terms from these documents. The domain is used for extraction only.
Step by step in the user guideGlossary
Add the approved terms for this client and language pair, one translation per term, and select the glossary when you translate.
Step by step in the user guideTerminology examples
How key terms are handled
Contracting authority
The fixed term for the body that runs a tender. Each language has an established equivalent; add it to the glossary so it is sent with every sentence that contains the term.
Regulation, directive, decision
In EU law these are different legal instruments and are not interchangeable. The model works from context, so put the approved equivalents in the glossary and have a reviewer check that none has been swapped.
Competent authority
A set expression in legislation. Keep one approved rendering; the quality check flags a segment where the required glossary term is missing.
Official names of bodies
Many ministries and agencies have official names in other languages, and some names should stay in the original with a translation in brackets. The model does not look up official names, so decide each one in the glossary.
Legal references
Article numbers, paragraphs and file references must match the source. The number check flags a changed or missing number; the citation style (Art. 5(2), Artikel 5 Absatz 2) is the reviewer's decision.
Notice of remedies
The paragraph that tells the recipient how and by when to object or appeal. Its wording and time limits have legal effect, so someone qualified reviews it in full, not only by spot checks.
Data controller
Data protection law uses fixed terms that exist in every official language version of the law. Take them from that version and add them to the glossary.
Stakeholder
Translated according to the audience. In plain-language guidance a simpler word is often better; record the choice in the glossary.
How to do it, step by step: 2.4 Add terms · 2.15 Use a glossary correctly
Who uses this
Industries served
Public agencies, municipalities, NGOs, policy teams, and government suppliers.
Standards and references
What reviewers can check
Reviewers can check official names, dates, references, procurement terms, numbering, formal passages, and citizen-facing instructions.
Before delivery
What your reviewer checks
- Names of ministries, agencies and programmes match the glossary or the body's own usage.
- Legal references, article numbers and file numbers match the source.
- Dates, deadlines, amounts and phone numbers are correct and follow the target-language convention; DeepReference does not convert formats automatically.
- Regulation, directive and decision have not been swapped.
- Each part has the right register: decisions stay formal, guidance stays plain.
- The notice of remedies is complete and has been read by someone qualified.
- Addresses, links and form labels point to the target-language version where one exists.
- Headings, numbering and tables are intact, and PDFs have been compared with the original layout.
- Text in images, charts and scanned annexes has been handled separately, because it is not translated.
- Every quality-check flag has been resolved or consciously accepted.
How to do it, step by step: 7. Translation Editor
Transparency
What DeepReference does not do
- DeepReference is software, not a translation service. It does not provide translators, and the public body or its language service remains responsible for review and publication.
- DeepReference holds no government security accreditation and is not approved for classified information. Do not upload classified or restricted material. It also holds no ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification.
- The servers are in the EU. If your rules require hosting in one particular country or on your own infrastructure, ask the team before uploading documents.
- There is no formal WCAG certificate for the website or for translated documents. Translation keeps headings, numbering and tables, but DeepReference does not test the output for accessibility, such as image descriptions, PDF tags or reading order.
- DeepReference does not certify translations or make them legally binding. Which language version is authentic is decided by the law or by the body; where a certified translation is required, a sworn or certified translator provides it.
- A scanned document without a text layer is refused, and text inside images is not translated. Run text recognition first, or upload the original file.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Where is our text processed and stored?
On DeepReference's own servers in the EU. The translation model runs there, and no outside AI company sees the text. Uploads travel over HTTPS and are also encrypted in the browser before sending, so the content delivery network carries only ciphertext; this is browser-to-server encryption. Stored files are encrypted at rest.
Is our content used to train the model?
No. Customer content is never used to train the model. When an account is deleted, its documents, translation memories and glossaries are removed, and backups expire after 14 days.
Does DeepReference hold a government security accreditation, ISO 27001 or SOC 2?
No, none of these. If your procurement rules require one of them, DeepReference does not meet that requirement today. The team can answer questions about the measures described on this page: EU hosting, encryption in transit and at rest, and deletion.
Is there a WCAG certificate, and are translated documents accessible?
There is no formal WCAG certificate. Translated files keep the headings, numbering and tables of the source, which accessible documents rely on. DeepReference does not check accessibility itself, so if documents must meet WCAG or EN 301 549, check them with your usual tools after translation.
Is there a model trained for government texts?
No. The same translation model is used for every field. The domain setting only guides terminology extraction. Consistent public-sector wording comes from your glossary, translation memory and review.
Can colleagues and an external reviewer work on the same project?
Yes, on Business: seats with roles (owner, admin, member, viewer), shared translation memories and glossaries, project sharing with reviewers, and comments. There is no real-time co-editing.
Review framework
Open the platform from the dashboard when you are ready to work on files.
View quality documentationBegin projects: Government Translation
Open the platform from the dashboard when you are ready to work on files.