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Exercise foreign professional qualifications as an interpreter, sign language interpreter

Service Description

The profession of sworn interpreter and sign language interpreter is regulated. They are authorized to translate orally or to translate between oral language and sign language for judicial, prosecutorial and notarial purposes. The corresponding language is German. An activity as a generally sworn interpreter and sign language interpreter can only be exercised after the general swearing-in by the responsible President of the Regional Court.

Process flow

Anyone who meets the personal and professional requirements can apply to be sworn in as an interpreter or sign language interpreter. The application can also be submitted from abroad.

The application for general swearing-in as an interpreter or sign language interpreter can be submitted informally without an application form.

The required documents must be enclosed with the application. If all requirements are met, the general swearing-in as an interpreter or sign language interpreter takes place in a personal appointment.

A transcript of the general swearing-in will be drawn up. Interpreters and sign language interpreters receive a certified copy of the transcript for submission to courts, public prosecutors' offices and notaries.

Who should I contact?

The President of the Regional Court in whose district you reside is responsible for the general swearing-in. If you are not resident in Thuringia, the President of the Regional Court of Erfurt is responsible for the general swearing-in.

Requirements

You can be sworn in as an interpreter or sign language interpreter if you:

  • 1. are a national of a member state of the European Union or a national of a state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or Switzerland or who has their professional establishment or place of residence in one of these states,
  • 2. are of legal age,
  • 3. are suitable,
  • 4. live in orderly economic circumstances,
  • 5. are reliable and
  • 6. have the required specialist knowledge of German and the language to be sworn in.

You have the required specialist knowledge in accordance with number 6 if you have a basic knowledge of the German legal language and

  • have passed the interpreting examination of a state or state-recognized examination office or another state or state-recognized examination for the interpreting profession in Germany or
  • have passed an examination abroad that has been recognized by a competent German authority as equivalent to an examination under a).

You can also prove your basic knowledge of German legal terminology by passing an examination in accordance with letters a) and b).

Which documents are required?

You must enclose the necessary documents with the application for a general swearing-in, in particular

  1. your curriculum vitae,
  2. a certificate of good conduct, which must not have been issued more than six months previously,
  3. a declaration stating whether you have been sentenced to any penalties or disciplinary measures in the five years prior to submitting the application,
  4. a declaration as to whether insolvency proceedings have been opened against your assets and no discharge of residual debt has yet been granted or whether you have been entered in the debtor register, and
  5. the documents required to prove the necessary expertise.

In addition, the President of the competent regional court will obtain information from the competent police authority and the competent care and insolvency court. For this purpose, you must sign a declaration that you consent to the forwarding of your personal data.

As a rule, you must submit the documents in German. If the documents are not in German, a translation may also be required. Please contact the president of the competent regional court for this.

What are the fees?

Fee: 120,00 EUR
Payment in advance: no
For the procedure concerning the application for a general oath.

Fee: 60,00 EUR
Payment in advance: no
Additionally for each additional language. The fee is only charged once if a general swearing-in as an interpreter, sign language interpreter and an authorization as a translator are applied for at the same time and for the same foreign or sign language.

Fee: 40,00 EUR
Payment in advance: no
For the application for extension of the general oath.

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

You can have the oath extended for a further 5 years if you continue to meet the requirements.

When applying for an extension, you must enclose a current curriculum vitae, a current certificate of good conduct and a declaration stating whether you have been sentenced to a penalty or detention order in the five years prior to the application.

Period of Validity: 5 Years

Legal basis

Applications / forms

You have the right to appeal against the decision of the competent authority on your application or against a decision that was not made on time in accordance with the Administrative Court Code (objection procedure, if necessary legal action).

Appeal

The application for general swearing-in as an interpreter or sign language interpreter can be submitted informally. The form available at the following link can also be used:

What else should I know?

Interpreters and sign language interpreters who are not sworn interpreters may also be called upon to attend court hearings. However, the interpreter or sign language interpreter must then be sworn in by the presiding judge for this hearing before commencing work.

The presidents of the regional courts of Thuringia maintain a joint electronic list of their sworn interpreters and sign language interpreters. The directory is published on the Internet within a transnational database of interpreters and translators. The data will only be published in the Internet directory if you give your consent. This consent can be revoked at any time. The revocation must be declared in writing to the President of the competent regional court. If you do not consent to the publication of your personal data in the online public directory, the data will only be made available to the Thuringian courts and public prosecutors' offices in a protected area. In this case, the Thuringian notaries will receive up-to-date directories on a regular basis.

Supporting institutions

You can find advice on how to apply in German and English by calling the "Working and living in Germany" hotline

Author

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Technically approved by

Thuringian Ministry for Migration, Justice and Consumer Protection (TMMJV)

Professionally released on

12.03.2024

Source: Zuständigkeitsfinder Thüringen (Linie6Plus)

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