Irish Translation Services for the Public Sector
We are the language function behind your statutory obligations, and our process is built for simultaneous publication: both language versions on one date, aligned to official terminology. Native Irish-speaking linguists across Ireland do that work, with dialect expertise and An Caighdeán Oifigiúil discipline.
Irish and English are both official languages under the Official Languages Act 2003 (No. 32 of 2003). Public bodies named in the Act must publish specified documents in both languages at the same time.
The statutory obligation
The Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 (No. 49 of 2021) extends the obligations. It covers advertising quotas, forms, logos, names and addresses, social media, and replies in the language used.
Irish has had full official status as an EU language since 1 January 2022. EU-facing Irish material keeps growing as a result.
The pressure on public bodies
Non-compliance is investigated, and deadlines are tight. Section 10 requires annual reports, accounts and statements of strategy in both languages, published simultaneously.
An Coimisinéir Teanga investigates failures. The office received 594 complaints from the public in 2024, and HSE policy requires Irish responses to queries within 15 working days. Health bodies face the same calendar, with pressures of their own. See our healthcare translation page.
Every body must designate a senior manager for official-language duties under s.4A. The 20% Irish advertising rule applies under s.10A.
The síneadh fada is a live compliance risk. Some IT systems reject Irish names and addresses. Sections 9A and 9B commenced on 21 December 2024.
Terminology must match the official bar: téarma.ie, An Caighdeán Oifigiúil, and as-enacted texts on Achtanna.ie and eISB.
How we work with public bodies
We run your Irish publishing process inside your workflow, with your terminology and your calendar.
- Terminology management: termbases seeded from téarma.ie, eISB Act texts and official Irish names of State bodies, with glossary sign-off.
- Fada-safe QA: automated orthography checks plus human proofreading. Bilingual InDesign and Word layout passes the equal font, visibility and meaning test. File handover is fada-friendly.
- Parallel workflow planning keeps both language versions on one publication date. A committed calendar covers annual-report season.
- A dual pipeline: a certified-human route for legal and statutory text, and an MT-assisted route used only where the client instructs, under a defined post-editing specification, light or full.
Every project passes a 6-eyes minimum: in-house preparation, translation or post-editing, and in-house proofreading, with revision as a further pass. Our How we work page documents the ISO workflow, QA and post-editing rules.
Evidence of capability
Our capability is documented and auditable. Each item below is verifiable.
- OGP Irish Language Translation Services framework participant (Lots 1 & 2).
- ISO 9001, ISO 17100 and ISO 18587 certified since 2021, with a documented and auditable process.
- Certified translation for citizen-facing documents such as GRO certificates, No Trace letters and court documents. If a document is going abroad, we tell you whether it needs an apostille and point you to the DFA or the relevant embassy. For a fee, we can handle that step for you.
For the full range of Irish language translation work, see our Irish translation page.
Process and timeline
The calendar follows a known rhythm. Annual-report season runs from February to June, and the parallel workflow holds both language versions to the same publication date through the season.
An urgent tier supports complaint-driven correspondence and rush peaks.
Known peaks shape the plan: the five-yearly census and commencement waves such as ss.9A to 9E from 21 December 2024.
FAQ
Can you meet our 15-working-day Coimisinéir Teanga response window?
It depends on volume. For a reasonable document set, an urgent tier builds the response schedule around the window, with review time left for your team. We confirm the window when we quote.
Can you handle the síneadh fada and our IT systems?
Yes. Fada-safe QA runs automated orthography checks plus human proofreading. Fada-friendly file handover includes ICT checks as part of the process.
Can you deliver our annual report in both languages on the same day?
Yes. A parallel workflow produces both language versions together. A committed calendar holds the publication date for annual-report season.
Are you on the OGP Irish language framework? Can we draw down from you?
Yes. We are an OGP Irish Language Translation Services framework participant (Lots 1 & 2). We work the rotation and mini-competition mechanics.
What if the framework is closed to us?
Where a framework is closed, we work as a sub-consultant to a member.
Is Google Translate acceptable for official documents?
No. Online tools do not meet Official Languages Act standards. Certified human translation with terminology discipline is the compliant route.
Start the conversation
Buy through a framework call-off on eTenders, as a sub-consultant to a member, or by direct engagement for urgent work. Tell us about your tender, and we will confirm the compliant route for your body.
We can prepare an evidence pack on request. It holds ISO certificates, process documentation, and terminology and QA samples.
Tender documents are submitted in English. Contract-level work follows the same discipline; see legal translation for contracts. See our Data protection page for how we handle your files.