Irish Language Translation Services for Public Bodies
The compliance reality
We translate, proofread, edit and publish the Irish-language content your organisation produces, and we deliver it on a standard the Commissioner will not fault. You get an Irish-language function without hiring one. Your public-facing materials, signage and forms sit under the Official Languages Act 2003 and the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 (No. 49 of 2021), enforced by An Coimisinéir Teanga.
The 2021 Act raises the bar. Public bodies now work to:
- 20% of new public-sector recruits Irish-proficient by 2030
- language standards replacing language schemes
- Irish-first signage, with 20% of advertising in Irish
- application forms in Irish, and replies in the same language
Complaints to the Commissioner are climbing. 26.8% of the 2025 complaints concerned signage and stationery, up from 23.9% in 2024. Irish also gained full EU official-language status on 1 January 2022, and Commission legislation in Irish is estimated to rise by about 70%.
For the full OLA compliance picture, see Irish government translation.
Where Irish goes wrong
Public-facing errors are expensive. Each one can mean a reprint, a complaint, and a file opened with the Commissioner. The Ceannt Station sign lost the h in "Ceannaigh". A passenger flagged it, and An Coimisinéir Teanga investigated.
Bilingual layout follows strict conventions: Irish first, equal prominence, no abbreviations, full fada support. Online tools do not meet Official Languages Act standards; the HSE guidance states this explicitly about Google Translate. Our healthcare translation page sets out that guidance in full.
Terminology is tightly governed. An Caighdeán Oifigiúil sets the standard, Rannóg an Aistriúcháin sets official body and scheme names, and téarma.ie holds the approved term list. Errors become public quickly, and they are expensive to fix.
How we work
We work terminology first, with Irish-first QA and two defined production routes.
Native Irish-speaking linguists across Ireland bring dialect expertise and An Caighdeán Oifigiúil discipline. We seed each client termbase from téarma.ie and logainm.ie, and you sign off the glossary before production. We track Coiste Téarmaíochta approvals as they land, and we slot into your workflow, your terminology and your deadlines.
QA is fada-safe and Irish-first. Automated orthography checks run on every job, and human proof follows. Bilingual design follows the equal prominence rule. Every job passes through preparation, translation and proofreading by separate qualified linguists before it reaches you. The glossary stays the reference point throughout.
Two production routes are defined:
- a no-AI human route for legal and statutory text, the OGP Lot 3 pattern
- a machine-assisted route, used only where you instruct it, with a defined post-editing specification
Legal Irish and Lot 3-type text are covered on our legal translation page.
Both language versions are planned to publish together. Version lockstep mirrors the simultaneous publication duty under the Act.
Evidence of capability
The credentials are documented and client-confirmed.
- OGP Irish Language Translation Services framework participant (Lots 1 & 2)
- ISO 9001/17100/18587 certified since 2021
- terminology evidence on request: glossary extracts and a compliance checklist
Irish is what our linguists work in every day. It is our domain expertise, built through experience, and the process is documented and auditable. See How we work and Data protection for the supporting detail.
Process and timeline
Framework buying is the direct route. We respond to OGP framework mini-competitions, and you can draw down directly on rotation. Quotes for framework-sized jobs come back quickly; budgets in this sector are modest, so speed to quote matters.
Demand peaks in annual-report season, the budget cycle and back-to-school months. Plan your Irish work around those dates. Tell us your publication date and we will build the schedule from it.
FAQ
Are you on the OGP Irish language framework? How do we draw down?
Yes. We are an OGP Irish Language Translation Services framework participant (Lots 1 & 2). You can draw down directly, or invite us to a mini-competition.
Do you use machine translation for Irish?
Legal and statutory text takes a no-AI human route. This follows the OGP Lot 3 pattern. Machine-assisted work runs only where you instruct it, under a defined post-editing specification.
How do you keep terminology consistent across our documents?
We build a client termbase seeded from téarma.ie and logainm.ie. You sign off the glossary before production. Terminology carries through every QA pass.
What is your turnaround for a signage or forms project?
Quotes for framework-sized jobs come back within hours. We plan bilingual lockstep delivery around your publication date.
Start the tender conversation
Tell us which route fits: OGP framework drawdown, a mini-competition response, or direct engagement. We will come back with a quote and an evidence pack. It holds ISO certificates, process documentation, and terminology and QA samples. Framework drawdown, mini-competition and direct engagement all start the same way: a conversation.