Translation of a contract of employment is an important step for persons working abroad since this document is required in numerous commercial and official formalities. When do we need to have a contract of employment translated? Does translation of documents connected with employment must be produced by a sworn translation agency? We explain.
When can translation of a contract of employment come in handy?
A translation of a contract of employment is most frequently required in the following situations:
- You want to take a credit: banks can require a translation of your contract of employment as a part of credit scoring assessment. An official document translation (certified translation) is also needed by entrepreneurs who apply for financing, e.g. for business and investment activities.
- You are a party to proceedings or a witness in a court: a translation of a contract of employment can constitute evidence in court and administrative proceedings. Such translation is official and must be fully reliable and faithfully reflecting the specificity of a legal language. Therefore, it is worth ordering document translation services from a sworn translation agency.
- You want to document job seniority: certified translation of documents connected with employment, including translation of a contract of employment may be indispensable to prove employee rights in tax offices and retirement procedures and also when being engaged by a new employer.
- Delegating employees to work in other country: Employees who are delegated, e.g. to perform duties for a foreign contractor, may require having a contract of employment translated for tax or HR purposes. A sworn translation agency ensures translation of a contract of employment to English – the language of international communication.
Translation of a contract of employment for foreigners in Poland
Foreigners who take up employment in Poland but do not speak Polish fluently should obtain a translation of a contract of employment to English or other language which is understood by them on a level allowing them to become familiar with its terms and conditions and to consciously consent for being bound by employment relationship. It is also worth taking care of translations of other documents such as consenting to image processing or non-competition agreement. At a later stage, it is good to have annexes or documents connected with holidays and employee benefits translated as well.
Does translation of a contract of employment have to be made by a sworn translator?
In the majority of cases, especially when a contract of employment will be used in official procedures such as applying for a visa, work permit, applying for a credit or submitting court documents, translation of a contract of employment must be produced by a sworn translator. A document translation can be ordered from sworn translation agency which employs only persons possessing appropriate qualifications.
What does a certified translation of documents consist in?
In contrast to standard translations, a certified translation is faithful to the original. A sworn translator does not interpret or edit the subject of a translation which can happen in the case of so-called free translations. Due to its official nature, a certified translation of documents must be reliable and translated literally, keeping all details and language register of a source document. Sworn translators specialising in specific niches, e.g. legal translations, have profound professional knowledge of the legal language in which agreements and acts are written.
Furthermore, a certified translation of a document bears an imprint of a seal and a certification of translation’s faithfulness signed by a sworn translator, providing it with legal validity which standard translations are deprived of.
The Translation Office of Jacek Kasprzyk: translation of a contract of employment and other legal translations
The founder of the Office, sworn translator and interpreter Jacek Kasprzyk is an educated English philologist and lawyer, which has been allowing him to provide top quality certified translation services (from English to Polish and from Polish to English) of legal and economic documents for over 16 years.
FAQs:
In what language should a contract of employment be drawn up in the case of a foreigner?
A contract of employment for a foreigner should be drawn up in Polish or in a foreign language understood by the employed foreigner. In practice, employment contracts for foreigners are frequently drawn up in English.
Can a contract of employment be drawn up in a foreign language?
Yes. Polish law allows for such a possibility.
Does a contract of employment have to be drawn up in Polish?
The law does not require a contract of employment to be drawn up in Polish but an employee may also request such a version. In this situation, the employer has an obligation to provide the employee with such a language version of the contract.
What are the changes in employing foreigners in 2024?
The changes pertain to facilitating undertaking employment in Poland by the foreigners. They concern, among others, improvement of decision making process in the scope of allowing the foreigners to work and digitisation of procedures.
Source: Freepik