1. I have to translate my documents for the Job Center. The officer there tells me, that the Job Center will pay the costs for it and asks for multiple quotations from different translators in order to choose the cheapest one. What should I do?
In certain cases (when the Job Center has to take over the translation costs) the Job Center may not decline the cost reimbursement for quotations, which were created based on the rates defined in JVEG (Justizvergügungs- und Entschädigungsgesetz, the German Judicial Remuneration and Compensation Act). The argument „the offer would be too expensive“ does not apply here and is wrong! Your responsible officer has to accept the offer, to take over the costs and may not ask you to seek for alternative offers. Our quotations are all done based on JVEG. They are done in a way, which cannot be declined by the Job Center officer. Only one single offer from our side is sufficient to be presented to your Job Center officer. Should you have issues with your officer in regards of the acceptance of our offer, please let us know it. Don’t forget to communicate us your name, the name of the Job Center officer, the address of your Job Center and your number there. We will help you immediately. According to the data protection law the information, you submitted to us for this action, will be deleted straight after the Job Center will have accepted our quotation.
2. I’m coming from outside of EU and have already all my documents translated. But the translations are not accepted by the German authorities. Why?
According to the German law a translator has to certify that the translation is done completely and correctly. This can be done only by a sworn translator, registered in one of the German courts. In many other countries there are no sworn translators and the certifications are formulated in a way, which is not accepted by the German authorities.
Furthermore, non-sworn translators just sign off their translations. Even if the translation is certified by a public notary afterwards, the public notary is certifying only the signature of the translator, not the translation itself. This is not sufficient for German authorities. In order to comply with the German law regulations it is sometimes inevitable to request a translation from a sworn translator in Germany.
