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Aipedia: Translators and interpreters
You can use machine translation as a starting point for a certified translation, but the declaration of accuracy you sign makes you personally responsible for every word. A rejected or misleading certified document can delay applications, cases or careers and lead to a claim.
Part of: AI in Translators and interpreters
In short
Certified translations of birth certificates, degrees, court papers and similar documents usually carry a signed statement from the translator or agency that the translation is true and accurate. Using MT or a generative AI chatbot to produce a first draft does not change that statement or who makes it. CIOL's 2025 Translators Day speech singles out certified translation as an area where precision and accountability remain essential and where AI is not accountable. Errors in names, dates, grades or stamps can lead to rejection or a misleading document. Translators' PI usually responds to negligent errors, but not to a knowingly false declaration.
Certified translations are usually short, formulaic documents: civil status certificates, academic transcripts, driving records, police certificates and court orders. That makes them look ideal for MT. Some translators scan a document, run optical character recognition and MT, then edit and certify the result. Some clients produce their own machine translation and ask a translator to "just certify it".
The risk is that the formulaic parts translate well and the critical details do not. Handwritten entries, stamps, abbreviations, transliterated names and local grading systems are where engines and character recognition struggle, and where a reviewer can be lulled by fluent surrounding text.
The certification statement is a representation by you to the client and, in practice, to whoever relies on the document, such as a university, employer, court or government department. It says the translation is accurate, not that it was produced in a particular way. Your contractual duty is reasonable care and skill under section 13 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 for business clients, or the Consumer Rights Act 2015 for individuals, who are often the customers for certified work.
CIOL's 2025 Translators Day speech lists certified translation alongside legal, contractual, governmental and public service work as areas where precision and accountability remain essential. It says AI "is not accountable" for its output, so responsibility rests with people. There is no binding professional body rule on AI and certification.
Illustrative scenario: a translator runs a foreign degree certificate and transcript through character recognition and MT, edits the text and certifies it. The engine rendered a mid-ranking grade as the top classification, and the reviewer did not check it against the grading key printed on the reverse. An employer later discovers the discrepancy and withdraws an offer. The applicant says they relied on the translator's certified version and claims for lost earnings.
Other problems that come up include:
A claim that a certified translation contained a negligent error is the kind of claim translators' PI usually exists to meet, subject to the wording, the excess and any exclusions. Cover usually depends on the error being a mistake rather than a deliberate act. Certifying a client's own MT without reading it against the source could be argued to be reckless, and dishonesty exclusions are common. Claims can come from people you never contracted with, so third-party wording matters. For agencies, check that certified work by freelancers is covered. Our page on whether translators need PI explains the wider picture.
Certified work needs a fixed review routine, whatever tools produced the first draft:
Related guides: AI translation of immigration and asylum documents and machine translation post-editing.
Apex arranges PI for translators who certify documents. A broker can confirm your policy covers certified work, including third-party reliance, and how it treats MT used in drafting. Read more in our translators' PI guide or return to the AI in translation and interpreting hub.
No binding rule forbids it, but the declaration you sign says the translation is accurate. You need to review every element against the original as carefully as if you had translated it yourself. Some clients or receiving bodies may have their own requirements, so check those first.
Your client can claim for breach of contract or negligence. Because certified translations are made to be relied on by others, such as employers, universities or courts, a third party may also try to claim. Whether such a claim succeeds depends on the facts. Your PI wording should cover third-party claims.
Treat it as a full revision job, priced accordingly, or decline. Certifying text you have not fully checked against the source is risky and could be argued to be reckless, which may affect cover. Record what you reviewed and any changes you made.
Tell us about your firm and the work you do. A broker will review how your current PI treats AI-assisted work, or arrange new cover. No fee for a quote. Or call 0117 325 0027.
Start a PI quote Request a callbackApex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about how AI is used in the profession and how insurance may respond. It is not legal, regulatory or insurance advice on your circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.
