Translation requirements for process documentation

Where do laws exist to translate process content to local languages?

Important - this article is not legal advice. You need to do your own research and use this content at your own risk.

Some countries fine you for English-only workplace documents. Others just recommend translations. This reference maps out which jurisdictions require workplace content in local languages - and which ones are fine with English only.

What types of workplace content are subject to language requirements?

Employment contracts - the most common rule, in France, Belgium, Romania, Slovenia, Saudi Arabia and others below.
Job offers and application forms - for example in Quebec and the UAE.
Policies, handbooks and work rules - for example in Quebec, Japan and Thailand.
Training and safety instructions - for example OSHA training in the US, and safety information in Slovenia.
Any document an employee needs to do the job - France covers these, and Saudi Arabia covers the employer’s instructions to workers.
Workplace notices and posters - for example in California, New York and under the US Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

North America

Canada (federal)

Requirement level: Mandatory (federal institutions) Applies to: Federal institutions Requirements: The Official Languages Act makes English and French the languages of work in all federal institutions, and their employees can use either one. In the National Capital Region and other prescribed regions, regularly and widely used work documents must be available in both languages. [1]

Canada - Quebec

Requirement level: Mandatory Applies to: All employers in Quebec Requirements: The Charter of the French Language (Bill 96) makes French the language of work. Written communications from an employer to its employees must be in French. An employee can ask for private written communications in another language, and the employer can then use that language alone. Documents about conditions of employment (such as an anti-harassment policy or employee handbook), training documents, offers of employment, transfer or promotion, and job application forms must be available in French. Versions in other languages are allowed if the French version is of similar quality and equally accessible. A negotiated employment contract can be in any language both sides agree on. [2] Employers had until June 1, 2023 to translate existing application forms, documents about conditions of employment, and training documents. [3] The worker’s right to work in French applies whatever the number of employees in Quebec. [4] The separate francization rules cover employers with 25 or more employees from June 1, 2025. [2] Non-compliance can result in fines. [5]

Canada - New Brunswick

Requirement level: Mandatory (provincial institutions) Applies to: Provincial institutions, and private companies providing a service on behalf of the provincial government Requirements: New Brunswick’s Official Languages Act applies to provincial institutions such as departments, Crown corporations, hospitals and police services, which must offer service in both English and French. Private companies don’t have to offer bilingual service unless they provide a service on behalf of the provincial government. [6]

United States (federal)

Requirement level: Mandatory for OSHA training and some federal notices; no blanket requirement otherwise Applies to: Private and public sectors (for OSHA and federal notices) Requirements: Training required by OSHA standards must be presented in a way employees can understand. If an employee doesn’t speak or comprehend English, instruction must be in a language the employee can understand. [7] Where a significant portion of a workforce isn’t literate in English, the employer must give the FMLA general notice in a language those employees can read. [8] The EEOC presumes that a rule requiring employees to speak only English at all times violates Title VII. A rule that applies only at certain times needs a business necessity, and the employer should tell employees about it. [9] Beyond these, a patchwork of federal laws can require notices in languages besides English. [10]

United States - states

Requirement level: Mandatory for specific notices (varies by state); encouraged in some states for other documents Applies to: Private and public sectors (state-level requirements) Requirements: California’s Labor Code Section 2810.5 wage notice must be given in the language the employer normally uses to communicate employment-related information to the employee. [11] A California employer whose workforce at any facility is more than 10% non-English-speaking must also post the state’s workplace discrimination and harassment notice in the appropriate languages. [12] New York, Illinois, Virginia and Massachusetts require some notices and posters in languages besides English, while Ohio, Indiana, Maryland and Washington encourage employers to provide translation or guidance. [10]

Mexico

Requirement level: No statutory language rule for contracts; translation required for foreign-language documents in labor court Applies to: Private and public sectors Requirements: Mexico’s Federal Labor Law has no article requiring the employment contract to be in Spanish. Documents filed with a labor court in a foreign language must come with a translation, and the court appoints an official translator, who presents and confirms the translation under oath within five days (Article 809). [13]

Other North America

Requirement level: Mostly recommended or preferred languages Applies to: Employers Requirements: Polsinelli groups many Latin American countries among those with recommended or preferred languages for employment documents. [10]

Europe

France

Requirement level: Mandatory (French required for employment documents) Applies to: Employers Requirements: Under the Toubon Law, an employment contract must be written in French (Labor Code Article L.1221-3), and an employer can’t use terms that aren’t in French against the employee. Labor Code Article L.1321-6 extends this to any document containing obligations for the employee or information needed to do the job. [14] The rule applies even where the company’s working language is different, and if a contract exists in two languages and they conflict, the French version prevails. [15]

Belgium - Flanders (Dutch-speaking)

Requirement level: Mandatory (Dutch only) Applies to: Employers whose employee works from an office in the region Requirements: Contracts must be drafted in the official language of the region where the employee’s operational office is, which is Dutch in Flanders. A contract in another language, such as English, is generally void, except in some international situations under strict conditions. Translations can help employees understand, but only the Dutch version is binding. [15] The nullity can’t be used to the employee’s disadvantage. [16]

Belgium - Wallonia (French-speaking)

Requirement level: Mandatory (French) Applies to: Employers whose employee works from an office in the region Requirements: In Wallonia the required language is French. Documents that breach the rule are null, though no administrative or criminal fines are added on top. An additional language chosen by the parties is allowed, but the French version stays the reference. [16]

Belgium - Brussels (bilingual)

Requirement level: Mandatory (French or Dutch depending on employee) Applies to: Employers in the Brussels region Requirements: Documents for staff must be in Dutch for Dutch-speaking staff and in French for French-speaking staff. Breaking this rule doesn’t make a document null. Instead, the employer has to replace it with a version in the correct language. [16] Employees in Brussels may choose the language for employment-related communications. [15]

Luxembourg

Requirement level: No set language (mutual understanding required) Applies to: Employers Requirements: An employment contract must be concluded in a language both parties understand. A contract in a language the employee doesn’t know can be declared invalid for lack of consent. [17]

Germany

Requirement level: No explicit requirement Applies to: Employers Requirements: There’s no obligation to draw up employment contracts in German, and contracts can be fully in English. A German translation is needed in case of litigation or if an authority requires one. [18]

Netherlands

Requirement level: No specific law (check employee understanding) Applies to: Employers Requirements: Dutch law doesn’t require an employment agreement in Dutch, and English agreements are common practice in international employment. The law firm Buren advises checking that the employee fully understands the terms and providing a translation in case of doubt. [19]

Spain

Requirement level: Spanish required, according to one law firm Applies to: Employers Requirements: The law firm Zafo Law says any Spanish employment contract has to be written in Spanish. A contract can be drafted in two languages, but the Spanish text prevails. The firm doesn’t name the statute behind the rule. [20]

Italy

Requirement level: No specific requirement Applies to: Employers Requirements: Italian law doesn’t impose specific rules on the language of employment contracts. A contract may be in any language both parties understand, but the Italian translation prevails in legal proceedings. [15]

Poland

Requirement level: Mandatory (Polish prevails; foreign employees can choose another language) Applies to: Employers Requirements: Under the Act on the Polish Language, when employment documents for a Polish employee are bilingual, the Polish version always prevails. Since October 15, 2009, documents for an employee who isn’t a Polish citizen may be prepared in a foreign language the employee speaks. The employer has to tell the employee about the right to documents in Polish, and the employee’s choice of language is then binding. [21]

Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic and Hungary

Requirement level: No specific law Applies to: Employers Requirements: The laws of these five countries don’t require employment documents in their national languages. The law firm Wolf Theiss advises preparing them in a language all employees fully understand. [22]

Romania

Requirement level: Mandatory for contracts (Romanian) Applies to: Employers Requirements: Only the employment agreement must be concluded in Romanian. The accompanying employment documents don’t have to be, and the law doesn’t regulate or prohibit particular languages for communications within a company. [22]

Slovenia

Requirement level: Mandatory (Slovenian required) Applies to: Employers Requirements: The employment agreement and all employment documents must be in Slovenian, or in a bilingual or multilingual format that includes Slovenian. Internal communication about employees’ rights and obligations, and instructions and information to employees, including on occupational safety, must also be in Slovenian. [22]

Other Europe

Requirement level: Varies Applies to: Employers Requirements: Switzerland: no language requirements. Denmark: employers must make sure employees understand. [10] United Kingdom: no specific legal rules govern the language of employment contracts. [15]

Asia-Pacific

China

Requirement level: No specific statutory rule (Chinese version advised) Applies to: Employers Requirements: Chinese law has no specific rule on the language of an employment contract. [23] Chinese courts accept contracts written only in a foreign language, but the court has them translated by institutions it approves. A bilingual contract that doesn’t name a controlling language usually defaults to Chinese, and if both versions claim to control, Chinese still gets priority. China Briefing advises having a Chinese version for legal certainty. [24]

Japan

Requirement level: No explicit language rule (employee understanding expected) Applies to: Employers Requirements: Japan requires employers to make sure employees understand. [10] A company that employs ten or more workers on a steady basis must set work rules, file them with the Labor Standards Inspection Office and make them known to employees. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says it’s desirable to do this in a language employees understand if they don’t understand Japanese. [25]

Indonesia

Requirement level: Mandatory (Indonesian required; bilingual allowed) Applies to: Employers Requirements: Law No. 24/2009 requires the Indonesian language in agreements, and an agreement with a non-Indonesian party may be bilingual, in Indonesian and another language. [26] Under Article 57 of the Employment Law, fixed-term employment agreements must be in Bahasa Indonesia, and if a bilingual version conflicts, the Indonesian version prevails. [27] A Supreme Court circular of December 29, 2023 says a contract with a foreign party can’t be cancelled just because it lacks an Indonesian translation, unless the missing translation was caused by one party’s bad faith. [26]

Malaysia

Requirement level: No statutory requirement (except the data privacy notice) Applies to: Employers Requirements: Malaysia has no statutory language requirements for an employment contract, other than the data privacy consent or notice under the Personal Data Protection Act, which must be in both English and Bahasa Malaysia. [28]

Other Asia-Pacific

Requirement level: Varies Applies to: Employers Requirements: Australia: no language requirements. New Zealand and Singapore: recommended or preferred languages. India: employers must make sure employees understand. [10] Thailand: work rules must be published in Thai, and in English for foreign workers. [29]

Middle East & Africa

United Arab Emirates

Requirement level: Mandatory (Arabic and English job offer, plus a language the worker understands) Applies to: Private-sector employers hiring expatriate workers Requirements: A job offer must be in Arabic and English, and in a third language the worker understands. The third language is added at the worker’s request from a list of nine. Job offers, employment contracts and annexes are usually in Arabic and English. The contract must be based on the signed offer and submitted to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) within 14 days of the employee’s arrival. [30]

Saudi Arabia

Requirement level: Mandatory (Arabic required) Applies to: Employers Requirements: Article 9 of the Labor Law makes Arabic the language for data, records, files and employment contracts, and for the instructions an employer gives its workers. If an employer also uses a foreign language, the Arabic text prevails. [31]

South Africa

Requirement level: No set language (employee understanding expected) Applies to: Employers Requirements: South Africa has 12 official languages since South African Sign Language was added. [32] Employers must make sure employees understand. [10] The Code of Good Practice: Dismissal (2025) says an employee facing misconduct allegations should, where reasonably possible, have the chance to converse in a language they’re comfortable with. [33]

Other Middle East & Africa

Requirement level: Varies Applies to: Employers Requirements: Egypt: employment contracts must be in writing and in Arabic. [34] Israel: employers must make sure employees understand. [10]

How does Tallyfy help organizations meet global language requirements?

Tallyfy’s Azure AI-powered content translation shows the text your team writes in each reader’s chosen language, from 100+ languages. An administrator first connects your organization’s own Microsoft Azure translation service. Here’s what that means in practice:

Each person reads in their own language - task titles and descriptions, form field labels and their guidance, and template text in document view appear translated for each reader, so everyone works from the same process.
One template instead of one per language - you don’t keep a separate copy of a template for every language.
Edits reach every language - when you change the original text, readers see the translation of the new version.
Some text stays in the original language - comments, answers typed into form fields, the Tallyfy interface and standard system messages aren’t translated by this feature. Arabic and Hebrew content can be translated, but the layout stays left to right.

Tallyfy stores text in the language it was typed in and shows each reader a machine translation of it. That translation isn’t a reviewed document. Where a rule above needs a binding version in a set language, as in France, Belgium or Slovenia, prepare that version in the required language and have a native speaker check it.

What are the key compliance considerations for global organizations?

Start with the mandatory places - places such as France, Belgium, Quebec, Slovenia, Poland, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia set a language by law for at least some employment documents.
Know which version wins - where two-language documents are allowed, several places name the winner: French in France, Polish in Poland, Arabic in Saudi Arabia, Indonesian for Indonesian fixed-term contracts, and Chinese by default in China.
Check what happens if you get it wrong - in Flanders and Wallonia a document in the wrong language is null, in Brussels the employer has to replace it, in France terms that aren’t in French can’t be used against the employee, and Quebec can fine employers.
Make sure people understand - some rules ask for understanding rather than a set language, such as OSHA training in the US, contracts in Luxembourg and work rules in Japan.
Look at public-sector and safety rules - Canada’s federal institutions and New Brunswick’s provincial institutions have their own language rules, and OSHA sets its own for safety training.
Check for changes - Quebec’s francization rules reached employers with 25 or more employees on June 1, 2025, and Indonesia’s Supreme Court set out its position on contracts without an Indonesian version on December 29, 2023.

Sources

[1] Justice Laws Website, Official Languages Act, Part V (Language of Work), sections 34 and 36 ↗^[1]. Languages of work in federal institutions, and work documents in both languages in prescribed regions.

[2] Éducaloi, Language in the workplace in Quebec ↗^[2], valid as of August 2024. Written communications, documents that must be available in French, negotiated contracts, and the francization threshold.

[3] DLA Piper, Quebec’s Bill 96 modified the Charter of the French Language: five things you need to know for the June 1, 2023 deadline ↗^[3], May 22, 2023. The one-year deadline to translate existing documents.

[4] Ogletree Deakins, Quebec employers update: obligations under the Charter of the French Language may be about to change ↗^[4], May 28, 2021. The right to work in French applies regardless of the number of employees in Quebec.

[5] SHRM, republishing BCF, French language at work in Quebec: duties for small employers ↗^[5], June 13, 2025. Penalties for breaking the Charter.

[6] Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages for New Brunswick, Frequently asked questions ↗^[6]. Which institutions the Act covers, and when private companies are covered.

[7] OSHA, OSHA Training Standards Policy Statement ↗^[7], April 28, 2010. Training in a language and vocabulary employees can understand.

[8] Cornell Law School LII, 29 CFR 825.300, employer notice requirements ↗^[8]. The FMLA general notice for workforces not literate in English.

[9] Cornell Law School LII, 29 CFR 1606.7, speak-English-only rules ↗^[9]. The EEOC’s position on English-only rules.

[10] Polsinelli, Must employers translate workplace documents into other languages? Should they? ↗^[10], January 16, 2024. The US federal patchwork, US state rules, and its grouping of countries by type of requirement.

[11] California Department of Industrial Relations, Wage Theft Protection Act of 2011: notice to employees FAQ ↗^[11]. The language of the Labor Code Section 2810.5 notice.

[12] California Civil Rights Department, California law prohibits workplace discrimination and harassment (poster) ↗^[12]. The 10% non-English-speaking posting rule.

[13] Mexican Chamber of Deputies, Ley Federal del Trabajo ↗^[13], text as last amended May 14, 2026. Article 809 on foreign-language documents in labor court.

[14] August Debouzy, reproduced by the European Observatory for Plurilingualism, Employment contracts and any documents related thereto must be drafted in French ↗^[14], July 8, 2011. The Toubon Law and Labor Code Articles L.1221-3 and L.1321-6.

[15] Ius Laboris, What language is your employment contract really speaking? ↗^[15], February 20, 2026. Contract language rules in Belgium, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.

[16] PwC Legal, published on Lexgo, Language regulations for HR documents in Belgium; a modern Tower of Babel? ↗^[16], November 12, 2025. Sanctions and translations in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.

[17] WageIndicator, Verträge und Entlassungen (Luxembourg, in German) ↗^[17]. Contracts in a language both parties understand.

[18] Orrick, Germany: can I set up the employment agreement in English only? ↗^[18]. No obligation to use German, and translation for litigation or authorities.

[19] Buren, Employment basics part 4: drafting employment agreements under Dutch law ↗^[19], April 2021. Language requirements for Dutch employment agreements.

[20] Zafo Law, Spanish employment contracts ↗^[20], July 24, 2021. Spanish contracts and two-language drafting.

[21] Ius Laboris, Employment documents in foreign language (Poland) ↗^[21], October 14, 2009. The 2009 amendment to the Act on the Polish Language.

[22] Wolf Theiss, Employment brief: language of employment documents in CEE/SEE ↗^[22], November 10, 2023. Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia.

[23] Lehman, Lee & Xu, Must the contract of employment be completed in Chinese? ↗^[23]. No specific rule in Chinese law on contract language.

[24] China Briefing (Dezan Shira & Associates), Hiring employees in China: key legal concerns for foreign businesses ↗^[24], August 5, 2019. Foreign-language and bilingual labor contracts in Chinese courts.

[25] Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Labor contracts (guide for foreign workers) ↗^[25]. Work rules and making them known in a language employees understand.

[26] Rouse, Indonesia: clarification on language requirement for contracts ↗^[26], February 27, 2024. Law No. 24/2009 and Supreme Court Circular Letter No. 3 of 2023.

[27] ADCO Law, Polemic on employment agreements for foreign workers in Indonesia ↗^[27], January 16, 2024. Article 57 of the Employment Law.

[28] Deloitte Legal, International employment law guide: Malaysia ↗^[28]. Language requirements for Malaysian employment contracts.

[29] ASEAN Briefing (Dezan Shira & Associates), Thai labor contracts: what you need to know ↗^[29], December 20, 2018. The language of Thai work rules.

[30] The UAE Government portal, Expatriates’ employment in private sector ↗^[30], updated September 24, 2026. Languages of job offers and contracts, and the MoHRE deadline.

[31] Human Resources Development Fund (Saudi Arabia), Labor Law (English translation) ↗^[31]. Article 9 on the use of Arabic.

[32] Vuk’uzenzele (South African government), Sign language 12th official language ↗^[32]. The amendment to Section 6(1) of the Constitution.

[33] Acts Online, Code of Good Practice: Dismissal (Notice 3470 of 2025), item 11, fair procedure ↗^[33]. The language of misconduct proceedings.

[34] Andersen in Egypt, Employment law in Egypt ↗^[34], 2021. Written employment contracts in Arabic.

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Last updated: Oct 19, 2026

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