Translation for the Public Sector
Translation of tenders, citizen communications, policies and accessible web content for Canadian departments, municipalities and public bodies.
What does Asiatis translate for public sector?
Asiatis translates for Canadian public bodies: tenders and procurement documents, citizen communications, policies and directives, accessible web content and consultation material. The standard expected is that of a text published under the body's own authority, read by citizens who have no other version available.
Documents handled
Each document type raises a difficulty of its own — and that is what decides how the engagement is organized.
Tenders and procurement documents
Published simultaneously in both languages: a bidder disadvantaged by a lag can challenge the process.
Citizen communications
Written to be understood on the first read by someone with neither the administrative context nor the vocabulary.
Policies, directives and normative frameworks
Reference texts cited elsewhere: their numbering and definitions carry across unchanged.
Web content and online forms
Accessibility gets translated too: alt text, field labels, error messages.
Public consultation material
Often translated beyond the two official languages, to reach the communities actually concerned.
Annual reports and accountability documents
Tabled before an assembly and made public; the calendar is set by statute, not by the body.
Industry vocabulary
A few terms where the calque is expensive. They enter the account glossary on the first engagement.
- Reddition de comptes
- Renders "accountability reporting". "Responsabilisation" names something else in administrative vocabulary.
- Approvisionnement
- Renders "procurement". "Achat" is too narrow: procurement covers the whole process, from tender to award.
- Adjudication
- The award of a contract at the close of a tender — not a judicial ruling.
- Organisme assujetti
- The body covered by a given legal obligation, a notion that recurs throughout policy texts.
Applicable regulatory requirements
What makes translation mandatory in this sector, and under whose authority. We tell you what applies to your situation before the quote, not after the invoice.
Official Languages Act
Federal institutions communicate with the public and deliver services in both official languages, at equal quality.
Official source: Official Languages Act — Justice CanadaCharter of the French Language
The Quebec public administration communicates in French with legal persons and, with limited exceptions, with individuals.
Official source: Charter of the French Language (CQLR c. C-11) — LégisQuébecAccessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
Web content of covered organizations meets an accessibility level that must hold up in the translated version.
Official source: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005Access to information and privacy legislation
Translated documents may themselves be the subject of an access request: they are treated as official records from delivery onward.
Official source: Access to Information Act — Justice Canada
Last regulatory review: July 27, 2026. Provided for information only. This is not legal advice. Consult legal counsel for your own situation.
Most requested language pairs
Standard translation rates per word. Certified translation is billed differently and delivered in 2 to 3 business days.
| Language pair | Standard rate per word |
|---|---|
| English ↔ French (Quebec/Canada) | $0.17 – $0.19/word |
| English ↔ Arabic | $0.18 – $0.20/word |
| English ↔ Tagalog | $0.19 – $0.21/word |
| English ↔ Hindi | $0.18 – $0.20/word |
The full grid is on the pricing page.
A representative engagement
Simultaneous publication in both languages
A body publishes a tender whose release date is fixed in advance and identical in both languages. The engagement is scheduled backwards from that date, with slack for late changes: on this kind of file, the addendum is the rule rather than the exception. The French version is never a later catch-up, because a bidder who receives their document after the others has a real grievance.
Sector questions
Are you registered as a government supplier?
We complete public-body registration packages regularly: security questionnaire, certificates, accreditation evidence. Tell us which registry you use and we will start the process.
Can you handle languages beyond French and English?
Yes. Consultation material aimed at specific communities is often produced in other languages, and that is a recurring part of public-sector engagements.
Does the accessibility of our web content survive translation?
It survives if it is handled: alt text, field labels and error messages get translated like everything else. Those are precisely the items a content export leaves behind.
How do you handle addenda published after release?
They are handled first, as a delta, and the memory guarantees the rest of the document stays rigorously identical to the version already circulated.
A project in this sector?
Send us your documents and your deadlines. You get a quote Quote in 1 business hour, spelling out what is a regulatory obligation and what is not.
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