​​Establishment of the Official Translation Department

The Official Translation Department was established under Council of Ministers' Resolution No. 134 dated 2/5/1422H, providing for the establishment of a translation department to be named “The Official Translation Department”, which shall undertake official translation of government documents and report to the Chief of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers.

Tasks Assigned to the Official Translation Department

1. The translation from Arabic into some or all foreign languages officially recognized by the United Nations and the international organizations arising from it - if deemed necessary - and from these languages into Arabic; in addition to other languages deemed necessary to translate into and from, covering the following fields:
   
• Approved laws and regulations issued by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into foreign languages, where necessary.
  
• Treaties, agreements, and international conventions in which the Kingdom is a party.
  
• Correspondence exchanged between the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Highness the Crown Prince, and His Highness the Second Deputy of the President of the Council of Ministers, and the Heads of State and leaders of other countries.
  
• Statements as well as official stands and declarations issued by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, by His Highness the Crown Prince, and by His Highness the Second Deputy of the President of the Council of Ministers.
  
2. Standardization of transliteration of proper names, when written in foreign languages, such as name of persons and places, as well as translation of names of governmental and non-governmental bodies such as “divan, presidency, county, directorate, agency etc”, in addition to the job titles of the heads of these bodies, in order to consolidate the terms, meanings and letters of proper names and places when transliterated into other languages; examples of which are Mecca, Medina and other religious and archeological landmarks.
   
3. Approval of translations which some governmental agencies deem necessary to submit representing the official viewpoint of the Kingdom.
   
4. Setting up comprehensive data bases of terms and names, encompassing academics in different fields of languages and translation, to be used as needed.
   
5. Providing the departments of translation in governmental agencies with lists of terms and names issued by OTD, and coordinating with them in this regard.
   
6. Cooperating with local and international agencies in the field of translation.
   
7. Participating with concerned agencies in translating what is required for litigation and adjudication in international disputes in which the Kingdom is a party.
   
8. Setting standards for translation and specifying the approved dictionaries.