They no longer have to translate the instructions. The government agreed to the Ministry of National Defense's request.

On Tuesday, the government adopted a draft amendment to the Polish Language Act, submitted by the Minister of National Defense. The new regulations allow for the translation of technical documentation of military equipment written in a foreign language into Polish. This solution will be applied in individually assessed and justified cases.

A statement on the website of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister following Tuesday's government meeting explained that currently, when the army purchases foreign military equipment together with technical documentation in a foreign language or the documentation itself, it must be translated into Polish and then updated according to the same principles.

"After the change, there will be no need to translate such documents. The solution will be used in justified situations where the use of a foreign language is standard in a given industry (e.g., English in aviation), or when translation is unprofitable and unnecessary because a foreign-language version of technical documentation is used on a daily basis," the press release reads.

It was indicated that the amendment to the regulations will, among other things, improve the safety of equipment use and protect the life and health of personnel by reducing the risk of errors that may result from imprecise documentation translation; accelerate the introduction of military equipment into service within the Polish Armed Forces and streamline its operation. The authors also intend the project to reduce the risk of equipment certification refusal based on translated technical documentation. Furthermore, implementing the new regulations is expected to reduce the costs of equipment delivery and use – there will be no need for significant translation costs.

The new regulations are to enter into force 14 days after their publication in the Journal of Laws. (PAP)

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