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SFT steering committee
In France, court-certified translators and interpreters help keep the justice system running smoothly. For a long time, though, their payment conditions were not properly regulated, with payment terms often stretching to several months or more.
This situation has long been a priority issue for the Société française des traducteurs (SFT), France’s union for the translation and interpreting professions, for a long time. In 2025, SFT launched a campaign aiming to raise government awareness of the need to establish a legal framework safeguarding the payment terms, conditions and deadlines for freelancers working for the public sector (known by the abbreviation ‘COSP’ in France). At the beginning of 2026, the passage of Bill no. 2349 added a new dimension to this campaign. Passed by the French Senate on 14 January, it stipulated a maximum term of 180 days for payments to court experts. Although presented as a step forward, this provision could inadvertently entrench excessive delays and exacerbate the precarious working conditions of specialists who are essential to the justice system. SFT therefore called for the time limit to be reduced to 30 days or for the clause to be deleted.
SFT then relaunched its government information pack to support a new campaign aimed at government ministers, and called on its members and non-members to alert their constituency politicians to the consequences of such lengthy payment terms.
On 29 January, SFT also launched a petition demanding a maximum payment term of 30 days from invoice receipt. This initiative formed part of a wider effort in collaboration with other professional organisations representing translation, interpreting and legal experts.
In May, SFT coordinated a joint press release signed by eight other professional associations. It warned that payment terms of up to 180 days could have a lasting and detrimental effect on workers, and on the way the public justice service operates in general.
This collective effort has helped shift the parliamentary debate. On 3 June, the French Government passed an amendment setting out a phased timeframe with a target of payment 30 days after invoices are submitted on the Chorus platform: 60 days by the end of 2027, 45 days from 2028 onwards, and 30 days from 2029, with interest payable in the event of a delay.
For SFT, this amendment is a major breakthrough: it recognises the need to ensure that court-certified professionals receive fair payment terms for the work they do. It also illustrates the importance of sustained union involvement, combining dialogue with authorities, parliamentary lobbying and collective campaigning.
As the legislative process is not yet complete, SFT remains committed to ensuring that these latest developments are upheld and that the payment terms for court-certified professionals ultimately reflect their vital contribution to the justice system’s work.