The EU AI Act explained
What, who, when, and what it costs you.
The EU AI Act sets obligations on anyone who puts an AI system on the EU market or deploys one inside the EU. Language requirements come in two ways. Some duties name a language: your declaration of conformity is translated for the authorities of every market you sell into, and your technical file goes to a national authority, on request, in the language it names. Others name an audience: instructions have to be understood by your deployers, disclosures by the person at first interaction. Either way, your market list decides your language list.
High-risk systems defined under the act carry the documentation load, covering biometrics, critical infrastructure, education, hiring and workforce management, credit and insurance, law enforcement, migration, and justice. Chatbots and synthetic media carry transparency duties.
Enforceable since 2 August 2026. High-risk documentation obligations under Article 6(1) apply from 2 August 2027. Penalties reach EUR 15 million or 3% of global turnover.
What are the language requirements under the EU AI Act?
Instructions for use, in the languages your deployers read
Instructions behind a high-risk system, in the language of each deployer's member state. Re-issued every time the model version changes. (Art. 13; Recital 72)
EU Declaration of conformity, translated for each market
Into a language the national authorities understand, in every market where you make the system available. (Art. 47)
Technical documentation, in whichever language is asked for
Available in one language until an authority requests it. Then it is due in the language that authority names, on that authority's clock. (Art. 11, Art. 21)
Chatbot and interactive disclosures
Anyone interacting with your AI needs a clear notice at first contact. (Art. 50(1), 50(5))
Content marking and deepfake disclosures
Providers mark synthetic audio, image, video and text in a machine-readable format, detectable as artificially generated. Deployers disclose deep fakes clearly to the people exposed to them, at first exposure. (Art. 50(2), 50(4), 50(5))
AI literacy training
Staff and anyone operating a system on your behalf need a sufficient level of AI literacy. (Art. 4)
One Secure Enterprise-grade Multilingual AI Platform combined with Expert Services
Centralized and streamlined workflows powered by AI, agentic automation, and human experts worldwide. Reduce the cost and complexity of meeting AI Act requirements today and manage language requirements at scale for the long term.
Instructions for use to declaration of conformity, in any EU language
Multilingual AI models customized to your organization's terminology translate accurately and at speed across EU languages, with human expert verification where needed. With the largest ecosystem of 100+ pre-built connectors, LILT plugs into existing tools your content already lives in and seamlessly translate.
Disclosure strings, inside the release, in every EU market you serve
Translate disclosure text right where they live, in your code repositories, resource files and design tools. Placeholders, character limits and do-not-translate rules are enforced without a round trip.
AI literacy training, in languages as needed
Localize the training modules, e-learning materials, assessments and attestation records your workforce needs, with voiceover, subtitles and on-screen text handled in one workflow. Course files go back into your LMS ready to publish, refreshed as the curriculum changes.
One centralized platform for every regulated document
All documentation translated and the approval records behind them live in one enterprise-grade secure platform, with terminology, memory, version history. Each version reuses the last one's approved language, so you pay for the delta, not the document.
Human review where the exposure is
A disclosure string and a high-risk technical file do not carry the same risk. You set the tier. Instant AI translation and AI Review agents for low-risk content, expert-verified for anything that is high-stakes.
Support that covers you around the clock
Round-the-clock coverage across regions and time zones, with a dedicated support team that knows your terminology and your workflows and stands by on Slack, email, or call to help right away, not next business day to help you meet compliance.
One platform, not a patchwork
Regulated, in-product and training content at scale
Keeping up with content updates
Training and e-learning
Audit trail and records
Risk-tiering
Cost over time
Frequently asked questions
Who does the EU AI Act apply to?
What does the EU AI Act require you to translate?
When did the EU AI Act take effect?
What are the penalties under the EU AI Act?
Do AI chatbot disclosures need to be translated?
Does the AI Act apply to AI systems we already have in production?
How often does AI Act documentation need to be re-issued?
What is Article 4 AI literacy training?
EU AI Act Requirements At A Glance
| Content / document | Translation requirement? |
|---|---|
1. Instructions for use for high-risk AI systems | YES, explicit. They must be understandable to the target deployers in the language determined by the Member State. |
2. EU Declaration of Conformity | YES, explicit. It must be translated into a language easily understood by the competent authorities in the Member States where the high-risk system is marketed or made available. |
3. Technical documentation and compliance documentation requested by authorities | YES, when requested. Providers must supply the necessary information and documentation in an EU official language indicated by the Member State authority. Not necessarily translated into every market language in advance. |
4. Chatbot and AI interaction disclosure | Disclosure required. Potential localization, but not an explicit translation mandate. Users must be informed they are interacting with AI. Article 50 does not say "translate into the language of every interface." |
5. Emotion-recognition and biometric categorisation notices | Disclosure is required, but the Act does not explicitly prescribe translation into each market language. |
6. Deepfake disclosure notices | Disclosure required. Localization may be necessary to make it meaningful, but there is no explicit language-of-market translation clause. |
7. AI-generated public-interest text disclosures | Disclosure is required, not expressly a translation requirement. |
8. AI literacy and training materials | NO explicit translation requirement. Potentially an organisation's localization call into every employee's working language to ensure literacy. |
