FAR 52.214-34—Submission of Offers in the English Language.
Plain-English Summary
FAR 52.214-34 is a simple but strict solicitation provision that addresses one topic: the language required for submission of offers. It applies when the clause is prescribed for use in sealed bidding under FAR 14.201-6(w), and it tells offerors that their bids must be written in English. The provision also establishes the consequence for noncompliance: any offer received in a language other than English must be rejected. In practice, this means the government does not have to translate, interpret, or otherwise evaluate foreign-language submissions, and offerors bear the full risk of ensuring their proposal is understandable in English before submission. The clause promotes uniformity, fairness, and efficient evaluation by ensuring all bids can be reviewed on the same basis without delay or ambiguity. It is a mandatory responsiveness-type requirement for the solicitation context in which it is used, so compliance is essential at the time of submission.
Key Rules
English-language submission required
Offers submitted in response to the solicitation must be in the English language. The requirement applies to the offer as submitted, not just to later communications or clarifications.
Foreign-language offers rejected
Any offer received in a language other than English must be rejected. The government is not required to seek a translation or allow the offeror to cure the defect after opening or submission.
Applies when prescribed
This provision is inserted only when required by FAR 14.201-6(w). In practice, it is used in sealed bidding solicitations where the contracting officer needs a clear language rule for bid submission.
Offeror bears compliance risk
The burden is on the offeror to ensure the entire offer is in English. If any material part of the submitted offer is not in English, the offeror risks rejection of the submission.
Responsibilities
Contracting Officer
Include the provision when prescribed, enforce the English-language requirement, and reject offers received in other than English. The contracting officer should also ensure the solicitation clearly communicates the language requirement to avoid confusion.
Offeror/Contractor
Prepare and submit the entire offer in English and verify that all required documents, attachments, and pricing information are understandable in English before submission. The offeror must not assume the government will translate or accept a foreign-language submission.
Agency
Use the provision consistently when applicable and support procurement integrity by applying the rule uniformly to all offerors. The agency should ensure solicitation templates and bid instructions align with the language requirement.
Practical Implications
This clause creates a bright-line submission rule: if the offer is not in English, it is rejected, with no obligation for the government to request a translation.
Offerors with multinational teams or foreign-source documents should translate all submitted materials before bid submission, including attachments, certifications, and technical narratives if they are part of the offer.
A common pitfall is assuming that only the pricing page must be in English; if any submitted portion is in another language, the offer may be vulnerable to rejection.
Contracting officers should apply the rule consistently and document the basis for rejection to avoid disputes.
Because the provision is simple and mandatory when prescribed, the main compliance risk is administrative error by the offeror, not interpretation of the clause itself.
Official Regulatory Text
As prescribed in 14.201-6 (w) , insert the following provision: Submission of Offers in the English Language (Apr 1991) Offers submitted in response to this solicitation shall be in the English language. Offers received in other than English shall be rejected. (End of provision)