Normeja vai sosiaalista toimintaa?

The Finnish authorised translators’ examination has been studied from various perspectives, yet the underlying conceptions of language associated with it have received little attention. The core premise of authorised translation is the reliable transmission of document contents and legal aspects into another language and cultural context, and language plays a crucial role in conveying meaning. Moreover, both the translator and the document user play an essential role as they interpret and assign meaning to the content. This article examines the extent to which language is perceived as part of a communicative situation, and to what extent it is regarded as a separate system of forms, structures, and norms. Accordingly, it explores the language conceptions and potential language ideologies underpinning the authorised translators’ examination. The data consists of four regulatory documents governing the examination and ten interviews conducted with examinees in autumn 2024. The findings suggest that language is primarily viewed through the lenses of acceptability and correctness, which are nonetheless adapted to communicative contexts. No specific language ideologies were identified. Future research could benefit from more structured data collection and a stronger focus on linguistic analysis.