Legal Document Translation: Challenges And Requirements

Translation in itself is a challenging task, but legal translation is a complexity of a whole other level. The growing international business has led to the involvement and integration of the legal systems of various nations. This calls for a proper legal translation system for effective communication. By necessity, legal translations must be 100-per cent accurate. This is why businesses, organizations, and conglomerates prefer hiring a professional legal translator over risking it with a generic in-house team.

Allow us to shed light on why only a professional translator should be entrusted for legal document translations:

Legal translations are one of the most challenging forms of technical translations. With different legal terminology and system in every country, hiring a generic translator would be a disaster waiting to happen.
What makes the task of the legal document even more challenging is that a limited time scale restricts them. Every translation is required on an urgent basis. The transaction needs to be quick and accurate, which only an experienced professional translator will be able to guarantee.
The linguistic structure of the different nations further adds to the confusion. Take, for instance, English is widely written and comprehended in a passive voice, but such is not the case with other languages. Then there are the tone, syntax, and cultural differences which play a pivotal role in deciding the severity of the legal document.

Having established that legal document translation is not for amateurs and non-professionals to be trusted with, let’s discuss the checklist for screening the professional legal translator:

Translation jobs aren’t just about turning one language into another. Skilled professional translators must also proofread and edit the final copy. Remember, there are going to be phrases or words that might not translate directly into the other language.

You have to be able to find the right translator for the job. Always check the translator’s credentials, which will include:

Language education and degrees earned
Years of experience
Examples of previous work
Recommendations from former or current employers
ATA Certification

Aside from those mentioned above, a proficient legal translator should be an expert in relevant legal terminology. Make sure that they hold translation expertise in the domain you function- be it tax and accounting, international law, property law, patent, or corporate law. Legal specialities are highly complex, and with any minuscule error slapping a legal notice and tarnishing your reputation, you cannot risk a tax document to be translated by a civil law translation professional. Not to forget, errors in legal translation also lead to financial catastrophe.

When it comes to informing any professional translators about the documents for which you have hired them, you must brief them on the situation behind the document to be translated. You must also provide them with someone to contact in case they have questions regarding the text, the history of the parties to the action, other entities, or any terms regarding previous agreements.

You also have to set parameters for them for any untranslatable bits. While it is true that translators who work together might pick a viable way to state such a bit of text, it might come down to leaving the text untranslated and merely inserting a footnote or extra paragraph explaining the meaning therein. You have to know how such an action would be viewed according to the law and let the translators know.

Often, translators will have to work from secure terminals in secure buildings to keep the information that they have and will gain access to safe. It’s a normal part of legal document translation. In these cases, you will have to ensure that none of the translators you hire takes any data with them “to work on later.” Similarly, depending on the jurisdiction and the minutiae of the case, translators may have to sign nondisclosure agreements.

Remember, a legal translator will act as a bridge between legal structures of different nations and an asset to the organization. Without even giving it a second thought, reach out to a professional translation service which is a member of the American Translation Association like The Spanish Group.

With the membership comes the guarantee of best in class translation service in the shortest turnaround time and at the most competitive market price.

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