Day: July 6, 2022

Learn everything you need to know about legal translation, why your business needs it and how to choose the best one for your business.

The world has been reduced to one big village thanks to technological advancements. One of the areas that businesses need to capitalise on is translations. Translations make a local company or organisation reach a global audience because every potential customer can relate to their business through the local language.

There are many translations, and most of them call for different expertise and precision. Each translation has its requirements, from medical, scientific, media to legal translation. However, legal translation is one of the most challenging language services, and we will see why later in the article.

But first, what is a legal translation, and why is it important to your business?

What is Legal Translation?

Legal translation transforms legal documents such as contracts, court transcripts, official documents, etc., from one language to another. The original document’s language is called the source language, while the document’s new language is known as the target language.

Unlike other types of translation, legal translation needs special skills and training to ensure the output is accurate and of high quality. Most stakeholders or entities that ask for legal translations will ask you to provide evidence that you used a certified legal translator. They do this to ensure your translated work is exactly like the original work to avoid inconveniences.

Some of the legal documents that can be translated include:

> Contracts

> Nondisclosure agreements

> Court transcripts

> Complaints

> Depositions

> Company policies

> Terms of purchase

> Litigation documents

> Legal disclaimers

> Arbitration documents

> Legal statements

> Patent applications

> Copyright 

> Intellectual property laws

> Affidavits

> Audio and video files for legal use

> Constitutions

> Memorandum of association

> Mortgage agreements

> Police clearance certificates

Importance of Legal Translation

We cannot overemphasise the importance of legal translation. Accuracy is paramount in legal translations as mistranslation could lead to misunderstandings, wrong judgments, loss of business opportunities and disputes.

Suppose a Chinese buyer is buying an international company and the terms of agreements are in English saying, the founders retain 30% ownership. If the translated version leaves out the bit about founders retaining 30 % ownership because Chinese law does not provide for such, there will be a disagreement between the two parties.

Secondly, not every translator can do a legal translation. Legal documents such as contracts and court transcripts contain legalese language with challenging terminologies and specific syntax. It is therefore essential to hire a certified legal translator who understands the basics.

A good legal translator is conversant with the source and target language region laws, so if the target language does not have such law provisions, they can recreate the laws in that language.

Lastly, legal language is a language on its own, and only an individual with first-hand experience with the law can translate accurately. Professional legal translators have the training and experience to handle legal jargon and native understanding of the source and target languages. Furthermore, an experienced legal translator constantly researches the laws of different parts of the world to stay up to date.

Are you looking for a reliable legal translation service provider? Wordsburg is a pool of experienced legal experts who translate your legal projects into over one hundred languages. Contact us for a quote.

Choosing the Best Legal Translation Service for Your Business

It might be easy to get medical, scientific or media translation services, but legal translations need precision. It can be a daunting task, especially if it’s your first legal work, but the following tips will help you find the right fit for your project:

1) Ask for Recommendations

One of the easy-peasy ways to find suitable legal translation services is to ask your friends, colleagues and family for recommendations. You will likely find experienced referrals that know their stuff around law terminologies and trends, saving you the headache of browsing through profiles on LinkedIn or online directories.

For instance, if you want to buy a house in France and one of your friends bought a house there a while back, they can refer you to the expert who translated their mortgage agreements. If they did a superb job, you would get a good deal, saving money and time.

2) Go for Experience

Whether you are looking for patent translation services or high-end international translations, legal translations demand accuracy, confidentiality and experience. Hiring an experienced legal translator will save you time, and you will end up doing little in the project because the expert knows what your project needs. 

Look at the provider’s track record, portfolios, previous clients and customer reviews. Ratings and reviews provide a clear picture of what you can expect from a service provider.

3) Consider a Translation Service with a Dedicated Team of Legal Experts

As we said earlier, an excellent legal translator should have a legal background and adequate knowledge of the target language and source language laws. When choosing the right service provider for the job, always consider the one with a dedicated team of proven legal experts. 

At Wordsburg, we are the best legal translation service providers in Singapore and the UK. Our certified legal experts will translate your documents with utmost professionalism and confidentiality. Moreover, our translations are accepted by most government bodies, and if you need notarisation, we provide that too.

4) Make Sure the Provider has a Strict Confidentiality Policy

General translations such as web, media and technical translations may not be stringent on privacy matters because the information therein may be meant for the public. However, legal translations demand high levels of confidentiality. Before hiring a legal translator, ask about their confidentiality policy and how they keep private data from third parties.

5) Cost

When you search for legal translation services on Google, you will find hundreds of providers with different capabilities and rates. Beware of low prices and understand that high prices are not a guarantee of quality. If you have any doubts, check this article on translation service prices for guidance. The aim is to hire a quality legal translator that matches your budget.

If you are looking for excellent legal translation services that won’t drain your bank account, then Wordsburg is your best choice. We also offer other types of translations such as marketing, media and app translation. For a customized quote, contact us today.

Wrap Up

Legal translation demands high accuracy and precision, thus requiring a trained and certified legal translator. A minor error or mistranslation can lead to legal disagreements and lost business opportunities. When choosing the right legal translator for your business, consider their experience, confidentiality policy and rates. Furthermore, ask for recommendations from friends and family to save time.