What is the importance of good legal translation

Why is a good legal translation so important for your business?

You are at a turning point in your business, it is time to grow and in the meantime international expansion is taking place. This is the point where new contracts, patents and other legal documents will inevitably come up, and you will most likely have to translate them into other languages.

And then you need to find a translator; maybe there is someone in your company who translates from time to time. But when it comes to legal translation, it is not that simple. That’s why it’s time to find the right translator.

What is a legal translation?

Legal translation is a complex and highly specialised field, where one mistake can lead to legal problems and delays for your company, something nobody wants to have to deal with while the business is growing. Moreover, legal translation is not just for contracts; you can also use it for patents, trademarks and copyrights, for personal legal documents, certificates, legal statements, business proposals, correspondence and much more.

Why is it so important to work with an excellent legal translator?

Translation is not only about transposing sentences into another language, but the translator must also be able to correctly interpret the context of the sentence and render it into the other language without changing that context. Ambiguity is out of the question when translating legal documents, as is the lack of legal vocabulary and idiom.

This is crucial in an area that is undoubtedly culture-dependent. Within the legal sector, the forms, terms and definitions are strongly influenced by the country’s culture and legal system. As such, familiarity with these is crucial for accurate translations, especially in cases where cultural sensitivity is paramount.

The translator of the legal document must have knowledge of the legal systems in the country from which he is translating and the country to which he is translating, and his legal expertise will be most useful to you.

These translators have additional qualifications (usually academic) that can provide your company with an accurate translation and ensure a smooth legal expansion so you can focus on the business side. Legal jargon or leagalease, as it is called by some, can be complicated, even if it is written in your mother tongue. The sensitivity of the field they work in means that you have to take extra care when looking for the person to do the job.

To find an excellent legal translator, you need to pay attention to the following aspects:

  • The translator is certified / accredited as a translator
  • Academic background in law and/or the relevant foreign language
  • In-depth knowledge of 2 or more languages
  • Specialisation in the sector you need – knowledge of international law, for example, is also a big plus
  • Exceptional written skills with a good style Good legal translation services…
Good legal translation services…

….. costs a bit more than, for example, a website translation; you may wonder whether or not you could do it yourself or have it done internally. But wouldn’t a court case be more expensive?
Go for safety and let a legal translator do the job.

Just think how many different expressions and nuances there are in the legal terminology of everyday topics alone. And this becomes even more complicated when translating into another language. Look at the word ‘call’, in the sense of convening a meeting, in English.

In Spanish, you would think to go for ‘llamar’, but that would be incorrect because in Spanish, ‘convocar’ or ‘abrir una sesión’ is used. This is one of the many examples within this language combination. Of course, this applies equally to Dutch to English and vice versa.

So

Why give yourself a lot of headaches instead hire a legal translator? After all, you don’t want any language barriers and problems in the legal field.
A good example of what happens when a legal translation goes wrong was the document on a free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States The American version of the agreement contained several translation errors, so it was held up for several months until everything was put right and the government approved the agreement.

During that time, companies on both sides lost a great deal of money. To prevent a situation like this from happening to your business, it is never a bad idea to take the professional route.

In other words, the best business advice is to leave the legal translation to the professional in order to get an accurate legal translation that will not cause you any problems, especially when one translation error can lead to lawsuits and other types of damage.

It is in your interest and that of your company to rely on professional legal translation services for these types of assignments.

In addition to the legal translation service, you will receive the best possible service with a tailored solution to help your business grow. For this you need an excellent and reliable legal translation service, and when you choose one, you should pay attention to the following things: Quality, professionalism, price, excellent communication and customer service, efficiency, reliable legal specialists.