Professional legal translation guarantees a correct understanding of the meaning, terminology, and legal aspects of the information. It is used when exchanging correspondence between different countries, when contacting government agencies abroad, and in foreign economic activity.
The high-quality translation is carried out in several stages:
- general analysis of the text, and its meaning, if necessary – consultations with experts;
- translation of information;
- proofreading and editing;
- peer review;
- formatting, design in accordance with accepted standards;
- at the request of the customer – certification, apostille.
If you receive translation work but are not sure of its correctness, it is better to get writing help. Some services have legal writers in their teams. They have the required knowledge to check translation work for correctness.
Translation of legal texts
There are several types of written translations of legal texts:
- laws, decrees, decisions, resolutions, memorandums;
- treaties, contracts, agreements;
- statutes, constituent agreements;
- registration and permit documents;
- licenses, patents;
- certificates, passports, diplomas;
- regulatory legal acts;
- lawsuits, claims;
- powers of attorney, wills;
- apostilles.
In addition to written translation, there is also oral legal translation during court hearings, contacts with government agencies, commercial negotiations, and the conclusion of contracts. This is a complex type of service that requires a high level of language proficiency, communication skills, attentiveness, and concentration from a specialist.
How to avoid mistakes in your legal translation work
Legal documents are replete with professional terms, complex grammatical structures, and special formulations adopted in a particular country. A legal translator must understand the law and know the peculiarities of international relations, the basics of economics, notarial law, and sociocultural traditions. They must be impeccably literate and attentive.
The translated materials should retain the meaning and essence of the original ones and be adapted to the legislation and sociocultural characteristics of the country.
There are three types of legal terms:
- The former has the same meaning in the original and target languages.
- For the latter, you can find a similar concept in the language.
- Still, others have no analogs and cannot be translated literally; they require explanations, comments, and clarifications.
When working with materials, one should take into account the specifics of the field of law (criminal, economic, administrative, or international). In some states, there is polysemantic terminology, when one concept can be translated in several ways, depending on the field of application.
In some cases, the interpretation of texts requires the preservation of the original spelling of the source material. This is important when writing surnames, first names, geographical names, company names, and brands.
An impeccable legal translation of documents must meet the following requirements:
- accuracy, unambiguity, lack of double interpretation of meaning;
- correct use of terminology;
- compliance with the language norms and legal traditions of the country;
- emotional and stylistic neutrality;
- literacy.
A minor error, typo, or inaccuracy in the text can lead to lawsuits, termination of contracts, or denial of a visa or permit.
In addition to interpreting information, legal translation includes apostille, consular legalization, certification of business papers, notarial deeds, or permits. Many certificates and licenses have an approved format and design style. The translator must take into account the accepted requirements.
