If your career or personal choices take you to other countries, you will likely need to translate legal documents at some point in your life.
However, translating legal documents isn’t as easy as finding someone who speaks both languages and getting them to translate for you.
That’s why in this article, we’re going to talk you through how to translate legal documents so that you won’t run into any issues in the future.
What Type Of Legal Documents Often Need Translating?
There are endless examples of legal document translations that you may need.
However, some common examples of translating legal documents include:
- Birth Certificate
- Qualifications
- Legal Agreements
- Employment Documents
For all of these examples, you would usually need a legal translation. In general, anything that is checked by government bodies would fall into this category.
Legal Translation: What You Need To Know When Translating Legal Documents
While many think that for a legal translation the only thing needed is someone who speaks both languages, this isn’t the case.
Most countries, especially any western countries will require a certified and sworn translation. This is a translation by a certified translation agency with a stamp to show that the document has been translated accurately.
The reason accuracy is so important is of course because of the potential consequences of any inaccurate translations.
For example, in 1830 negotiations between the American and French governments were hindered by mistranslation. That’s why since then, most governments have made it mandatory that translations used for legal translations are certified.
This means you’ll need to choose a translation agency that can certify the accuracy of the document.
Checking The Accuracy
If you have been accepted to a job in a foreign country, you can likely speak the language fairly well. Or, at least have a friend that can do so. The reason we say this is because even when you choose a certified translation company, you will want to make sure that the document is accurate by proofreading it yourself or letting a friend look over it.
Although certified translations are always accurate, there is no harm in looking over them, as the consequences of a false translation are extremely significant.
How to Translate Legal Documents:
As you need a certified translation for almost any type of legal documents, you cannot do the translation yourself.
Instead, you’ll need an agency that can state that the document has been translated accurately.
Here, at Espresso Translations we can provide exactly that.
Our Certified Legal Translation Services
As a Certified translation company, all of our certified translations are accepted and legally recognized in all European and North American countries.
Additionally, they are also accepted by all private and public organizations.
They also state that the translated text is a ‘true and accurate translation of the source’ with an official translation stamp.
Alongside this, they also include our business details and contact details.
Why Us?
Other than us being a certified translation agency, there are also many more reasons to choose us.
Some of them include:
Fast Turnaround – We know sometimes there are circumstances where you need a quick translation for whatever reason. That’s why we can provide certified translations with incredibly fast turnaround if needed such as 48,24 or even 12 hours.
Additionally, we provide quotes within 1 hour.
Service – When you choose us as your certified translation company we assign a project manager to you who will answer all your questions. Your certified translation will include our contact details. And although not needed on a certified translation, it will also come with unlimited revisions within the first 14 days.
Languages Available – We offer translations in over 150 languages. Our certifications are valid in all of Europe and North America, so no matter what country you are moving from we will be able to provide you with the correct document translations you need.
Accuracy guarantee – All of our translations come with a 99% accuracy guarantee. So, you can be sure that your certified document is also accurate.
Trusted By Globally Recognized Brands – We’re not just any translation company. When you choose us, you will be using the same company that globally recognized brands such as Forbes, The BBC, and Amazon use.
Beware of Machine Translation Software
If you browse online and look for translation solutions, you may come across automated software. While this may seem attractive because of its cheap price, and fast turnaround times, you must beware that the accuracy is not very good.
Additionally, the translations made by these pieces of software are of course not certified due to their high rates of inaccuracy.
Submitting falsely translated legal documents can lead to significant consequences as mentioned earlier such as deportation.
Automated software can not properly build sentences, or recognize the true meaning of all words. That’s why if you use something like Google translate and use it to form sentences, the output language will often not really make any sense. For legal documents, this of course would be a complete disaster.
Useful Tips for Legal Document Translation
If you are a legal translator who wants to start gaining experience in legal translations, we also wanted to give you some tips.
However, before you can translate legal documents officially, you must ensure that you have gained the correct certifications.
1. Structure When translating a legal document, you should ensure that the structure of the document stays the same.
2. If necessary, for example for court documents, you may need to consult a lawyer to ensure you’re on the right side of the law. Don’t be afraid to do so.
3. Make sure to spend some time researching the terminology of the legal field that you are translating first. This will allow you to translate more efficiently.
4. Ensure Accuracy, as legal documents need to be accurate. In the real world, if a document is mistranslated, it can lead to significant consequences like deportation or reversed legal processes. This is why you need to spend additional time proofreading when translating legal documents.
Read More on Translation
We hope this article on legal documents has been useful to you. Remember that if you need to translate a legal document, you should always research your needs thoroughly first. We will also be able to answer any questions you have before or while you request a quote.
If you would like to read more about translations, you can check out some of our related posts below.
Official Translation: What exactly is it?
How To Translate YouTube Videos To New Languages
Legal Translation Documents: Frequently Asked Questions
Lastly, we also wanted to cover some frequently asked questions about our legal document translation services.
How Do I Know Whether a Company Is Certified?
In general, if a company is legally certified, they will have it somewhere on their service pages. They should explain where their certified translations are valid and what they are valid for.
For example, our certified translations are valid in all European and North American Countries and recognized by both private and public organizations.
I’m Not Sure What Type Of Certification I Need – What Should I Do?
Our certified translations are recognized in all European and Northern American countries. However, if you need a document translated for another country, then it’s best to research or speak to a lawyer.
Usually, you will be able to find out what type of certification the government body requires online. From there, you can find a company that can provide it.
How Much Do Your Translations Cost?
As we provide translations that are tailored to the needs of our clients, the pricing of our services varies.
However, in general, the pricing ranges from £0.08 to £0.18 per word, depending on the type of document and turnaround time needed.
We believe in transparent pricing which is why you can request a free quote first so that you know the exact price before. As mentioned earlier, we will get back to you within 1 hour after you request it.
Which Legal Fields Do You Cover?
We cover everything from business law to agreements and personal documents.
Our translations are certified in any legal field in all European and Northern American countries. If you are unsure whether that covers your needs, you can contact us and we’ll be able to assist you from there.
