You may find yourself in another country where English isn’t the main language and at some point you’ll need to translate a legal document.
Even if you’re lucky enough to find someone who speaks both languages and can translate, it’s not the full story. So in this article we’re going to tell you how to translate a legal document so you don’t have any problems in the future.
What is legal document translation?
Legal document translation is the translation of a legal text from one language to another with precision and maintaining the legal intent of the original text. It requires a certified legal translator or a professional translator with legal terminology experience and history of legal writing and deep understanding of the legal systems of both source and target languages.
Important legal documents such as contracts, immigration papers, intellectual property agreements, corporate statements etc. require a very high level of accuracy to comply with specific jurisdictional legal requirements. Key factors are faithfulness to the original content, legalese and confidentiality. Legal translators are bilingual with expertise in very complex legal concepts for compliance and to avoid costly misinterpretations.
When you choose a legal translation company with experience in official legal matters you can be sure the translation will be accurate, professionally certified and accepted by the relevant authority, such as a notary or court.
Who can translate legal documents?
For legal documents they should be translated by legal translators with specific expertise, credentials and license to do so. Here’s who can translate legal documents:
Certified Translators
Certified translators are those who have passed a certification exam such as the ATA. They know the language of legal documents and can provide certified translations for legal and official use.
Professional Translators
Legal translators are language professionals with specialization in translating legal texts. They may not be ‘certified’ but they are usually experienced legal translators whose knowledge of the legal language, terminology and processes of specific jurisdictions is vast.
Legal Translation Companies
Most translation service providers offer legal translation services and employ only accredited translators or specialists for legal documents. They guarantee confidentiality, legal compliance and accuracy for legal translations.
Notarized Translators
Sometimes a translator’s work may require the stamp of a notary public on translated documents to meet state or legal requirements. The notary does not check the translation but verifies the translator’s identity and credentials.
What type of legal documents need translating?
There are countless examples of legal document translations you may need.
However, some common examples of translating legal documents are:
- Birth Certificate
- Qualifications
- Legal Agreements
- Employment Documents
For these types of documents 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
Many think that for a legal translation all you need is someone who speaks both languages, but that’s not the case.
Most countries especially Western countries 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.
Accuracy is important of course because of the legal implications of any inaccurate translation.
For example in 1830 the 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.
So you will need to choose a translation agency that can certify 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. We say this because even when you choose a certified translation company you will want to check the document yourself or ask a friend to look over it.
How to translate legal documents
As you need a certified translation for almost any type of legal document that needs translating you can’t do it yourself.
Instead you will need an agency that can state that the document has been translated accurately.
Here at Espresso Translations we can do that.
1. What documents do you need to translate?
Identify the specific legal documents that need to be translated, such as contracts, affidavits, intellectual property documents or immigration forms. Make sure you have the original versions ready to send to your chosen translator.
2. Get your official documents ready for translation
Get the original documents and make sure they are clear and legible. If the requesting authority has specific requirements such as notarization or certified translations make a note of that before you ask for a quote.
3. Find a translator for your documents and get a quote
Find a professional translator or legal translation company that specialises in your type of legal document. Check for certified legal translators or companies accredited by organisations like the American Translators Association (ATA). Get a quote and ask about turnaround times, confidentiality and compliance with legal standards.
4. Choose a Certified Translation Provider
Choose a reputable provider with experience in legal translation. Certified translators keep the original text intact while meeting the legal requirements of the target jurisdiction. Check for professional certifications and customer reviews.
5. Review and submit the translations
Check the translations to make sure they are accurate. Once verified submit to the requesting authority such as a government agency, law firm or court. Certified legal translations often have seals or declarations of authenticity.
Our Certified Legal Translations
As a certified translation company all of our certified translations are accepted and recognized in all European and North American countries. Our legal translation process is ISO certified for quality.
Also accepted by all private and public organisations.
They state that the translated text is a ‘true and accurate translation of the source’ with an official translation stamp.
They also include our company and contact details.
And we are not just a certified translation agency…
Some of these are:
Fast Turnaround – We know sometimes there are circumstances where you need a translation quickly for whatever reason. That’s why we can provide certified translations with super fast turnaround if needed such as 48, 24 or 12 hours. We also provide quotes within 1 hour.
Service – When you choose us as your certified translation company we will assign a project manager to you who will answer all your questions. Your certified translation will include our contact details. And although not required on a certified translation it will also come with unlimited revisions within the first 14 days.
Languages – We provide language services and translations in over 150 languages. Our certifications are valid in all of Europe, the U.S. and Canada so no matter where you are moving from we can provide you with the right document translations.
Accuracy Guarantee – All our translations come with a 99% accuracy guarantee. So you can be sure your certified document is accurate.
Trusted by Globally Recognised Brands – We’re not just any translation company. When you choose us you will be using the same company that globally recognised brands such as Forbes, The BBC and Amazon use.
Machine Translation Software
When you search online for translation solutions you may come across software that claims to translate legal documents, official certificates and the like. Because it’s cheap and fast it may seem attractive but beware the accuracy is not as good as a trained language professional.
Also the translations produced by these software are not certified as they are not accurate. If your documents need to be certified you should use a professional translator.
Submitting poorly translated legal documents can lead to serious consequences as mentioned above such as deportation.
Automated software lacks contextual expertise and legal knowledge and can’t build sentences or understand 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 make any sense. For legal documents this would be a complete disaster.
Tips for Legal Document Translation
If you are a legal translator and want to get started with legal translations we also have some tips for you.
But before you can translate legal documents officially you need to get the right certifications.
1. Structure: When translating a legal document you must keep the structure of the document the same.
2. If necessary for example for court documents you may need to consult a lawyer or legal advisor to make sure you’re on the right side of the law. Don’t be afraid to do so.
3. Spend some time researching the legal terminology of the field you are translating first. This will help you translate legal terms faster.
4. Be accurate as legal documents need to be accurate. In reality if a document is mistranslated it can lead to serious consequences like deportation or reversed legal processes. That’s why a translator or translation company usually spends extra time proofreading after translating legal documents.
Legal Translation Documents: FAQs
Finally we also wanted to cover some FAQs about our legal document translation services.
Can I translate legal documents myself?
Don’t translate legal documents even if you are bilingual. This work requires a legal translator as it’s a complex process that demands legal knowledge, legal terminology, ideas and legal systems. Mistranslation that causes misinterpretation can lead to non-acceptance of filings, legal non-compliance issues or legal actions.
Certified legal translators or translation agencies ensure the translation meets the legal standards and is accepted by courts, law firms or government authorities. A professional means precision, accuracy and compliance so you can have peace of mind in important legal matters.
How do I know if a company is certified?
Usually if a company is 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. The translated documents we deliver come with a certificate accepted by private and public organizations.
I’m not sure what type of certification I need – what should I do?
Our certified translations are accepted in all European and Northern American countries. But if you need a document translated for another country then it’s best to research or speak to a lawyer or experienced legal translator.
Usually you can 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?
We provide translations tailored to our client’s needs so pricing varies.
But generally the pricing ranges from $0.10 to $0.23 per word depending on the document complexity and turnaround time required.
We believe in transparent pricing that’s why you can request a free quote first before you get your legal documents translated so you know the exact price. As mentioned above we will get back to you within 1 hour after you request it.
What legal fields do you cover?
We cover from business law to corporate contracts, agreements, terms and conditions and personal documents.
Our translations done by legal experts are certified in any legal field in all European and North American countries. If you’re not sure if that covers your needs then contact us and we’ll help you from there.
