5 Key Tips for Translating Legal Documents

Translation of critical documents can be both a tedious and ambiguous affair if you do not have the hold over the language you are translating. Multiple generic websites offer translation services, but if you are looking to document something which is of utmost importance, the error margin might get higher. Legal or policy translation is a specialised field that necessitates a thorough understanding of language pairs and legal terminology. Poorly interpreted rules and regulations can damage your company's brand and hinder your plans to expand into new markets. Mistranslation of these documents may result in legal or financial issues. Here are five tips for managing your translations to ensure project success. 

1. Understanding the objective:

Make sure you know what the translated document is about before you start translating. Clear contact with your language service provider, including information about when and how one will use the translation, will help ensure that the translated document is correct and appropriate to your requirements. You may need a qualified legal interpreter with a thorough understanding of the law if the translated documents are used at official business meetings or in court. Suppose a simple translation is adequate to express key do's and don'ts in a document of compliance or company policy intended for internal or consumer use, which might not require a qualified legal expert.

2. Understanding the legalities involved:

To ensure that a document stands up in court, a legal translator must first determine whether it is a contract, an administrative certificate, a judicial order, or a law and then use appropriate translation techniques. Understanding the legal structure of the target country is often ignored. However, such knowledge is essential in legal translation, mainly if the documents would be used in court. Culturally based principles are expressed in the legal terminology used in contracts and agreements in each country's legal system.

3. Style guide and Glossary:

It's a good idea to create a translation glossary and style guide to ensure continuity across your documents. A glossary aids the translator incorrectly translating business names, product names, and legal terms, while a style guide explains the translated copy's desired voice or sound. Without these manuals, texts can be interpreted in various ways across languages, resulting in more money being expended on document revision. These guides will reduce the scope of error and potentially reduce translation costs, in addition to reducing the amount of time needed.

4. Proofreading:

Legal document translation is a time-consuming process with strict translation deadlines. Since legal policies and contracts are typically long documents, consider working with a licensed language services provider that specialises in legal translation and can assemble a dedicated pool of legal translators to meet your deadlines. You may also request editing and proofreading services in addition to the translation to ensure continuity across all documents. Allow enough review time to ensure translation consistency and accuracy for the best results.

5. Opting for professional help:

Look for a certified language services partner that can offer a full range of language solutions if you wish to delegate/outsource the translation process. In addition to translation skills, you'll need proofreaders and project managers to oversee the legal translation process. Make sure your language partner is familiar with the practise area that relates to your project.

Say 'no' to any hindrances in attestation of your legal documents. Get them translated by Lingual Consultancy Services – the team of experienced native translators working all over the world! We offer legal translation services in over 70 languages for legal documents including Certificates of accuracy, Witness statements, Depositions of Trust, Wills, Articles of Incorporation, Litigation Documents, Immigration Documents, etc. For requirements/queries drop an email at [email protected] or give us a call at +91 124 2848100.