About Legal Translation Legal translation is a branch of translation specialized in law and deals with specific legal terminology and structures. In this Blog, iTransling will answer important questions which may come to the mind of a junior translator or legal professional, including: “Why do we need legal translation services?”, “What are the types of legal documents?”, and “What are the industries and agencies which often need the legal translation?”, “How can you pick a highly-qualified and reliable translator or translation agency?” Why do we need legal translation services? Legal transactions and dealings are implemented on a daily basis between individuals, companies, organizations, and even countries and are documented in form of agreements, contracts, conventions, and judicial papers. Undoubtedly, such legal documents contain sensitive information which is essential for decision makers to make decisions, assume liabilities, enter negotiations, or make settlements. Therefore, correct and reliable legal translation is required where multinational parties are involved. It was proved in many scenarios that the mistranslation of a single legal word led to catastrophic consequences which cost a lot. What are types of legal documents? Legal documents include: Labor (i.e. employment contracts, immigration papers, visas, identification documents, certificates, policies, labor law and regulations, etc) Corporate (i.e. memoranda of association, articles of association, bylaws, correspondences, agreements, powers of attorney, board’s resolutions, minutes of meetings, tender specifications, quotes, proposals, and audit reports) Judicial and Arbitral (i.e. judgments, awards, summons, notices, rejoinders, memoranda of defense, statements of claim, experts’ reports) Maritime (bills of lading, shipping documents, and customs clearances) Business (i.e. sale and purchase agreements, agency contracts, leases, and subcontract agreements) By reviewing the above examples of legal documents, we realize that legal translation is required in every industry. Thus, global universities and colleges allocate specific departments for teaching legal translation on a standalone. What are the industries and agencies which often need the legal translation? Legal translation is essential for the following: Individuals Non-profit organizations Governments International agencies Multinational companies Law firms Judicial entities Embassies Public prosecution In every aspect of our life, we conduct legal dealings and consequently need legal translation; especially if two parties from different linguistic backgrounds are involved. How can you pick a highly-qualified and reliable translator or translation agency? Six factors should be considered before deciding which translation agency or translator you should pick for translating your legal documents. Specialization When you need to translate a legal document, you can’t rely on a general translator, but on a specialized one who is aware of legal terminology and outstanding structure of legal texts. Legal translation is supposed to be done by a specialized legal translator who has legal knowledge and expertise in the legal industry. Accuracy As explained above, legal documents contain sensitive information which must be accurately conveyed to the target audience. Hence, you have to make sure that the translation process passes through the following three stages: Document Analysis Translation Proofreading   Commitment to Deadlines Deadlines are crucial when it comes to the translation of legal documents. For example, if you are going to translate a memorandum of defense to be presented to courts at a specific time, you must be certain that your translator or translation agency is committed to deadlines; otherwise you would be exposed to a catastrophic situation. Costly-Effectiveness The legal translation is costly. So, the cost may be a problem for clients who have a limited budget. However, we regret to tell you that high fees are expected to be paid if you need accurate high-quality human legal translation. Read more about the costs of translation and factors affecting the pricing. Confidentiality and Reliability You can’t trust any translation agency for legal translation until you make sure it is reliable and will keep your documents confidential. Regarding the reliability, you have to check Google Reviews before making your decision and you can also ask for a sample or test. To keep the confidentiality, a NDA (non-disclosure agreement) can be signed. Pairs of Languages The source and target languages are an essential factor for deciding the translation agency you are going to pick. For example, if you are going to translate a legal document from Arabic into English, it is preferred to hire a translator whose native language is Arabic and is based in an Arabic country because he/she will be more aware of the Arabic legal system. Conclusion Legal translation can’t be assigned to any general translator; instead, it needs high-skills, specialization, deep knowledge of legal systems, and accuracy. High costs are expected if you need accurate reliable legal translation. In fact, you must focus on accuracy even if you will pay higher fees. Accurate and correct translation can’t be compromised to reduce the cost. Finally, picking a reliable translation provider isn’t an easy task. That is why we created this blog giving our clients an overview about the factors to be taken into consideration before hiring a legal translation agency.