Legal translation – Indispensable to all of us

In the translation industry, there is a constantly high demand for legal translation. Why is that? Many people would assume that this demand originates from global business, for which legal documents need to be translated into different languages. However, legal translation is required for many, many more areas, including private matters, B2C, B2B and international relations. This blog entry will demonstrate how much legal translation we actually come across in our daily lives and also discuss some of the basics of legal translation.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the term “legal translation”? Often the term evokes images of interpreters at court. Certainly, interpreters are more visible than translators, who only work on written texts. However, written legal translations do reach most of us almost every day. See a non-conclusive list of typical documents that require legal translation:

• Property rental contracts
• Insurance policies
• Legal disclaimers
• General terms and conditions
• Internal documentation for compliance audits
• Privacy statements
• Sales contracts
• Non-disclosure agreements
• Documents for lawsuits
• Employment contracts
• Correspondence with law firms
• Documentation for import/export

Legal translation has laid foundations for our lives. Thinking beyond, it is fair to say that legal translations have played an essential role in shaping the world as we know it today. Just consider that the foundations of international trade, transport and travel, but also of peace and any international relations heavily rely on legal translation.

Behind the Scenes of High-Stakes Translation

Due to its sophisticated nature, translating legal content presents unique challenges and is certainly not for everyone. For instance, a translator who excels in marketing may not be suited for this field. In marketing, creativity and deviation from the source are often encouraged to craft compelling messages. Transcreation is frequently the preferred approach for international campaigns.

In contrast, legal texts demand a more literal and precise rendering, with less emphasis on style and more on accuracy. This type of work calls for outstanding language skills, a deep grasp of legal concepts, and personal traits like meticulousness and patience.

The good news is that a high-quality language service provider can support professionals in this demanding area and deliver added value to clients. Let’s explore how expert translation companies empower linguists and enhance outcomes.

How a quality translation company can add extra value to legal translations

No matter if you are a private or corporate client or how big or small your project might be: A high-quality language service will usually take a range of measures to ensure high professional standards:

– To help translators use terminology consistently, translation tools can be provided to linguists; this is particularly meaningful in large projects with tens (or hundreds) of thousands of words

– Translation companies can create terminology databases for returning clients to help linguists use the right phrases

– Strict non-disclosure agreements can be applied to protect sensitive information, which is (of course) particularly important in legal translation

– Clients can book a multi-step quality assurance process that involves editors and proofreaders

– In cases that individual passages are not clear, linguists can discuss them with clients through a dedicated project manager to ensure simple, time-saving communication

– For legal texts with complex formatting, DTP services can be provided

At elionetwork, we constantly handle legal translations for clients from all sorts of backgrounds. Over many years, we have put together a strong team of both in-house and external expert translators to provide legal document translation services with outstanding quality. No matter what your requirements are, please get in touch with our team now to see how we can help you with your legal translation needs and to get a free quote.