Legal Translation: What it actually means and its importance

 

Legal translation is one of the most challenging and sought-after types in the translation industry, due to the complexity and extreme attention to detail, it requires. Law firms, corporate entities, and government agencies all require the assistance of qualified legal translators.

A high degree of accuracy is crucial in translating legal texts: just one mistranslation can have serious repercussions for your client. Thus, it is critical that you assign the translation project to a legal translator whose native language is closely related to the target language (usually English).

What Is A Legal Translation?

A legal translation is a translation that pertains to the law. Legal translations may be translations of legal documents, such as contracts, laws, patents, or even more advanced documents like judgments and decrees. Legal translations may be used for a variety of purposes, such as to understand the meaning of a contract or other legal document better or to prepare an English translation of a document for use in an international business transaction or legal proceeding.

Legal translations may need to be handled by legal translators who are well versed in the nuances of the legal system in their native country and are also knowledgeable about U.S. law and customs. Translators who have not been educated in the law may not be able to properly convey the appropriate information contained in a legal document from one language to another.

There are some special requirements for those who wish to provide legal translations services. The translator needs to be well educated and capable of providing accurate translations, even if they do not specialize in this type of work. Ideally, they should have a degree related to the field they will be translating, such as education or linguistics; they should also have extensive experience with translating documents into their native language. It is important for anyone who is providing these types of services to make sure they are properly qualified

The importance of legal translation?

Legal translation plays a very important role in legal implications, but it can be difficult to understand why it is used. Sometimes Legal Translation Services is the only way to effectively translate a document that requires an official translation.

A lot of people don't realize how important a legal translation really is. It is important to understand what part a legal translator plays in legal proceedings and why it is necessary to use one.

Legal documents are very complicated and often need to be translated from one language into another in order for them to be understood by someone who speaks a different language than the one the document was originally written in. There are many types of legal documents that require some sort of translation before they can be used properly.

These types of documents include

• wills
• marriage certificates
• contracts
• birth certificates
• litigation papers
• divorce
• etc.

Legal Translators make sure that these documents are rendered accordingly to the legal terms so that they will be recognized as legitimate in whatever court they are being presented in. Without the correct translation, these documents could be seen as invalid or fraudulent which could cause major problems for anyone involved including judges, lawyers and any other person who works with them.

What does a professional translation service have to offer? What are the most important characteristics of a professional legal translation service?

Translation is a job that requires an in-depth knowledge of the client's field, as well as legal terminology. The person translating needs to understand not only the source language and the target language but also the subject matter. Whether it's law or another field, anyone offering translation services must be familiar with their subject. He or she must be able to answer any questions that arise during the translation process.

A professional translation service will include a translator who has years of experience translating documents in their particular field. They should be familiar with legal terminology, and they should have legal training before working on legal documents.

A professional translator knows all about deadlines and understands that if a deadline is missed, there can be serious consequences for both parties.

Legal Formatting

In the United States, Canada, Australia, and other common law countries, legal documents need to be in a specific format. Not only does each section have an order and title but it also has a specific font and paragraph style that makes it clear that the document is indeed a legal document. If you are trying to go through the process of filing for bankruptcy or suing someone you will want to make sure that your documents adhere to the specific rules of formatting.

Legal translation is a lot different than other forms of translation because it often deals with formatting as much as it deals with the actual meaning of the words that are being translated. Because of this there are tools available that can help you with formatting your legal documents so they fit all the rules and regulations.

One way that you can find out more about the format is to look at example documents online. This will allow you to see how each section is supposed to look so that you know whether or not your translations will be acceptable for legal purposes.

Conclusion

The growing role of translation in the legal field is not only a challenge but also an opportunity for translators who have specific skills and knowledge. They must be able to make the client's information intelligible to them, by analyzing the source material, possessing specialized training and professional experience in the particular area of law, as well as a comprehensive understanding of their native language.