In today’s world, marked by the development of international relations and intense business expansion, the necessity of translating legal documents emerges as an issue of utmost importance. It is thus legal translators that any aspiring translation agency desires. Given that this type of translation requires not only impeccable linguistic skills, but also extensive knowledge about law, a legally trained person is needed to ensure the translation process is flawless. Providing high-quality legal translation services is one of the priorities of our professional translation agency. Whether it is an international business endeavor or legal proceedings that creates the need for accurately translated documentation, we can guarantee to provide business translations and litigation translations.
Legal translation — behind the scenes
It is interesting to know that the term legal translation embraces a multitude of aspects of the complex process of transforming a given legal document from one language into another. There are many types of legal translation, which can hardly be compiled in just one list; depending on whether we take a more business-oriented perspective or focus on general differences between various forms of legal translation, we can distinguish at least two divisions.
Fields of legal translation in the business world
Given the complexity of legal processes for conducting business internationally, maintaining legal relationships and making key business decisions requires accurately translated legal documents and in-depth understanding of different legal systems.
Legal market research
In order to find out what are the terms regulating the process of conducting businesses in a foreign country, a legal translator needs to probe into the target market. It is vital to make it possible for everyone involved in international business activities to understand all the necessary guidelines about how to approach various issues such as marketing campaigns, financial policies, consumer rights, and so on. Only by providing legal translation services that ensure the complete clarity on such aspects of the target country’s legal system can the whole decision-making be carried out in compliance with the specific regulations and requirements.
Contract translation
Taking care of business contracts between international parties is one of the most crucial roles of legal translation. Similarly to all business documents, contracts require highly accurate translation so that the slightest nuances of specific legal meaning are transferred to the target language. Linguistic accuracy contributes to producing a high quality legal translation and helps you avoid legal consequences that might result from discrepancies in the original and the translated document. The translator’s full understanding of legal implications of official translation is essential if fully professional translation services are to be provided.
Terms and conditions translation
Legal language used in any terms and conditions document is difficult to understand even when read in one’s native language. This means that in order to translate legal documents of this type, only a translator with a great amount of legal expertise should be delegated to do the job. Terms and conditions translation applies to both consumers and all the people involved in the business activity with your company since the document entails all the information about your products or services, your business policies, and consumer rights and responsibilities. Assuming you might at some point face the risk of legal action being taken against you by a dissatisfied customer, you need to have solid legal backup for successful defense in court. This is why the consistency between the original document and the document translated for legal purposes must be maintained at any cost.
Intellectual property translations
If your company uses some innovative technologies or launches creative, self-devised product ideas, there is a possibility that you may fall victim to people inclined to make use of your contribution illegitimately. This is precisely why securing your intellectual property rights is a reasonable step to take. Not only does intellectual property translation discourage people from copying the results of your own work, but it also gives you a real advantage if any contentious issue ends up in the courtroom.
Formal types of legal translation
Due to the fact that people usually need legal translations for official documents that are supposed to be scrutinized by representatives of foreign countries, the accuracy, professionalism and legal validity of the translated documents have to be approved of. There is a wide range of such documents, from birth certificates and property documents, through university diplomas, to various court documents. Depending on the kind of document that is needed, and the authority the document is going to be presented to, legal translation services may include:
- Certified translations — carried out by qualified professionals with great expertise in a certain field, who are required to sign an official statement confirming (certifying) the highest quality, correctness, and accuracy of the translation. Such certification is often a kind of precaution taken by law firms in order to avoid potential repercussions resulting from inaccuracies or errors.
- Sworn translations — carried out by professionals who have been authorized by the state and whose translations are officially considered equivalent to the original documents. In many European countries — that usually have strict regulations concerning who can produce a certified translation — such professionals are referred to as sworn translators. However, the term has no equivalent in the UK, the USA, Australia or New Zealand, where translators’ own declarations of their accountability for the quality of their work is a sufficient form of certification.
- Notarized translations — that have to be authorized by a notary in order to ensure the fulfillment of all requirements imposed by a given institution and confirm the translator’s identity. Notarized translation is therefore more concerned with legal formalities than the quality of the translation itself.
Our language services of the best quality
Since our translation company offers to translate official documents of various kinds into Polish or English, the necessity of gathering documentation in the target language should definitely not concern you in the slightest. Our legal translators constitute a team of dedicated and experienced professionals who are always ready to provide you with the best quality services.
Do you need a specialist with solid legal background, impressive linguistic skills and broad knowledge about the translation industry? Here we are!
If you want to find out more about the process of translating official documents, check our article on what type of language in used in legal translation.