Issues Pertaining to Legal Document Translation

What is legal translation?

What does legal translation actually entail? In essence, it is the work of translating legal information and documents from the language of one country into that of another. There is no doubt that translation of this sort is quite complex, because a qualified translator needs to be completely fluent in both languages, but also with the legal terminology unique to each. It could be said that such an individual needs to do two distinct translation jobs rather than one. Making things even more difficult is the fact that the stakes involved for the parties requesting the translation can often be quite high. Errors in translation can produce serious consequences that could be financially costly or even result in one of the parties running afoul of the law.
Not many other kinds of translation work call for the high level of cultural and linguistic mastery of legal translation. In typical types of translation, an error here or there may yield minor confusion or misunderstandings, or even a misrepresentation of artistic intent, but with legal translation work, mistakes can result in jail time or expensive litigation that would otherwise be unnecessary.

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Legal document translation and terminology

The reason legal translation work is such a serious issue is that the majority of documents involved relate to business matters in which duties and obligations are assigned to each of the parties. Documents requiring this sort of translation tend to be compilations of work done by more than one person. When attempting to work with the words of multiple individuals, a translator needs to have the needed fluidity with each language to assess intended meaning as well as the implications the writers’ statements have under the law of their nation of origin. It is vital that the translation does not change the legal implications of what the document authors attempted to communicate.

Specifics of Legal language and translation

Another obstacle in the path of proper legal document translation has to do with the fact that there are times when statements therein are rendered by using phrasing and word choices which simply have no counterpart in the other language. This is a real challenge when lawyers are trying to convey precise concepts and meanings that are pivotal to the legal position of their clients.

Translators for legal documents

Some might say that legal translation presents a series of landmines which must be adeptly navigated an avoided by the very best professional translators. You must never settle for translators who are merely generalists, as they will almost certainly lack the technical skills required to produce an accurate legal product. Though the cost of a highly-skilled legal translator is certain to be higher than that of typical translator, the added expense can help prevent the costly and potentially catastrophic consequences of mistranslation in this realm.

With extensive resources and a network of certified legal translators, Apoling Solutions, the certified translation agency in NY with office in Brooklyn, delivers quility legal document translations to individuals and legal entities. No matter the time of day or your location, we will reply promptly to your request for legal translation services.