When it comes to translating legal documents in-house, it can be quite confusing. Especially if you don’t have the translation expertise. This is why it’s so important to choose a translation agency that is highly experienced in legal translation. Your translation partner should have a legal academic background. They should also work with in-country native speakers of your target language as well as being subject matter experts, with 5 years plus of active translation and proof-reading experience. It is imperative that when legal documents are translated into another language, the words and meanings must be exactly the same, even a minor change could be hugely damaging. So, it is incredibly important to make sure that you get this right.
That’s why you need a legal document translation agency. But what about other important factors like being available 24/7, being efficient, and your security? In this blog, we are going to look into how Global Lingo does this for you, and why you need it.
Different types of legal documents for translation
It’s easy to think of legal documents being just used in courts, however, there are so many other reasons you may need them, from business contracts to terms and conditions. There are many different types of legal documents that require translation. Here are some examples:
Court legal documents
- Evidence files
- Statements
- Witness statements
- Litigation
- eDiscovery data
- Transcripts
- Depositions
- Agreements
Government legal documents
- Immigration documents
- Wills and testaments
- Birth and death certificates
- Agreements and contracts
- Foreign filings
- IP documents
Company legal documents
- Financial statements
- Contracts
- Deposits
- Patents
- Corporate proposals
- Terms of service
- Confidentiality documents
- Passports or Visas
- eDiscover Data
- Privacy policies
- Compliance contacts
- M&A filings
- Agreements
Global Lingo covers all of these document procedures as well as services like machine translation (MT), Interpreting, transcription as well as being able to offer our own relativity connector. So you can be certain that your documents are in the right hands.
Legal document translations: Must-have requirements
What characteristics does the right legal translation team need to possess? Here are our top requirements…
1. They must be trustworthy
Unsurprisingly, legal documents are usually highly sensitive. That’s why you need a team that you can trust implicitly when it comes to legal document translation. It’s not enough for individuals to be fully aware of confidentiality importance, either. It’s critical that you ensure the translator(s) you choose has the right security protocols in place – both off and online – to ensure your data and information is kept in safe hands.
At Global Lingo, we take data security seriously. That’s why we’ve been accredited with an ISO 27001. This is an internationally recognised standard for information security management systems. Security is at the heart of everything we do, and underpins everything from how we hire, how we communicate with each other and our stakeholders as well as our overall business goals. Knowing your documents are secure is the peace of mind you need.
2. They should be fully knowledgeable
Your legal document translator needs to always be up-to-date with a strong legal translation background. Having a team at the forefront of it, and that’s always abreast of new courses and qualifications is crucial.
It’s not enough to hire a translator that is fluent in the language you need to translate into, they have to have the subject matter expertise and experience. One wrong term and you could ruin your business’ reputation, which is why we pride ourselves on our accuracy and suitability of our linguists and resources. We even regularly test our linguists to ensure they are on top of their game.
3. They need the ability to work quickly (often) and accurately (always)
Often there will be times when you’ll need to get your documents translated quickly. In this case, getting your legal documents translated by the right people is key. We’re talking professionals with meticulous attention to detail and accuracy, who can also work at pace when needed.
This is why at Global Lingo we are on hand whenever you need us. You can communicate with us 24/7 for updates and queries. You may be after fast ‘fit-for-purpose’ translations, in order to discern relevant from irrelevant foreign-language content. In this case, we can use our machine translation (MT) solutions and utilize our Relativity Connector to help us significantly reduce the delivery time.
4. They can master the right syntax, structure, grammar, and tone
Translating legal documents isn’t simple or straightforward, as we’ve talked about. This isn’t a direct linguistic translation from one language to another. Instead, there’s a lot to consider. For example, missing a comma or a full stop in certain areas can change the meaning of the sentence completely. There are different rules for punctuation and layouts for different languages, which is why you need a native, subject matter expert who has the experience to handle your legal language requirements.
Legal document translation services at Global Lingo
Here at Global Lingo, we offer a flexible, trustworthy legal translation service via our specialist legal translators. We are confident in translating documents in over 150 different languages, and we work around the clock, thanks to international HQs and teams.
At Global Lingo we pride ourselves on being efficient, knowledgeable, accurate, secure, and responsive with the most advanced services, to keep your data secure.
Do you need any legal documents translated? You can find out more about our legal document translation services here. Alternatively, get in touch with a member of the Global Lingo team today for a completely free consultation.