5 Types of Legal Documents That Benefit Translation

The translation of legal documents requires the expertise of a legal translator with the highest level of accuracy and in-depth knowledge of legal terminology. 

Simple mistakes in legal documents cost time and money. For every error, the drafting process is interrupted and efficiency is reduced. This is why a good legal translator needs to have several years of specialist training as well as an excellent command of both the source and target language. 

Whether you’re a lawyer, a law firm or an international business, here are the five technical documents that you should always have translated into English: 

Immigration Documents For Companies

An international workforce is essential for growing your business. While the hiring process is not without its challenges, most companies would agree it is well worth the time and effort to do so. One of its advantages is it provides an opportunity to find workers with specialized skills from anywhere in the world. 

Companies that are bringing workers over to other countries need to submit the necessary paperwork required by The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For an application to be accepted, it is mandatory that any documents written in a foreign language need to be translated into English. This includes: 

  • Birth certificate 
  • Bank statements
  • Marriage certificate
  • Divorce papers 
  • Police records

The decision to accept a certified translation is at the discretion of the immigrant officer. Any errors within these documents could delay the application, or worse, it could be rejected and you will have to start the whole process again. To ensure that the application process goes as smoothly as possible, many companies invest in a professional legal translator. A good translation agency ensures an accurate and quick turnaround for your papers and will provide notary services for the affidavit of translation documents. 

What’s more, by placing these sensitive documents in the hands of a professional, you help to protect the interests of your organization. Any breaches will compromise a company’s reputation and credibility. A skilled translator ensures that they maintain the utmost confidentiality when handling private information. 

Litigation Support

Whether you need interpretations for court legal proceedings or to translate legal documents written in another language, hiring the expertise of legal translation services can be extremely beneficial.

Law courts make decisions that change lives. So, it is vitally important that anything that happens in court is interpreted accurately, especially when supplying proof or evidence that can affect the outcome of a trial or hearing. 

When dealing with legal translations, the mere fact that a person is fluent in another language does not qualify them to interpret a legal document. Aside from having a reliable working knowledge of languages, professional translators should have a thorough understanding of the judicial system in the target country. This is because poor translations can jeopardize a court case if the supplied evidence is misinterpreted or misunderstood.

Moreover, translations carried out by a certified translator will appear more credible in front of a judge or jury. While the court documents may be open to subjectivity, a jury is more likely to accept the word of a reputable legal translator who does not have a direct stake in the case. 

To help you determine whether the services of a legal interpreter or translator are the best choice for your case, here are important questions you should ask them: 

  • Are you a native speaker of the target language? 
  • Have you any previous experience interpreting/translating in a court of law?
  • Are you certified or what qualification do you have?
  • Through what agencies are your qualifications valid?

Legal Contracts

If you want to build up a relationship with a trading partner overseas, you will have to negotiate a range of legal contracts. These include real estate purchase agreements, license agreements, employment contracts, disposition records, and commercial leases. When these documents are in a language that is unknown to you, it’s imperative that you can get these translated correctly to ensure that everyone involved is literally on the same page. 

Businesses can’t afford to compromise on the quality and accuracy of translated contracts. Any errors, whether a grammar mistake or a cultural misunderstanding not only risk a company’s reputation but can affect the validity of contracts. Having precise and intelligible translations ensures that no ambiguity in the document exists and the signing parties have a clear understanding of the terms included. 

The key is partnering with a translator that is native in the target language and has experience with these kinds of documents. 

Corporate Documents

Business communication with multiple countries demands expertise and precision. Nothing slows down an office quite like a time-consuming backlog of translation work.  Many businesses require a project manager to coordinate international projects, schedules, and budgets so need a streamlined process for translation. 

Fortunately, translation services keep a company’s workflow as efficient as possible as you don’t have to process the documents inside your team and can dedicate your time to other projects. 

But translation goes beyond just business development. If you happen to be working with multiple stakeholders that don’t speak English, it is a worthy investment. While there is no question that English is a widely spoken language in business, language is more than communicating words back and forth. It is important to understand the subtleties and nuances in other languages. 

For instance, if you are working with a Chinese supplier, it is advantageous to partner with a translator who is both linguistically and culturally fluent. Not only does this ensure that the documents are understood by the relevant teams in China but by providing them with translations, you are demonstrating that they are a valued and an important long-term asset to your company. 

Financial records 

For companies who work with clients from all over the world, financial documentation is an integral part of any successful business. 

Finance is among the most regulated of all industries. Not only does the terminology need to be consistent across the documents but it needs to meet the standards set out by the regulatory authorities. 

One simple mistake in these documents can lead to missed opportunities, upset clients and even legal repercussions. 

Language Department is a language service with over 25 years of experience providing legal documents translations for all areas of business and finance. Our teams provide fast, affordable, and high-quality translations in over 60 different languages.

Need the assistance of financial translation services? Contact us today to secure the services of a highly trained team of translators today.

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