"A poor
(legal) translation can be just as dangerous as bad legal advice". This is a quote from an article written in the Independent back in 1996.
Legal translation is a very specialised type of translation service. Good legal translators know almost as much about law as lawyers do and yet they are paid less than a quarter of what lawyers earn for their professional services. The translation is not just about translating the language but it's about conveying the meaning of foreign law, which is just that - foreign, complete with a new set of rules and regulations.
Most of us already need a
translator to tell us what a legal document written in our mother tongue means, so imagine what advanced language skills are needed for legal translations. The formation of the European Union and increased globalisation of trade and industry has created a far bigger niche market for legal translating services. By the same token, it's no longer enough for lawyers to know the law of their own country; they also need to have some idea of international laws.
Although legal translations are cheaper than lawyers, the bill can skyrocket if lawyers don't choose the documents that are most important for the case to go through translation. The Independent mentioned a case where a legal translator was asked to translate 600 pages in two weeks. The quotation the lawyer received ran into the tens of thousands, so she resubmitted only the critically important documents.
Legal translators also have to work very quickly in certain circumstances. Sometimes a
lawyer will need to read a document urgently for an upcoming case and they need the translation done 'like yesterday'. While professional legal translators can work quickly, they can't perform miracles and lawyers need translations to be done well. A sloppy translation done too quickly could result in the lawyer losing the case.
Legal translation services are more in demand than ever before, as City firms are unable to keep up with translations needed for foreign deals and negotiations. It's been shown that certain City firms are unable to deal with the need for translations of French legal documents, let alone for legal documents from further afield. The globalisation of trade has brought about a new partnership; legal translators and lawyers will need each other for their continued survival in the modern world.
Legal Translation Services
Mashariq Legal Translation Services offers trustworthy legal translating services in any languages.
