Legal translation can be a complex subject that requires specialization in the field that covers many records. Individuals rely on translation services for things like power of attorney translation, Will translation, etc. But similar services are used by business enterprises for various purposes.
All legal documents must be accurately translated into target languages. Even the slightest error can cause hold-ups or attract lawsuits that may hinder international growth and damage brand image. Mistranslation can even jeopardize the future of your enterprise globally.
This post discusses the significance of legal translation and the factors to keep in mind while hunting to find legal document translation services.
Significance of Legal Translation
Legal document translation services cover a multitude of documents and texts of great importance, including:
- Contracts
- Patents, trademarks, and copyrights
- Application letters
- Purchase agreements
- Service agreements
- End-user license agreements (EULA)
- Deposition records
- Company by-laws
Such services are mandatory when required for international mergers or acquisitions. A lot of groundwork is needed in terms of data collection and diligence. The purchasing company must be fully versed with the financial situation, management and employee contracts, policies, procedures, and government paperwork. In this process, you may need to deal with native languages to keep everyone on the same page. For this, your dependability and reliance on legal translators increase.
With reliable legal translation services onboard, communication between parties can be smooth. Finding the proper translation legal partner is vital.
But the question is how to decide on the eligibility of a particular company for this task? Past customer review can be a good indicator of a company’s experience and quality of work; here are some factors that you may look into before hiring Legal Document Translation Services:
Specialization in the legal industry
The agency you plan to partner with must serve other clients in a similar domain. Look if the agency supports your business with other needs such as legal interpreter services, an in-house library of laws about countries of operations, etc. Immigration law is another area where they might be helpful. The agency must therefore prove its commitment to the high standards of the industry in specialized areas.
Data security
This is an important aspect when it comes to legal translation. The agency must value the confidentiality of your legal documents. Check if they work or have worked with your competitors? Are the teams assigned to handle your legal documents separate and different from the ones managing your competitors? Enquire appropriate legal agreements with the network of linguists or translators to whom the work is assigned. A clear written response and communication is a must to avoid landing into perils in the future.
Quality of delivery
This is a crucial factor to look into as it may not be easy to assess from the sample works itself. Quality means error-free documents, perfect translation in the target language, following appropriate processes for pre-translation and post-translation. Apart from sample checks, look for accreditations and certifications from reputable industry-recognized and standard organizations.
Translation process
Get an idea of who will be appointed to undertake your translation projects: people or machines. Accuracy needs to be a priority in both cases. Some agencies employ professionals or local linguists for such tasks or use upgraded software that provides maximum and swift translation results. Some use both for advanced efficacy.
Adherence to timelines
Not every translation is urgent, but some documents may need accuracy and delivery in the quickest time possible. For this, check with your agency for a standard level of response in every situation.
To sum up, the fact is, managing the flow of multilingual documents can be a time-consuming task. It is therefore worth finding an experienced partner who can promise you quality and maintain deadlines!
