Importance of Legal Translations

Corporate globalization and the growth in international trade have led to a rise in the demand for legal translations. Numerous companies require legal documents to be translated from one language to another. However, translating legal documents is a very complex task. Even minor errors in the translation can result in potential lawsuits and legal exposure that will consume a lot of unnecessary time and money. This is why you need professional legal translators to do the job.

Legal translation involves translating various legal documents such as:

Contracts
Patents
Trademark Applications
Articles of Incorporation Contracts
Copyright Registrations
Litigation documents
Tax returns
Affidavits
Statutes
Trusts
Wills
Tenders
Certificates of Accuracy
Depositions
Witness Statements
Immigration Documents and others

Legal translation involves highly complex subject matters and specialized terminology. Usually the subject matter of any legal document is rather delicate and a large amount of money is often at stake. Hence it is extremely important to assign the legal translation task to a translator who is qualified and specialized in handling legal documents. Usually professional translation services in Ottawa or other locations have qualified translators who are specially trained for handling legal documents.

Even more so than with other translations, legal translations have to be completed within the framework of the legal system and culture of the country in which the source text was created. Usually legal structures and legislative frameworks differ quite significantly from country to country as every country has different a culture, language and laws. The legal documents written in the source language reflect that country’s culture and legal framework. Therefore it becomes quite a complex task for translator to find language structures in the target language which are exact equivalents to those in the source language. To do a competent job, the translator has to have an indepth understanding, not only of the two languages, but also of the two legal systems involved in the translation project.

Legal translators need to have an overview of the common law and civil law systems which are used throughout the world. Besides they need to have clear understanding of important legal terminology in such specialized areas as international law, tax law, insurance law, contract law, maritime law, criminal law, commercial law and corporation law.

Not just any professional translator can do legal translations. Ideally, legal translation experts have a background in law and many years of specialized experience. Various universities will offer specialized courses for legal translations which provide a good foundation and understanding of the legal system. Specialized legal translators work in many organizations, from private sector law firms, to government departments, to translation companies in Ottawa or translation services in Calgary.

Especially when it comes to legal translations, hire a professional company, whether you require translation services in Calgary or translation services in Ottawa. Professional companies carefully select their translators and ensure that they understand the nuances of legal clauses. Professional, well trained translators are able to meet tight deadlines without compromising the quality of the end product. In addition, professional translation firms will handle all your documents with utmost confidentiality.