Dealing With Different Legal Systems
Legal translation is required for many different circumstances including any major international business deal, employee relocation across national boundaries, or litigation. In any of these circumstances, legal translation will be required in some form, and depending on the requisites, only expert translation will suffice. While it doesn’t take the role of a lawyer to translate a document like a birth certificate or passport, these documents still require translation and certification to allow employees to relocate. Legal advice is often required when you are sealing an international business deal or facing litigation, in which your translation of documents must be extremely precise, and nine times out of ten, must be certified.
Challenges Translators Face
One of the biggest challenges that translators face, regardless of the industry, is the simple fact that words do not always have an equal meaning in another language. For example, when flannel (the fabric) was introduced in Japan, there was nothing like it, so the word is the same, though pronounced with a Japanese accent. The same types of challenges can exist with legal translation.
Vast differences in legal systems means that accepted practices in one country can be totally foreign in another. In countries where there are no jury trials it may require a lengthy explanation for some phrases to give an accurate meaning. A professional translator will always work to find the best translation for a word or concept in the target language, which is of particular importance in legal documents where terminology makes a large difference in overall meaning.
Vernacular, slang, expressions, and clichés are also problematic. Literal translations of expressions almost never make any sense, so to find meaning; a translator must have a native understanding of the target language. This is especially important when translating testimony, since people tend to speak emotionally and emotions are difficult to translate.
Certification Process
Once a translator has created an accurate translation it is often necessary for the document to be certified for use internationally. Laws vary from country to country and the level of certification required can also vary. A translation to be used in court may require anything from a basic translator signature attesting to the veracity of the document all the way through an Apostille certification. Only the original translator signature verifies the actual translation. All other forms of certification verify the signatures and seals of the certifying agent, but not the translation itself. Use expert translators to get quality translation with all levels of certification available. TranslationLeague offers all of these services and more, ensuring that there are no gaps in the process for our clients.