Looking at Legal Translation

It is widely accepted that legal translation is one of the most highly skilled sub-sectors in the translation services market. The refined legal skill and linguistic fluency that is required of a legal translator represents the enormous ability one must possess to succeed in such a role. The best and brightest of bi-lingual legal professionals are flocking to become a part of this industry.

There are fewer more in-demand specialised translation services than legal translation. Considering the stakes involved and the threat of potential law suits should any notable errors crop up, this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, yet these are not the only factors that bring about such as high demand for the service.

Globalisation is seeing more and more companies branch out across the globe, leaving contracts, insurance policies, tax returns, warranties and numerous other legal documents all in need of translation. As well as obviously taking the linguistic side of things into account, there is also the matter of getting every document in line with differing laws and regulations that exist in every country.

It could be argued that court interpreting is one of the most important services required by the translation sector. When a trial is taking place that involves native speakers of more than one language then an interpreter has to be included in that trial. When this interpreter is provided by a reputable company and is fully qualified to uphold the position, then this is no cause for concern. However this isn’t always the case.

There have been several examples of when a court interpreter has failed to do their job properly; in the cases where this has been spotted it has caused considerable unrest for the trial. In even more dramatic circumstances, an error might not be spotted and a serious miscarriage of justice could take place.

When it comes to legal documents it’s essential that any translation carried out is wholly accurate and in no way changes the meaning of the document. In effect, a small mistake could lead to a big miscarriage of justice, which is why it’s essential that if you need legal translation you take the right steps and ensure it’s carried out correctly.

Before you begin to look for legal translation services, make sure you understand exactly which documents you need to be translated. Within the legal system there are several different specialisms including maritime, employment, immigration and criminal law, dependent on the case you have, you will need to choose a translation company that has expertise in the right field. In some cases it’s not necessary to translate an entire document so work out which sections need translation to save time and money.

Six weeks after our hearing we still hadn't heard anything from the courts and we had almost forgotten about it, choosing instead to continue enjoying our time in the sun. On the seventh week Sylvia got in touch with the news that the judge presiding over our case had suddenly left Marbella to work elsewhere in Spain. This meant that the decision in our case would be made by a separate judge who would rule just by reading our notes and never actually speaking to us in person. Sylvia reassured us that we shouldn't worry and that she would be in touch as soon as a decision was reached. 

After responding to the notification from the courts we had a few months to wait before our day in front of the judge. We decided not to take any chances and with Sylvia’s recommendation we recruited a different lawyer who had a lot of experience in property disputes. She was shocked to hear our case, especially as it stemmed from a man who certainly didn’t need to take surely what was just pocket money to him from a young couple. Given the fact that he had tricked us into signing the contract without explaining the content and that we had been perfect tenants up until the point that we broke the contract, she seemed positive that things would go in our favour. 

Our mediator, Sylvia, was an absolutely fantastic lady. Meeting with her gave us some hope that the whole thing would be instantly dismissed by the courts for being so ridiculous. She told us that in Spain, the law very strongly protects the tenant and that as we had caused no damage to the property and had always paid our rent and bills on time, that there was very little chance that we would be found accountable.

Regardless of what she assumed the outcome to be, we had ten days to respond to the claims and had to pay the considerable amount of 2,800 Euros up front to the courts. This was an amount negotiated by Sylvia and once the whole thing was over we were confident the funds would be returned to us. Given that the majority of the money and been begged and borrowed from friends and family, it was especially important to achieve a positive outcome. 

A couple of months later and everything was going well at our new apartment. We had expanded our little family with the addition of two abandoned puppies from the local animal shelter in Ojen. A few weeks were spent redecorating our home to give it a more modern look and I started growing fruits, vegetables and flowers on the balcony overlooking the sea. Everything was going a little bit too perfectly so when we received a very serious looking letter from the courts, we were more than a little surprised. Fortunately the letter was in English but unfortunately the demands written in it were incredibly serious.

Landlords and lawyers are perhaps the two kinds of people that provoke the most angst and discontempt amongst the people who come into contact with them. An irresponsible or lazy landlord and a greedy lawyer are two stereotypes that will always exist. When you couple these two professions into the same person and throw in a foreign country then you’ve got yourself an extremely unfavourable situation. Unfortunately this was a position I found myself in with when my girlfriend and I decided to move to Spain.

The man that we foolishly chose to rent an apartment from turned out later not just to be a bad landlord but also an extremely arrogant lawyer. Nobody thought to mention his primary profession to us at the time, because of course, who in their right mind would want to rent an apartment from a lawyer?

Why should a battle between two extremely minted Russian oligarchs be fought in a British court? Don't we have enough on our plate? The benefits, of course, are plain to see – The British law system is our greatest industry – and second most economically profitable (behind finance itself), renowned worldwide for its honesty, integrity, intellect, and morality. The financial benefit then of hosting foreign cases reverberates around industry connected with the court system.

Legal Translation: Questions Answered

Legal translation is any form of translation that is used within the legal system. Many different types of legal documents can be translated. Some of the documents include patent and trademark fillings, contracts, witness and court transcripts, registration documents, depositions, expert reports, affidavits, legal disclaimers, legal certifications, confidentiality agreements and letters of credit. The list can go on for infinity and you must take note that other documents will become "legal" when they go into the criminal and civil justice systems.

When Does a Document Need to be Translated Legally?

Whenever an individual plans to use the said document for legal matters or when the courts plan on using it, it needs to be translated. It is always best that you have the translation done ahead of time, rather than waiting until the last minute to have it done. By getting it translated in advance, it will help reduce the stress.