July 24, 2017By legaltranslationsTranslations Skills

The Challenges of Legal Translation


It’s important to translate legal documents accurately more than any others as there may be contracts involved, warranty documents for the products and product manuals that need reliable translations.

Translating Legal Documents

This can’t be done by a general translator as the person needs a complete understanding of the way particular legal documents should be translated. This means not only knowing about the types of legal documents but how they relate to the language and country they are being translated for.  The translator needs to be able to adapt the legal documents so the language fits into the culture of the targeted country.

Sometimes there are concepts in one legal system that do not appear in the same way elsewhere. For example, concepts in English law may not exist in the law of other countries so the translator needs to know how to translate the legal document so that it closely matches the way the law is interpreted in the targeted country.

Translating Legal Terminology in the Right Tone

Once the translator has learnt to understand the differences between legal systems the legal terminology has to be translated. This isn’t a simple matter as the language used in the translation should sound right when read by the targeted reader. This means the semantics and tone have to be precise when it comes to translating each individual legal term. If there are any idioms or colloquialisms that have been used in the source document these need to be translated as accurately as possible into the targeted language.

The Use of Syntax in a Translation

The way sentences are laid out and the way commas, full-stops and colons are used can alter the meaning of a text quite dramatically especially legal terminology. Different languages use these in different ways so the translator has to be aware of this.

The Translators’ Role

Legal translations seem to be an insurmountable task with all the obstacles that need to be crossed in the first place. But if the best legal translator is hired for the job a business or other organisation should not need to worry about the accuracy of a legal translation online as the translator will work hard to get the job done well and as fast as possible.

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