It is true that the legal system of any country is the result of its historical, political and cultural development of people. As a result the field of legal translation has also developed deeply integrated roots with these aspects of society.
Even though a large part of our population considers legal language to be obscure, it still has a strong presence all around us. Laws regulate most of our daily activities. For instance when we want to download an app from AppStore, we have to accept certain terms and conditions for using the software. Similarly when we are driving our own car or are being driven on public transport, all drivers have to follow certain traffic rules which are ascertained by our legal system.
Further with globalization on rise and internet becoming the talk of town, this has resulted in extensive cross cultural integration between societies and languages. As a result legal translation is required in a myriad of situations.
Just few legal documents that often require legal translation includes documents such as legislative texts, international treaties, court documents, administrative texts, commercial texts and financial texts. Due to the universal nature of law, legal documents can range from a very large variety of fields. Thus legal translation might also be required for a variety of documents, which can range from documents such as patents, birth certificates, death certificates, court judgments, affidavits to a love letter or suicide note in a court case.
Legal translators should reflect the true meaning and the underlying intention of a source document in the target document they produce. Since beginning legal translation was often compared to Bible translation, as it dealt with the word of law, and thus legal translators were forced to translate literally, debating faithfulness to the original text. This strict adherence to the source text words didn’t allow room for creativity and proper development of legal translation studies.
However the study of legal translation has evolved since then and the translation community now considers loyalty to the communicative function of the target text as paramount. More importance is given to accuracy of target text content than to strict adherence to the words of source text.
Secondly a legal translator besides working in between two languages and two cultures, also has to work between two different legal systems. Since legal systems have historical, political and cultural elements inherently attached to them, the legal systems that belong to different official languages also have inherent socio-cultural and historical differences in their legal texts. The problem is further aggravated when the same terms have different meaning in different legal systems.
For example, Common law a term we often hear in many English legal texts is the basis of legal system in United States, England and Wales, but not in Scotland. Further Common law is followed in Australia but its definition differs, largely due to the different socio-cultural conditions that were prevalent in Australia. Thus translating such terms require a strong understanding of the context in which the term is used.
While translating legal documents in between culturally different countries such as Saudi Arabia where Islamic law is followed, and United Kingdom, where English law is followed, a legal translator will require extensive background knowledge of the source text to deliver high quality legal translation. One problem legal translators often face is that there are many cultural terms used in such legal texts that don’t have an equivalent word in the English vocabulary. Translators thus have to do a literal translation of such terms or resort to other appropriate translation techniques.
Looking for an experienced translation company to handle your next translation project? We can help! Find out more about our premier services by calling us at +44 (0)20 3940 3255. You can also email us at info@universallanguagesolutions.co.uk. To get an estimate for our services, please complete our free quote form to get an instant quote.
It may be a small world but communicating effectively in a global market place is a big challenge.
Universal Language Solutions is the company of choice for some of the world’s best-known brands who trust us to meet their translation and interpreting needs.
Combining the latest technology with the skill of our professional linguists, we offer a complete range of cost effective translation services in over 140 different languages, with the capacity to turn work around quickly to meet your deadline.
One thing that needs no translation is quality. Our experienced translators and interpreters take the utmost care to provide reliable, bespoke translations so you can be safe in the knowledge that what we deliver is accurate and meaningful.
How do you charge for translations? +
We charge a “per word” rate. The rate per word depends on the language combination, complexity of the subject matter and the turnaround time you require.
How do I count the words in my document? +
Doing a word count can be tricky, especially if your document contains pictures with embedded text or you have a PDF. The easiest way to get a word count is to send us all of your documents and let us do the word count for you. We have advanced OCR (Optical Character Recognition) programs that can do word counts on any document or image and in any language, including Asian and Middle Eastern languages. Alternatively, if you’re working from a Word for Windows document that contains only text, Microsoft Word 2007 shows the word count in the lower left-hand side of the application.
How long will it take to translate my document? +
We endeavour always to meet our client deadlines. For very large projects we will assign as many translators as required to ensure the deadline is met.
What method should I use to send my documents, and how do you send them back? +
The best way to send the document(s) is to email us a copy of your document, or to upload it using our free quotation form. Alternatively you can send your document by fax or a photocopy by post. We are able to receive both PC and Mac formats, although our staff and administrators mostly use PC-based systems. We can send you your completed translations in any format and by any method you require.
Why an online translation service? +
Quite simply to save you time and money! Who has the time nowadays to carry documents up and down the UK for a translation? It is obviously much more comfortable to upload a document or email it as an attachment without leaving your home or office.
Can I deliver/collect the documents in person? +
We offer online translation services, but on rare occasions where a document is extremely urgent some clients do come in person to collect their material. However, it is much more practical to deliver documents using our website or by email, or post, where these options are viable.
How much do I have to pay extra for the translation to be posted to my address? +
The answer is short: Nothing at all. The cost of sending the translation by First Class Royal Mail is included in the price of service. In special cases, for a £15 surcharge we can use the Royal Mail Special Delivery service, whereby the delivery is guaranteed on the next working day after posting.
Who performs the translation? +
We use our in-house translators who specialise in western European languages. For any other combinations we have a team of high quality, certified, freelance translators with impeccable credentials and extensive experience. They are responsive, talented, trustworthy and 100% committed professionals with whom we have built and established a solid working relationship over time.
How do you ensure your translations are accurate? +
All Universal Language Solutions Ltd translations are accurate. We have designed our quality control system to allow each team member to perform their functions in real time, supporting each other’s specialised functions, checking each other’s work, sharing terminology databases and research. Continuous process improvements are built in. Our project management system adapts to the needs of any project, bringing in different and complementary skill sets as required.
How do you enforce confidentiality? +
We recognise that legal translations require absolute confidentiality. Every team member who handles your document signs (1) an in-house corporate non-disclosure agreement, and (2) a project-by-project confidentiality agreement. Our project management system allows us to control exactly who has access to your documents, and levels of access are adjusted according to the role of the authorised team member.
Is a more expensive translation necessarily a better one? +
In this industry, as in many others, it is usually true that you get what you pay for. When hiring a reputable company (like Universal Language Solutions Ltd) for a translation project, you are paying for their extensive resources and experience. If you care about the quality of your project, you should care about the quality of the translation. A poorly-executed translation will do more than just confuse its intended recipients, it might also destroy your professional reputation.
Sworn or certified translations? +
Yes. Universal In the UK, the sworn translation is purely theoretical whereas it is typically the principal term used overseas for official translations. The UK equivalent is simply referred to as a ‘Certified Translation’ and this is what the main UK authorities and institutions will require as part of an application.
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