Legal translation is among the most complicated types of translation today. For starters, grasping the writing style of legal documents takes years of study and practice. What’s more, legal transcription requires in-depth knowledge of the law and technical terms and their actual meanings. To be successful in this niche, you need specialized training.

Keep reading to learn more about what legal translation is and the most common legal translation difficulties.

What is Legal Translation?

Legal translation involves translating law-related documents from one language to another. These documents include agreements, patents, contracts, safety guidelines, immigration documents, decrees, or other legal texts. In other words, a document that uses legal terms or anything with legal implications can be handled by a professional legal translator.

Legal translation is a meticulous craft. The translators must have extensive, up-to-date knowledge of the legal systems of the languages they are translating between. They should also meet special requirements and qualifications to deliver accurate, effective translations. Ideally, a translator needs research skills, technical qualifications, and necessary certifications.

High stakes are involved in legal translation. That’s why clients needing legal translation services hire the best, most qualified translators. In addition to your skills and experience, you can demonstrate to prospective clients that you’re ahead of the curve by getting certified.

Challenges of Legal Translation

Some of the main legal translation challenges include:

High Level of Accuracy

All documents require correct translation. However, legal translation demands a higher level of precision because of the risk that can come with a mistranslation. Simply put, there’s no room for legal translation mistakes. Otherwise, errors can lead to serious legal and financial consequences. A legal translator has to pay attention to technical expressions and terms, format, and text structure in order to match the translated document with the original content.

Different Legal Systems

Each country has its own legal system, even if the language spoken in both countries is the same. Therefore, without an in-depth knowledge of local legislation, ambiguous translation or mistranslation can easily occur. A legal translator must have a deep understanding of legal systems in addition to a masterful grasp of the languages they are translating to avoid legal translation errors.

Constantly Changing Laws and Systems

Laws and legislation change often. They are amended and modified from time to time. You may find that the legal guideline and template you used a few months ago is no longer applicable. For this reason, legal translators should stay current with the ever-changing laws and regulations that could impact legal document translation. This involves always being on the lookout for any new law that can affect your work to prevent legal translation problems.

Become a Certified Legal Translator

At the Certified Translation Professional, we’re a top-rated online training and certification program for translation professionals. We will ensure you have mastered a specific base level of knowledge when it comes to handling professional legal translation projects.

Do you want to get a translator certificate? Enroll now in our training and certification program.