Translation isn’t just limited to marketing content, website copy, and the like. At some point, as your brand expands into new markets, you will need legal documents translated as well. When that time comes, having the right specialized translation service provider on your side will give you peace of mind.
3 popular legal document translation service providers
Many language service providers offer high quality translation services for legal documents. Here are a few popular ones to help you narrow down your options.
Smartling
In addition to a host of other professional translation services, we offer legal document translation. One of the advantages of having Smartling on your side is flexibility. For more complex documents that require the highest level of quality assurance, you can rely on our network of carefully vetted, 100% native-speaking translators. Customers also have access to our AI-powered translation tools. This includes our multi-machine translation hub, which enables instant turnarounds of high-quality legal translations.
Pros:
- You can get up to 350% higher quality translations with our automated translation tools than with other language service providers. Plus, our translation services have been proven to result in a 20% reduction in translation costs and a 90% quality boost.
- Thanks to translation glossaries, you can ensure consistent usage of your brand and industry terminology, while also reducing translation cost.
- Smartling takes security seriously and has maintained PCI Level 1, ISO 17100, ISO 13485, and ISO 9001 compliance. Not to mention SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance.
Cons: Smartling caters mainly to enterprises so, while our services and software can be used by smaller companies, it may not be the best fit for them.
RushTranslate
RushTranslate’s highly-rated legal document translation services have been used by thousands of customers. The company provides 24-hour turnaround of certified translations for a variety of documents, including patent applications, licenses and permits, contracts, affidavits, and so on.
Pros:
- RushTranslate is cost-effective, with pricing starting at just $24.95 per page.
- All employees have signed a non-disclosure agreement to ensure confidentiality (with the option to have your own agreement signed as well).
- Notarization service is available as an add-on for customers who need verification of the identity of the translator making the certification.
Cons:
- Some customers have noted that the first version of the translations they received contained mistakes like spelling errors. (Source: RushTranslate)
- Adding on the notarization service can increase turnaround time, according to at least one user, which may not be convenient if you’re in a hurry. (Source: RushTranslate)
Day Translations
Day Translations’ services are another popular choice. Its translators are not only native speakers of customers’ target languages but they’re also experts in relevant fields of law and certified to work in the court of law.
Pros:
- The company offers legal translation services on a retainer basis, meaning you can keep qualified translators on standby.
- Day Translations has a 5-step quality control process to check for translation accuracy and ensure compliance with relevant legal regulations.
- All translations are backed by a lifetime guarantee.
Cons:
- A couple of customers have encountered translation quality issues, such as terms not being translated or being translated incorrectly. (Source: Trustpilot)
- Some customers have suspected the use of machine translation engines like Google Translate without post-editing done to verify accuracy. (Source: Trustpilot)
Reliable legal document translation services are a must-have
With legal documents, decent translations don’t cut it. Translations must be top-notch since even the smallest errors can introduce various legal risks, as outlined by the American Translator's Association.
What happens when grammatical errors, typos, or mistranslations change or obscure the meaning of a sentence or clause? At the very least, it can lead to confusion and/or delays in legal proceedings. At worst, your documents could be deemed invalid, or you could find yourself in the middle of disputes, litigation, or arbitration.
Ultimately, it’s critical that your translation partner has two things:
- An understanding of how legal terminology differs in the languages you’re translating from and into
- Robust quality assurance measures to prevent both straightforward issues like typos and more subtle problems (e.g., word-for-word translations that don’t have the same meaning or make sense in your target language)
Accuracy and clarity are especially important for documents that require certified translation—i.e., documents that need to be certified as accurate, complete translations of the source documents by a qualified translator.
Many types of documents require this certification:
- Contract law documents, such as employment agreements, lease agreements, and purchase agreements
- Corporate litigation documents, such as contracts, intellectual property documents like patents, and court proceedings
- Court documents related to legal matters, such as judgments, orders, and pleadings
- Affidavits, which are written statements used as evidence in court and confirmed under oath to be official statements of fact
And there are many more, including documents needed by individuals rather than companies. Things like identity and immigration documents, marriage certificates, birth certificates, and so on. In any case, because of their importance, you need to be sure you receive high-quality translations.
What should you consider when choosing a legal translation company?
It goes without saying that you’d want a service provider with years of experience translating legal documents similar to yours. After all, different types of legal documents (contracts, patents, etc.) require specialized knowledge to translate. But what else should you be looking for?
- Confidentiality: Look for robust data security measures. Translation of legal documents containing sensitive information must be handled securely.
- Language expertise: For accuracy and efficiency, you’ll want translators who are native speakers of your target language(s). This can reduce or eliminate the need for revisions.
- Legal language knowledge: As with linguistic expertise, it’s valuable to have translators who are knowledgeable about differences in legal systems and terminology in your source and target languages and regions.
- Turnaround time: Do you typically have large documents or need legal texts translated quickly and in bulk? You don’t want to be stuck with a provider whose turnaround times will cause delays.
It’s a bonus if a provider has certifications like ISO 17100, so you can rest assured that they have rigorous quality assurance processes.
Get your legal documents translated: 100% translation quality guaranteed
You’d never want to cut corners on legal translation—inaccurately translated documents could have dire consequences. So, it’s vital that you choose reliable translation services offered by a language service provider with extensive experience translating legal texts.
Smartling has been the go-to for many companies who’ve needed professional legal translation, largely because of our high quality standards. Our translation services—rendered by vetted, native-speaking translators—are backed by a 100% quality guarantee. Plus, our AI-powered translation tools deliver translations of up to 350% higher quality than alternatives. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
If you need high-quality, fast, confidential legal translation, we can help. Book a meeting with our team today to learn more and tell us about your translation needs.
