A recent study revealed that 30.2% of sentences contained errors when machine-translated in the context of legal translation. Every language has its quirks, and there is almost always no direct one-to-one translation or equivalent for specialized words. Combine that issue with the labyrinthine complexity of legalese, and you may have an inkling of exactly how hard translating legal documents can be.
Yet, legal translation is a necessary part of the field. When expanding, businesses tend to operate outside their home country. Law firms serving these businesses, or those operating overseas, must hire a professional translator or two for audio recordings or documents, which carry significant costs. Legal transcription can also be helpful for any legal audio or video that requires translation.
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Legal translation ensures accurate communication across languages in contracts, court documents, and recorded interviews, vital for compliance and fairness.
- Hiring expert legal translators, such as Ditto, prevents costly errors, protects reputations, and enhances accessibility in global legal and business contexts.
- Professional services offer cost-effective, scalable, and secure alternatives to in-house translators or unreliable AI-based tools.
What Is An Expert Legal Translator?
An expert legal translator works on legal document translation and transcription projects to cross the divide between different languages in legal or business matters. Legal translators often work with different types of translation and localization jobs, including:
| Type of Document/Recording | Description |
| Legal Contracts And Agreements | Agreements between parties that outline terms and conditions, such as employment contracts, lease agreements, and service contracts. |
| Court Documents | Documents related to court proceedings, including filings, judgments, and orders. |
| Legal Briefs and Summaries | Summaries of legal cases, arguments, and precedents used in court cases or legal consultations. |
| Patents and Trademarks | Documents related to patent and trademark applications, registration, and defense. |
| Corporate Documents | Documentation related to the governance of corporations, such as incorporation documents, shareholder agreements, and annual reports. |
| Immigration Documents | Forms and supporting documents used in immigration applications, such as visa applications, asylum requests, and citizenship paperwork. |
| Wills and Trusts | Documents outline an individual’s wishes regarding the distribution of their estate after death. |
| Financial Documents | Documents relating to financial matters include audits, financial statements, and investment agreements. |
| Legal Correspondence | Communications between legal parties, including letters, emails, and memos. |
| Deposition Transcripts | Written records of the sworn statements made by witnesses during depositions. |
| Recorded Interviews and Statements | Audio or video recordings of interviews, statements, or testimonials used in legal proceedings. |
| Arbitration Documents | Documents and agreements related to arbitration proceedings outside of court. |
Why Translate Legal Documents And Recordings?
There are numerous reasons why a company or law firm would hire the services of legal translators. Here are the most important ones:
- Facilitating International Business: Expanding businesses must open their doors to international trade. Legal translators, ready to work on documents and recordings, enable these businesses to operate smoothly despite language barriers. An accurately translated contract can prevent misunderstandings leading to legal disputes or financial losses.
- Ensuring Fair Business Practice and Proper Legal Compliance: Legal documents must be translated to ensure all parties fully understand each other’s scope and obligations. Additionally, official documents, such as contracts, patents, or corporate filings, in many countries and jurisdictions require legally certified translations to be considered valid.
- Accuracy of Legal Records: Expert translation is often synonymous with accuracy, and accuracy is absolutely critical for any legal document or recording. A mistranslated word can significantly alter the meaning of a section or even an entire document, undermining the whole process and increasing the risk of legal issues for parties.
- Enhanced Accessibility: Translated transcripts and documents are readily available to all parties involved. Individuals can actively engage with the documents or transcripts and provide insights and perspectives that would have otherwise been lost behind the language barrier.
Hiring Vs. Outsourcing To Legal Translation Services
In 2023, roughly 52,000 interpreters and translators were employed in the US. The mean annual wage for these positions is $63,080 across various industries and languages.
We all understand the importance of legal translation of documents and recordings. However, we must also consider that companies and law firms might not require legal translation at every operating moment. $63k might be hard to justify when the translator’s time is not fully utilized.
That’s why multilingual legal translation service providers like Ditto are the better option in terms of value and expertise. With us, you’re paying a fraction of the cost of hiring an in-house translator and only paying for the work when needed.
Furthermore, you know you’re hiring professionals, so you can expect high-quality and accurate translation. At least, that will be the case when you work with Ditto Transcripts.
Why Not Have AI Translate My Legal Documents And Recordings?
AI is a powerful tool for various applications, including data analysis, large-scale image recognition, automation, predictive analytics, fraud detection, and robotics development. It is also becoming increasingly affordable every day.
Do you know what AI is not good for? Translation and transcription.
The issue with AI translation and transcription is that the core operating mechanics of artificial intelligence are not suited for the task. Large AI language models cannot be learned by themselves. They need to be fed information, taught how to process it, and generate results based on restricted and very literal parameters.
Translation and transcription require contextual understanding and an eye (and ear) for nuance and figurative language. These are things that often can’t, or do not need to, be taught to humans. This is very relevant for verbatim transcripts, where the whole statement is transcribed word-for-word, including filler words like “what”, “like”, and “uhm”,
Legal translation is even more sensitive, as there is much more at stake should the translator make a mistake. The consequences of inaccurate legal translation include:
- Misinterpretation of legal terms,
- Legal disputes and litigation,
- Non-compliance with regulations,
- Financial losses,
- Damage to reputation,
- Delays in legal proceedings,
- Incorrect enforcement of legal rights,
- Security risks,
- Impact on various business processes, and
- Erroneous legal documents.
In the Abacus Federal Savings Bank trial (2009–2015) in New York, Chinese-speaking borrowers gave testimony that got poorly translated. A prosecutor’s question, “The interpreter didn’t know what the word ‘everything’ means?” became “Why didn’t the interpreter interpret everything?”, which is clearly a serious distortion. The verdict resulted in the jury acquitting Abacus and all defendants of the charges.
So, ask yourself: is saving a few bucks worth these risks?
The Benefits Of Legal Translation Done By Experts
| Benefit | Details |
| Scalable Solutions | Available for any law firm or business, regardless of size. Single documents or bulk translations accepted. Eliminates the need to keep a legal translator on payroll when not needed. |
| Accuracy | Cultural nuances and complex terms are handled with care. Multiple rounds of error-checking and proofreading. Certified legal translation with 99% accuracy to minimize mistranslations. |
| Specialized Knowledge | Operating since 2010 in legal translation and transcription. Experienced in legal terminology. Can translate into/from Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish, German (including Old High German), and more. Worked with dozens of US clients on critical legal translations. |
| Confidentiality | Comprehensive security protocols: detailed reporting and tracking, user access levels, usernames/passwords/PINs, scaled network redundancy, VPN integration, dedicated data centers, SSL 256-bit encryption, employee background checks, and NDAs. Fully FINRA, CJIS, and HIPAA-compliant. |
| Cost Savings | No need to spend ~$63,000 annually on an in-house translator or pay overhead costs. Ditto’s Translation pricing starts at $0.50 per page for documents and $6.00 per audio minute for audio/video. |
| No Long-Term Contracts | Pay-as-you-go option available. No forced commitments. |
Legal Translation By the Experts, For the Experts
We understand the critical and sensitive nature of legal translation. That’s why at Ditto, we crafted our services to provide businesses and law firms with the industry’s most accurate legal translation and transcription service. Aside from that, our transcripts are also the most trusted in America, with guaranteed 99% accuracy and the highest standards of security applied. The best part? Our transcripts are legally admissible, which means that you can submit or use it as evidence in court.
Not convinced yet? Here’s what our clients say:
Call us, and see why we’re the best in the game.
Ditto Transcripts is a Denver, Colorado-based FINRA, HIPAA, and CJIS-compliant transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote.