People often use the terms “translator” and “interpreter” interchangeably, and while they share many similarities, the skills, experience, and expectations of both are different. Translators and interpreters are masters of multiple languages. Both are trained to understand the linguistic nuances and cultural differences of the languages and their representative countries. Additionally, highly qualified professionals will […]
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Why You Shouldn’t Hire Non-Professional Translators to Translate Official Documents
Only 40% of the world’s population speaks one language, which means the remaining 60% speak at least two fluently. In the United States, our citizens speak at least 350 different languages in their homes, and a good many of those are also fluent in English. With the number of multi-lingual individuals in our communities, it […]
Is Your Financial Institution Up-to-Date with the CFPB’s New Guidance for Non-English-Speaking Consumers?
On January 13, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued new guidance to protect consumers with limited English proficiency (LEP). This “Statement Regarding the Provision of Financial Products and Services to Consumers with Limited English Proficiency” directs financial institutions to take a number of actions to make financial products transparent and understandable while still […]
Why Translating Financial Documents is Uniquely Challenging
In many ways, translating financial documents has the same challenges as most other legal work. Financial issues come with their own country-specific rules and regulations, so understanding the applicable banking laws of both the source and translated documents is just as important as being fluent in the languages of each. However, translating financial documents presents […]
Growth of International Banking Sparks Increased Need for Accurate Financial Translations
The investment and banking industry represents a legal world of its own. To operate effectively, banking systems of every country rely on the use of regulations and compliance provisions to govern transactions, reporting, and other aspects of financial management. In the United States alone, financial services are regulated at both the state and federal levels […]
The Impact of Adaptation on Accurate Legal Translations
In contrast to the assumption many laymen hold about language translation, the process is not as simple as plugging in a word-for-word replacement of terms between the source language (SL) and target language (TL). Rather, when a translator takes a document in the SL and converts it to the TL, there are a number of […]
Difficulties in Getting an Accurate Legal Translation of Chinese Contracts
Translating documents in a legal environment is not simply the word-for-word exchange from one language to the next. Not only are translators faced with challenges when there is no direct translation of a term from the original language to the target language, but also translating in a legal context requires an understanding of the technical […]
Can Your Legal Translation Service Be Subject to Cross Examination?
What happens when a defendant feels the legal translation provided by an interpreter of his or her statements to officials was incorrect? Can a criminal defendant confront and cross-examine the interpreter who provided a translation of his or her out-of-court statements? This is a very complicated issue that further illustrates the criticality of legal translations. […]
Jurilinguistics – an Important Concept for Legal Translations
It’s not groundbreaking news that legal translation requires the assistance of professionals with proven expertise in both law and translation. In fact, there’s a term in the profession that encapsulates the challenges and recommended methods to properly conduct legal translations: “jurilinguistics.” What is Jurilinguistics? The term was first used by Jean-Claude Gémar in a Canadian […]
Language Justice for Marginalized Communities
For those of us speaking, writing, and reading English in a country where English is the prevalent language, it’s easy to overlook how much we benefit from fluency. We take it for granted that if we received a parking ticket, a court summons, or needed to apply for Medicare we would know what to do […]