An obvious responsibility of a translator is to provide a thorough and accurate rendering of an original document to a translated version. Furthermore, choosing a professional organization familiar with the legal operations within the original country or culture as well as that of the country requiring the translation will help to ensure the original intent is carried forward into the translated document. But what other expectations exist specific to translations for legal purposes?
- Confidentiality. According to the American Bar Association, lawyers have a duty to supervise the work of translators to ensure they adhere to legal expectations of client confidentiality. Translators must understand that any breaches of confidentiality to friends or family about their work can lead to disastrous legal ramifications for your client, and ultimately you are responsible for their actions. You should also review and ensure translators adhere to the proper protocol of electronic document storage and secure transmission to ensure files cannot be “hacked” from a cloud storage solution or via an unsecured email.
- Competency. While Utah Ethics Advisory Opinion No. 96-06 refers specifically to verbal interpretations in its statement that interpreters should not add their own personal “spin” to their work, that same expectation exists for document translation. Work must be accurate, thorough, and reflect the original intent, but no additional commentary should be included. For this reason, employing an interpreter with knowledge and expertise of the legal issues pertaining to the original document is most qualified to provide a translation that although not word-for-word, will be accurate of the original intent without adding extra phrases or descriptions that would delegitimatize the translation.
- Professionalism. While it may be tempting to use a friend or relative of the client who is able to speak both the original and translated languages, attorneys should not use private individuals to provide translations. Only certified professional translation services that specialize in legal translations will provide the assurance of accuracy required for legal work. In some situations, a court may require your translator to testify in person to authenticate the accuracy of the translations. A professional translation service will be able to stand behind their work and provide you the support you need.
Choose The Perfect Translation when you need a professional translation of legal documents. We provide certified document translation services for all document types associated with industries such as immigration, business, real estate, financial, academic, legal, and medical. Contact us today for a free quote and to learn more about how we can serve you.
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