The importance of Hiring Competent legal Translator
With the recent globalization of the marketplace, it will be of great importance for a business, whether great or small, to hire a professional legal translator for them to stay relevant in their industry, and also to have an edge over their competitors. Having an employee skilled in legal translation or interpretation guarantees that the business reaches a wider market.
Do you know when court cases become multi-lingual, the need for a translator quickly becomes apparent to everyone. What is often less obvious, to the detriment of all involved, is the need for a specialized translator with legal experience. The importance of Hiring Competent legal Translator.
Legal language is difficult to comprehend in one single tongue, let alone attempting to translate from one language to another! A lack of legal knowledge or experience can result in lengthy delays and even in massive mistakes or misunderstandings.
One example of this: a study in Eastern Cape has highlighted the problem of unprofessional court interpreters, who are often inadequately trained. The research was conducted by an Eastern Cape advocate who looked at language policy and the use of court interpreters.He found that a lack of understanding of regional dialects often resulted in the wrong translation of local Xhosa expressions.In one example, reported in 2007, a convicted defendant claimed there were inaccuracies in the interpretation of his case.A review of the full court transcript by the chief interpreter revealed numerous shocking errors by the interpreter and it was concluded that the interpreter’s performance was “alarmingly poor” and resulted in the infringement of the administration of justice.
Such examples abound. One study looked at the effect of bad translation and inconsistencies between the English and French versions of a convention involving liability of airlines for death or injury to passengers and baggage losses. Apparently, this has led to the dismissal of legitimate claims.
Additionally, having a good legal translator likely made the difference between winning and losing in a case between shoemaker Christian Louboutin and fashion house Yves Saint-Laurent. Louboutin won the case after hiring very proficient legal translators who had experience with many international legal cases.
How much more this must happen within court cases, when there is pressure for a quick translation. If the person is not comfortable with legal terminology, it could greatly impact the understanding of the case by the main parties involved.
These are only a few examples, with many others existing around the world. When you are dealing with international legal cases or business deals involving not only individuals who speak different languages, but also very different legal and financial procedures, it is best to hiring a translator with the experience and qualification to assist you.
Frenchside is committed in providing quality translations, exceptional service, on-time delivery and complete customer satisfaction, so you will always receive professional results at competitive rates. For further information about Business document translation Services please phone us at: +27 (0) 12-348- 3134 or e-mail us at info@frenchside.co.za and we’ll be more than happy to talk with you or to answer any questions you may have
