Law is one of the oldest sciences in human history, well rooted in our culture, history, and social sciences. National laws applicable in most countries, especially those that are part of the commonwealth countries, might have their root in the English legal system and have evolved to cater to the beliefs, values, and cultures of their respective countries. This development also includes the transfer and interpretation of the national law in local languages.
The legal information and intentions must be transferred accurately when translating legal text from one language to another. Legal translation is very specific and complex. Legal terminology used specifically in legal language for a certain purpose and to fulfil a certain function is not commonly used in documents outside the legal spectrum.
What types of translation would be considered legal in today's context? A legal translation would include translation of all kinds of contracts and agreements, personal documents such as passport and immigration documents, birth, marriage, and death certificates, wills and power of attorneys, affidavits etc.
The legal industry is one whereby the flow of information and data is rapid and primarily unstructured. The language used is specific and uncompromisingly legal. The amount of information to be translated is massive and the turnaround time requirement is demanding.
Legal translation is one of the most complex types of document translation there is. When you perform legal translation from one language to another, you need to preserve and convey the original intent of the source document, and the translation's tone, objectivity, and accuracy must also not be lost. Remember that this being a legal document, the final translation output must also be written in a legal document style with local legal terminologies. It is needless to say that legal translations must be handled with care, and translations must be accurate so that there are no losses or damaging outcomes in the event of an error.
Legal translation services in Singapore are an important part of Singapore's holistic business-friendly environment. Legal translation services provided by professional translation companies in Singapore must overcome numerous challenges unique to Singapore. Some of the challenges faced are:
- Translating and managing a massive amount of legal information
- Multilingual version management
- Management of countless updates in multiple languages
- Maintaining high-quality translation output
- Supporting high consistency translation across different language versions
Experience counts
Legal translations allow no room for errors. One would expect the highest competency in legal translation. When looking for legal translation services in Singapore, you must work with a professional translation company with a globally recognized certification like the ISO 17100 standard. A translation company with a good track record with a respectable number of years of operation will also allow you to leverage their wealth of experience in legal translation.
Legal translation work experience matters. Check out their credentials, search their reviews online or even cross-check from the intermediaries, who can give valuable feedback and help one to decide and choose wisely.
Those who have worked with legal translation know the importance of accuracy and the consequences of blunders. Even a minor mistake can be disastrous. That is why one must be cautious when deciding which translation company to entrust your legal translations.
Use of Translation Memory
In legal documents, especially commonly used agreements, many clauses and statements are frequently reused with slight amendments to items such as dates and names. A translation company with experience offering legal translation services would deploy the use of translation technology like translation memory software to manage such repetitions. Translation memory also allows revisions to be detected in the source files and highlighted for translation and update by the translator. This not only speeds up the translation drastically but also provides for consistency and accuracy to prevail. Do note that Translation Memory tools are not machine translation. They only aid in preserving the integrity of existing translation while highlighting changes or new text to be translated. Human translators still handle the task of translation.
In legal translation, authenticity matters. The tone of the translation should match the intent of the document's original text. A professional legal translation team will have translators with legal knowledge and a quality control process. This is because legal documents are crucial documents that that has financial and reputational impacts on the document stakeholder.
Machine translation software can only offer rigid translation without context. The complexities in the legal documents mean that machine translation is not suited. It is safer to put the translations of the legal documents in the hands of professionals who can ensure the accuracy of the translation.
Conclusion
When looking for legal translation services in Singapore, it pays to check the translation company's credentials. The number of years of operation, online reviews, track records, and the translation technology they deploy are some signs you should be looking out for. A sure sign of a reflag is checking if they are operating from home. Check that they are not one-man-operation trying to pass off as a translation company. An ISO 17100 certification will also add credibility to a translation company as the mandatory requirements control the translation process to ensure consistently high-quality translation output. You want to work with a translation partner that can help you succeed in the long run.