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7 Tips to Have Accurate Contract Translation Services

Posted by Ariel D. on November 16, 2022.

Contracts are binding legal agreements that fully and precisely lay out the conditions of a deal between two parties. Legal contract translation services are necessary to enable the arrangement between parties despite a linguistic barrier. Consequently, you would need to pay much attention in order to maintain transparency and safeguard your enterprise.

Today’s article will introduce 7 notable pieces of advice to keep your contract translation unambiguous and completely error-free.

1. Identify Formal Language and Contract Information

The most crucial component of any contract is the contract information and different sections of your contract require varying degrees of attention. Your contract’s formulaic language clauses don’t require a complete translation as other clauses do. The legal details of your contract agreement also are not immediately related to the formulaic language.

In order to ensure that all the details and information of the contract translation services are kept correctly, it is better to understand clearly the formal language and information of the specific contracts. The details should remain consistent throughout all translations of the documents.

As the contract’s meaning may alter if any changes are made during translation, you should partner with a professional contract translation company to have the best results.

 

2. Conduct Research Before Translating

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Different nations may have different laws and regulations so the best course of action for your business is to learn about the many rules and regulations.

Different legal systems exist, such as the Common Law system in the United States and the Civil Law system in France. This may lead to circumstances in which some clauses in contracts that have been translated will not apply. High-quality contract translation services can only be produced by qualified legal translators.

Numerous markets also have different contract rules, including the UK, France, and others. Businesses need to be aware that their contracts are enforceable in all relevant markets, that compliance duties may vary, and that they have recourse if other parties don’t uphold their end of the bargain.

Translators should therefore be well-versed in the contracts used in their respective markets, and they should always get the translated contracts reviewed by local legal authorities.

 

3. Follow The Original Structure

It is crucial to translate your contract according to the structure of your original document. If there are structural differences between the languages, your contract may lose its intent and force.

You can be subject to repercussions if your contract’s structure changes. When translating business documents, the process can become more difficult with modifying the structure and/or format of the original contract. Accidental structural changes can result in errors that could have negative repercussions on the contract translation services

 

4. Have The Detailed Termbase/Glossary

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Terminology can vary between countries and industries, and it is no different with contract translation services. To translate business papers accurately and effectively, it is crucial to stay updated with current legal resources, then develop a glossary system throughout the contract translation process.

With this particular requirement, you should look for native translators, with at least 5 years of in-depth experience to achieve the accurate legal translation of your contracts. They will provide a translation that flows naturally, have a thorough comprehension of the source text, and structure the translated contract appropriately for the intended audience.

 

5. Use Suitable Tense To Clarify The Proper Meaning

It is essential that the correct tenses must be translated accurately by the contract translation services provider. The significance of the words included in your contract will be made crystal apparent by the appropriate use of tenses, limiting unnecessary misunderstandings between the two parties and avoiding incorrect fulfillment in the future if the wrong tenses are employed.

 

6. Precision Is Important in Contract Translation Services

Any contract must be precise; ambiguity, even in the original contract, might make the contents open to interpretation and lower the contract’s legal safeguards. When translating contracts, accuracy is exclusively crucial and any ambiguity in the source text can lead to mistranslations by leaving vital terminology up to interpretation.

To minimize the potential for ambiguity, the language of contract translation services must be as exact and explicit as the original source. Building on this, accurate translations of pertinent texts are also necessary to ensure that the intended meaning is always conveyed in every language version and that there is no opportunity for misunderstanding.

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7. Work With An Experienced Contract Translation Company

A business contract translation may be brief or lengthy, straightforward or very technical, quite simple or very complex, depending on the scope and complexity of the goods and services. As the languages are not objective and the legal systems might be very distinct among countries, the contract translation services providers must satisfy these aspects.

7.1. Safeguards Private Information and Material

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While it is true that advanced technology is widely used in many nations, it is also obvious that security measures should always be in place to guarantee that confidential information remains that way and cannot be accessed by anyone with ill intent.

This also holds true for the legal translation industry, where discretion is crucial. Make sure the translation agency you plan to work with has a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and commercial confidentiality agreements in place.

7.2. Possesses an Extensive Grasp of International Law

This is also quite important, just like the other criteria. You would have to deal with various laws and regulations because you might have to deal with many nations. You should look for a contract translation services provider that is well-versed in both international law and the particular rules that apply in the country or countries where you plan to conduct business.

It will save you money and time if your translation partner has experience negotiating the legalese of other nations.

7.3. Have Translating Experiences in Various Languages

Finding a contract translation service provider who can translate from and into a range of languages is necessary because you are working with international clients. Think beyond only the present, when you are still juggling a few languages. Keep your choices open in case your company expands and attracts more customers from different nations.

7.4. Flexible Language Services Providers

It is ideal if the contract translation company always has a flexible language services provider who can translate a variety of legal documents, including contracts that are legally binding, witness and court transcripts, trademarks, and patents.

Since finding a service for each type is not necessary, having a service provider who can offer you a range of translation services is a preferable option. However, the service provider must be able to consistently produce excellent work.

7.5. Professional QA For Contract Translation Services

Depending on your needs, this can be the most crucial factor, but it’s still necessary to select the top source of legal translation services. Find a company that guarantees the quality of all of its translation products.

To make sure that the translated papers adhere to all customer criteria, it should have a multi-step translation audit system in place that involves numerous translators and editors who are subject matter experts and experienced linguists.

 

Final Thoughts

After going through the 7 tips above, you can receive precise and excellently translated legal documents in a timely manner by working together with competent translators or translation firms.

If you require assistance with your contract translation services, GTE Localize is always ready to help. We are confident to provide you with high-quality and highly accurate legal translation for all significant language pairs in the globe because of our team of native legal translators who have years of experience translating legal documents.

Get in touch with our consultants immediately to get the best quote.

contract translation services