Legal and certified translation

In the legal field, unlike other fields of translation, where terms may not coincide although concepts often do, concepts, structures and customs vary according to the jurisdiction in question. This greatly influences the ease, difficulty or impossibility of translating certain terms, phrases or sentences literally. Indeed, cultural factors play a fundamental role in the translation of legal texts. Terminology correspondence between target and source language is clearly influenced by the legal culture in which the documents originate. A deep understanding of the legal systems that translation, as an intercultural act, brings together is the only means we have of reconciling diverse legal institutions.

A legal translator is a person authorized to translate official documents. In some countries they are also called official or public translators. The legal translator has qualities that exceed his/her role as a translator of texts and is in a privileged position to act both as an intercultural bridge and also to provide an expert opinion on the linguistic content of the different documents.

For a document created in a given country to be valid abroad, its translation needs to be “sworn”, which means “certified”. To do so, the official translator accepts civil and criminal responsibilities for his/her translation, by signing and stamping the translated document and enclosing the certification act. Legal translation is needed for every procedure or act that needs particular legal security.

All certified translations for use abroad, with a few exceptions, also need to be legalized. This legalization can be “ordinary” with the Apostille of The Hague Convention in those countries that adhere to The Hague Convention of 1961, like Italy or Spain among others*. The Apostille’s meaning is that of certifying that the translated document has been signed and stamped by a competent public authority. It only certifies that this signature and stamp on the translation have been carried out by a public official during duty but it does not certify its content.

Some of the documents that may require this service are, among others, the following:

- Acts

- Annual reports

- Appeals

- Arbitration

- Attestations

- Balances and statements

- Company’s by-laws

- Contracts

- Correspondence

- Driving licenses

- Duly attested summons

- Expert’s reports

- Identification documentation (identity documents, marriage certificates, etc.)

- Intellectual property related documentation and patents

- Judicial writs

- Laws and regulations

- Legal marketing

- Medical histories

- Proceedings and other documents

- Processes

- Property documents including technical texts

- Proxies

- Study certificates: diplomas, university degrees, professional training certificates

- Wills