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Courts are committed to delivering justice. There are many examples of when a interpreter (sometimes called a translator by the general population) is required in the court setting. Being able to effectively communicate the messages of witnesses is essential. It can be challenging because sometimes the witnesses are stressed and are not communicating clearly themselves.
The courts require calm accurate interpretation of witness testimony. There are examples when the lack of acccuracy has caused a jury to be dismissed. Thankfully, Translationz has not had any of these situations. Because of the sensitive nature of court cases, a interpreter service has to provide excellent service and translations that are beyond reproach. In most instances, the translator must be officially recognised with NAATI certification by the Australian Government.
Translationz' legal interpreters have vast experience in court cases.
Here are a few of the things that a lawyer might look for when choosing a interpreter service.
Accuracy is vital for law offices. Whether a translation service is needed to translate correspondence, contracts, or other documents such as legal briefs, every word of the translation needs to be translated exactly. Errors in translation can cause problems for lawyers and their clients, and any translation service that fails to accurately translate these documents will lose legal business very quickly. Fluency is typically a requirement for legal translators, and having translators who are fluent in several languages makes a translation service more desirable to law firms.
While accuracy is vital, having translation occur in a reasonable timeframe is also important. Contracts and other legal documents can’t be delayed by translators who continually miss deadlines. A translation service that is hired by a law office may have to operate under strict deadlines in some cases to ensure that all documents are translated in time for the law firm’s needs.
Legal topics can be fairly complex, and if a translator isn’t familiar with specific terms and phrases it can result in poor or inaccurate translations. A legal translator needs to be able to produce accurate translations of even legally complex topics, so having a strong familiarity with legal terms and matters of law is highly desirable. Many translation services that cater to lawyers have former or current legal professionals working for them to ensure that all translations are accurate and up-to-date with the most common revisions of law.
Because of the sensitive nature of the documents that lawyers have translated, translation services need to keep any details of their work confidential. Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and other confidentiality contracts may be required before a translation service is hired by a legal office. Breaking confidentiality can have serious repercussions, not only for the translation service but in some cases for the cases that the documents pertain to as well.
While some law offices specialize in certain types of cases, many offices are made up of lawyers who cover a wide range of legal issues. To maximize their value to a law office, translation services need to be versatile in the type of documents they translate. This allows the service to handle any type of contract or legal document that the law firm might need without compromising quality or speed because of a lack of familiarity with the topics at hand.
Call Translationz for any of your legal translation or legal interpreting needs. Whether you need an accurate translation of a legal document or an on-site interpreter at your law office, client’s location, or court, we will provide the most qualified professional for your project.
Click here for a quote.
Written by:
Karen Hodgson, CEO of Translationz
Book an interpreter through the following numbers:
Melbourne (03) 9034 5299
Sydney (02) 9119 2200
Perth (08) 6365 4119
Canberra (02) 6171 0900
Brisbane (07) 3123 4887
Adelaide (08) 7070 6757