Legal Translation Services

Legal translation

Legal translation by translators who know both legal systems

Legal translation is not a matter of looking words up. A contract, a court order or a power of attorney belongs to a legal system, and the translator has to carry its meaning into another system that may have no exact equivalent. Legal translation is one of our specialities: we are a UK-based translation company, and we guarantee high proficiency and proven expertise in legal translation, with certified legal translations for use in the UK and across the world.

Our legal translators are qualified and have many years of experience of translating for the UK courts and legal system. Every linguist who does legal translation for us goes through a rigorous selection and evaluation process, and they deliver the best service because they have specialist knowledge of the legal field.

Legal documents we translate

We are widely recognised for our experience of translating legal documents for use in the UK and around the world. Common requests include visa and work permit documents and marriage, birth and death certificates, and we also translate:

• Contracts and agreements
• Terms and conditions
• Court orders and judgments
• Witness statements and affidavits
• Wills and powers of attorney
• Company and corporate documents
• Divorce and custody papers
• Police and criminal records
• Property and land documents
• Visa and work permit documents

Why legal translation needs a specialist

English law is common law. Most of Europe, Latin America and much of Asia work in civil law systems, and terms that look like equivalents often are not. A French notaire is not a notary public in the English sense: they draft and authenticate property and family documents, work an English solicitor would do here. A German Rechtsanwalt covers ground split between solicitors and barristers in England. Consideration, estoppel and equity are English concepts with no direct counterpart in most civil law systems.

So legal translation needs the utmost attention to detail and a full knowledge of the terminology of the legal system where the document will be used. A good legal translator does not invent an equivalent. They use the closest recognised term, keep the original in brackets where it matters, and add a translator's note when a concept simply does not exist on the other side.

Contracts in two languages

If a contract will be signed in two languages, it should say which version prevails if they differ; that is a point for the lawyers to settle before signing. A two-column layout, clause by clause, makes a bilingual contract much easier to check, so ask for it when you order. Numbering, defined terms and cross-references are kept exactly as they are in the original, because a clause that refers to the wrong clause is worse than useless.

Certified legal translations

Translations for court proceedings, immigration and most official uses in the UK need to be certified; our certified translation page explains what the certificate includes. Documents going abroad may also need notarising and an apostille, so tell us where the translation will be used when you order.

Confidential by default

Legal papers are confidential by nature, and our linguists understand the importance of confidentiality and security. If your firm needs a signed confidentiality agreement first, send it with your quote request.

Languages

We translate legal documents in more than 350 languages, including Polish, Romanian, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian, Turkish and Urdu. Solicitors and courts that need interpreters as well as translation should see our legal sector page.

Questions about legal translation

Will a UK court accept the translation?

Certified translations are accepted by the courts. For a witness statement in a civil case, the translator also signs the original foreign-language statement and certifies the translation, and our legal sector page explains how that works.

Can you translate an English document for use abroad?

Yes. We translate legal documents for use in the UK and across the globe, into and out of English.

How is legal translation priced?

By the length and complexity of the document, the language pair and the deadline. Send the document for a free quote. If the deadline is close, see urgent translation.