Becoming a legal translator is a great career choice. It allows you to explore the exciting world of legal terms, concepts, and systems. However, this type of translation is one of the most challenging. But don’t worry; we can teach you how to become a legal translator with the right pointers.
Becoming a professional translator requires specialized training to acquire skills and expertise. It also means having the experience to render valuable services to individuals and organizations.
Read our comprehensive blog spot to begin your journey in legal translation services!
Table of Contents
Who Is a Legal Translator?
A legal translator is a professional linguist with experience and skill in translating legal documents. Their deep understanding of the source and target languages produces documents in different languages. They also have specialized training in meeting the language requirements of various countries.
Documents a Legal Translator Can Translate
As a translator in the legal field, your job focuses on only official documents. However, legal documents vary, and each serves a vital purpose.
We’ve identified some of them to give you an idea of what legal translators tend to work on:
- Contracts
- Government or corporate proposals
- Confidentiality agreements
- Affidavits
- Criminal records
- Divorce certificates
- Court proceedings
- Patents
- Immigration documents
- Birth certificates, etc.
The Role of a Legal Translator
Apart from accurately translating legal documents, a translator plays additional roles in the legal industry. Here are some typical roles they play:
- Document translation: Every translator’s primary duty is to provide accurate document translations. They must maintain the original document’s legal structure, terms, and nuances.
- Confidentiality: Privacy is crucial in the legal industry because certain documents are sensitive. Thus, a legal translator must maintain strict ethical standards.
- Proofreading: Legal translators must review and proofread translated documents to avoid errors and inconsistencies.
- Culturally appropriate results: The translator must understand the cultural differences between the two languages. This knowledge is crucial for culturally appropriate translations.
How To Become a Legal Translator in Six Steps
Becoming a legal translator means taking on many responsibilities. You must be hardworking, security-conscious, and diligent on the job. But don’t worry; this section provides the essential steps to accomplishing your dream of translating legal documents.
1. Become a Language Expert
Naturally, every translator should be bilingual or multilingual. Growing up in bilingual households may give you some language background. However, your ability to speak two or more languages fluently doesn’t guarantee a successful translator career.
Regardless of your background, you must deeply understand the source and target languages. This includes elements like syntax, nuance, grammar, and vocabulary choice. To achieve this, you must master a foreign language through guided study.
In addition, you can travel to countries and regions with native language speakers.
2. Get a Relevant Degree
A degree gives you the legal background to understand legal terms, systems, and concepts. Enrolling in a university to get a Bachelor’s degree in law would help. However, the cost of acquiring this degree may be high.
Another option is to enroll in online courses for legal translators. Various online platforms, such as Coursera and OpenLearn, offer legal-related courses for translators.
3. Gain Legal Expertise
The best way to gain legal expertise is to familiarize yourself with legal terminology and concepts in both languages.
For this, read legal books, dictionaries, and journals or attend workshops for legal professionals. It would be best to start with simple books and documents and then scale up to more complex ones.
4. Gain Translation Certification
Becoming a certified legal translator boosts your reputation and credibility. The status proves your knowledge and dedication to sustaining the professional standards of legal translation providers. It makes you eligible to provide certified legal translation services for legal proceedings.
5. Gain Real Life Experience
Gaining experience in the legal field sharpens your skills as a translator. It also enables you to access more project opportunities in the future. You can intern or volunteer at reputable legal translation companies. You can also work as a freelance translator to master project management and client communication skills.
6. Get a Job
You are now fully ready to become a translator in the industry. You can begin as a freelance translator or get a job with a professional translation agency. Alternatively, you can work as an online legal translator to provide services globally.
How To Become a Certified Legal Translator
Certified translators have undergone training and certification processes to gain their status. This section will teach you how to become a certified legal translator. However, the certification process varies according to each country’s requirements.
Depending on your country, you may need to write certification exams or undergo swearing by the appropriate authority. Regardless of your country, you must undergo specialized training and certification.
The American Translators Association (ATA) is a reputable organization that offers certification for translators in the U.S. Here’s how to become ATA certified in five steps:
- Confirm the ATA supports your target language on their website. The association supports over 15 language combinations.
- Become a member of the ATA at least four weeks before and take their pledge of ethics.
- Pay $525 for exam registration, grading, and administrative dues.
- Write the three-hour certification exam testing your understanding of the target and source languages alongside translation techniques.
- Pass the exam and get your ATA-certified translator seal.
That’s it! You have learned how to become a legal translator and get your certification. In addition to the ATA, several professional bodies offer certification exams for legal translators.
One of them is the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) for Australian translators and interpreters. You should check for reputable organizations in your country to get your certification.
FAQ
What industries require legal translation services?
The industries that require legal translation services include law firms, government agencies, corporations, international organizations, and financial institutions. They need translators to convey legal documents in the target language while maintaining the original meaning and context.
What are the ethical considerations for legal translators?
The ethical considerations for legal translators include confidentiality, accuracy, impartiality, and cultural sensitivity.
These considerations are essential because their work affects legal rights and results. Any inaccurate or biased translation could lead to legal disputes and wrong decisions.
What are the career opportunities for legal translators?
The career opportunities for translators in the legal field include independent contractor, full-time employee, teacher, researcher, and consulting. They could also work in law firms, courts, NGOs, and translation agencies. Legal translators can use their skills to aid communication in these career paths.
6 Tips on How To Translate a Legal Document
It is normal to feel overwhelmed if it’s your first time translating a document. But translating legal documents is easy once you’ve learned how to become a legal translator.
That notwithstanding, let’s teach you six tips on how to translate a legal document.
1. Confirm the Translation Requirements
The first step is to confirm the organization’s requirements where the client will submit the document. Check if they need notarization or certification.
2. Use the Correct Structure
Before starting a legal translation project, ensure the original document is well organized. It is best to maintain a similar structure for the translated document. You should include an explanatory note if the formatting is different.
3. Use the Right Tone
It is essential to consider where the client will use the translated document. This would help you use the right style, tone, form, and words.
Ask the client for their goal and apply this knowledge in translation.
4. Seek Expert Advice
Consult a lawyer in the target country for guidance. Also, seek advice from other translators who have in-depth knowledge of the target language’s legal documents.
5. Proofread the Document
After translating the document, review the content to find errors. Naturally, reputable translation companies like Rapid Translate have a meticulous review process for its legal translation services.
However, you can give it to a secondary translator for proofreading without a quality control process.
6. Check-In With the Client
You should let the client evaluate the document before finalizing the translated copies. Doing this would ensure their satisfaction and an error-free translation.
Get Certified Legal Translations From Rapid Translate
Legal translators connect different language speakers. Their efforts help avoid errors during communication and legal issues. Thus, choosing this profession makes you hold an important position in society. This blog post provides the key to achieving your dream.
It is also helpful for completing legal translation projects. Combine these translating tips with your knowledge of how to become a legal translator to maintain high-quality results. You can also use this knowledge to identify certified translators for your projects. However, if you can’t get an expert, Rapid Translate is here.
Rapid Translate offers premium quality certified legal translations in over 60 languages. Our services enable you to break communication barriers for business and personal purposes. Extend your global reach with our services.
