Updated September 2022. This month, as we move into fall, TrueLanguage’s busiest season begins (not that we’re complaining). We provide language services for clients from a broad range of environments and enterprises. These range from industry to government, from science and technology to the medical profession. Each of these areas requires its own kind of handling. Regardless of the volume of our work, special treatment remains especially crucial for each project. And legal translation and interpretation is no exception to this rule.

If you’ve worked in retail sales and built up a clientele, you know all about managing each customer’s needs and expectations to the best of your ability. When this customer arrives, she knows exactly what she wants, and how much she’s willing to spend. She only needs to see a variety of options and receive some assistance with her choice. Customer A comes in twice a week to make the same purchase. On the other hand, Customer B only stops by once in a blue moon, but never has a second to waste. A successful salesperson remembers all of this, and seeks to give each customer her/his optimal experience.

As with individual workers who cater to individual clients, this key to success holds true for businesses that provide services to other businesses. So, how do language service providers adapt ourselves to best serve different branches of our client base? First, let’s consider legal language services, which comprise both legal translation and interpretation.

Legal Translation

When it comes to legal translation, we receive requests from both sides of the bar, if you will. From lawyers, court officials, and other members of the legal profession. And from individuals who need documents translated for a panoply of reasons. The documents we might be given to work with are all over the map in terms of content and level of security. Such documents include contracts, licenses, prenuptial agreements, court orders, sworn statements, affidavits, depositions, and coroner reports. What sets all this apart from the rest of our work?

Promptness and Flexibility

For assignments coming from within the legal profession, promptness and flexibility are paramount. Legal translation work often comes with stringent requirements and deadlines. We make it a rule to ask many questions of our potential clients when they approach us for a quote. These questions are of extra importance in legal work. And as it frequently happens, we don’t need to ask them. Like the first retail customer in the example above, a law client is liable to come to us with a precise budget and timeframe. They’ll also have painstaking formatting guidelines and requirements for notarization, attestation, and other ancillary documents. All this can intimidate even seasoned LSPs. But since we wish to secure legal clients, keep their business and maintain their confidence in us, we do all of this exactly as (and when) the client requires.

Maintain a Positive Manner

When we are dealing with ordinary individuals, not only must we perform at this level of service, but we take extra care to be sensitive to the client’s situation, and to maintain a positive manner. It’s often a safe assumption that if a person outside the law profession has needs involving legal documentation, he or she may be going through difficult times. Legal documents can be quite personal, and it can feel awkward to  deliver them to a third party for translation. Even more third parties will be able to read them. In these situations, we maintain legal rigor, but with kid gloves on.

Legal Interpretation

And what about legal interpretation? On this subject, I can say that while we screen all of our translators and interpreters with great care, our legal interpreters are passed through the finest screening. In legal translation and interpretation, there is no room for error. This is because one misplaced or mistranslated word can change the meaning of a whole document, even the outcome of an investigation or courtroom proceeding. An excellent translator or interpreter needs full command of the source language, the target language, and the subject matter at hand.*

However, in translation, no matter how binding the deadline, there is time for proofreading and checking. That’s why a translator can go back to the document the next day with fresh eyes and spot elements that need improvement, and pass it to another reader for proofing (as we always do). So, with interpretation, all the work is done on the spot, and any errors (linguistic or legal) can’t be deleted or reformatted. What’s said is said, and in matters of law, that’s huge.

*   Look for more from us in the future about the skills and habits required to be a successful interpreter. At a conference of the Atlanta Association of Interpreters and Translators, former White House Interpreter Harry Obst and Claudia Villalba of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT) had much to say. In brief: if you meet a skilled legal interpreter, know that you’re not meeting a walking word bank, but a fully bilingual professional with lightning-quick verbal responses and expert knowledge of legal terminology. Respect!

Consider a Partnership with TrueLanguage

Are you looking for a partnership with a language service provider? If so, you may wish to consider TrueLanguage. We offer ISO-certified state-of-the-art business translation services that are on budget, on time, and to the exact specification. Every time. Or perhaps you’re just looking for a cost-free, no-obligation estimate for your next translation project. Either way, we’d love to hear from you!