Legal interpreting services require a meticulous native speaker of two or more languages with additional fluency in legal terminology or legalese. However, even experienced interpreters can make a mistake when faced with an idiomatic expression. The trouble occurs when the expression is unfamiliar, but the word is a common one that can easily be translated. The difficulty of legal interpretation is that context is key for every court hearing. To avoid any major issues, a legal translation services company will never assign someone unfamiliar with the courthouse setting unless the language is so incredibly niche that they cannot find an experienced interpreter for the assignment.
Legal interpretation and legal document translation both require an experienced professional, capable of understanding the technical terminology. At the same time, there is a cultural and linguistic reality that must be taken into consideration as well. According to law students, the characteristics that make legal translation and interpretation difficult are idiomatic expressions, dialects, regional languages and technical language.
The following examples describe the characteristics of the most challenging linguistic elements that occasionally result in inaccurate translation.
- Idiomatic expressions are expressions in which the meaning is not derived from their individual components, instead they have a unitary meaning. For example: “draw the line”, “go down in flames” or “follow in someone’s footsteps”.
- Dialects are defined as distinct forms of a language that are mutually intelligible to people speaking the different dialects. One language can have regional variations. The result is that the same word or phrase can mean different things from one dialect to the next. In terms of legal translation, this can lead to an unjust conviction. For example, in one case, a Cuban man used the expression “Hombre, ni tengo diez kilos” (Man, I don’t even have 10 kilos) the literal translation however was not what the man intended to say. The word kilos in this context was supposed to mean ‘cents.’ However, not knowing this variation, the legal translation of the interpreter used the word ‘kilos.’ The man was found guilty and charged for possession of cocaine. Eventually the error was identified, and the man did not go to prison.
In general, one of the most fundamental factors at play is culture. For a legal interpreter to be truly helpful, students must begin by setting aside any assumptions and generalizations that can taint their legal translation!
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections LLC
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com