Translation For Lawyers

There are often cases, which are decided on the meaning of a single foreign word.   It is then that the court would carefully look at all the available translations of that word, the context, and more.

Article 17 of the Warsaw Convention sets out specific conditions under which an international air carrier can be held liable for injuries to passengers. It reads:

The carrier is liable for damage sustained in the event of the death or wounding of a passenger or any other bodily injury suffered by a passenger, if the accident which caused the damage so sustained took place on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking. 

In other words, it allows the passengers to recover for "lesion corporelle"- a French term, which literally translates as "bodily injury", and is found in the authentic French text of Article 17.

Continue reading "Language Translations, French-English Translation, and the Case of Airline Liability for Emotional Distress" »

Whether your law firm practices locally or internationally, you should consider adding a foreign language translation of your materials to your marketing plan. As the non-English-speaking population continues to grow, the competition to market legal services specifically towards this multilingual population will continue to intensify. Likewise, international law firms deal with a non-English speaking client base.  And the best way to reach these groups is by doing a foreign language translation of all your marketing materials, particularly your Web site.

Continue reading "Professional Language Translation Services for Attorney Marketing and Law Firm Marketing" »

Legal document translations, and, namely, business and corporate document translations, come in handy when doing business overseas.  In order to avoid tax liability and to garner other financial and legal benefits, many individuals and companies choose to take advantage of starting an offshore business. An offshore company is one that is registered - and thus located - in a different country. Typically small countries, particularly islands and developing regions, create tax incentives to entice businesses to locate there - at least on paper...

Continue reading "Legal Translations for Litigators and Corporate Attorneys- Establishing an Offshore Company" »

Language barriers can be very costly for businesses--jeopardizing human lives and increasing business's liability.  Professional translation and interpreting services help alleviate many risks.  Take, for instance, the case of the rapidly growing field of Business Aviation, or Executive Aircraft.  What most people do not realize when looking at purchasing a new business jet is that international aviation law, in general, has not evolved
in a way that meets today's borderless demands.  Let's look at the issue of language...

Continue reading "Foreign Language Translation, and the Language Barriers While Flying" »

Foreign language translation issues aside, when entering into a cross-border or international contractual agreement, one common issue that arises is deciding which language the contract should be drafted in. Although a common answer is to use the language of the country in which the contract will be filed in and include a foreign language translation in the language of all other parties involved, this is not always the case.

Continue reading "Translation Issues in Cross-Border Contract Law: Which Foreign Language to Use?" »

A common situation goes something like this:

A foreign language deposition interpreter or a deposition translator is hired by one lawyer to provide foreign language translation to his or her client during pre-deposition or pre-hearing preparation. During this time, the foreign language interpreter serves as the lawyer's agent and, thus, attorney-client privilege is preserved.

Continue reading "Foreign Language Deposition Interpreters in Pre-Deposition Meetings, & Deposition Interpreters in Depositions to Follow in Denver, Colorado, and Elsewhere" »

Earlier we've blogged about the role of professional translation services in the global economy. As China continues to develop as a dominant international business player, it is essential for the international lawyer to understand China's antitrust review process, and the role of English-Chinese and Chinese-English legal translations in this process.

Continue reading "English-Chinese and Chinese-English Legal Document Translations, and China's Antitrust Review Process" »

Part of finalizing a foreign investment in the United States involves satisfying the procedures set up by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Financial document translation, accounting document translation, and legal document translation of foreign language documents constitutes an important step in this process. The purpose of the CFIUS is to ensure that foreign investments do not have any national security implications.

Continue reading "Legal Translations, Financial Translations, and Foreign Investments in the U.S." »

Earlier we've blogged about document translation in the context of foreign regulatory evidence in products liability cases and about the role of professional translating and interpreting services in enforcing U.S. judgments in Europe. As the business world becomes more and more global, there are increasing instances of conflict of law questions. Essentially, a conflict of law arises whenever a business transaction spans two different countries.

Continue reading "Foreign Language Translation for Attorneys and Law Firms, and International Conflict of Laws" »