Translation For Lawyers

Professional foreign language translations are vital for product liability cases. Somebody drowns while scuba diving, another takes out an eye with a nail driver and another gets burned in the face from an exploding propane tank. What do they have in common? The victims were all non-English speakers using equipment containing no foreign language translation of the safety information. Clearly, as the number of non-English speakers continues to grow, these sorts of incidents will become more and more common. However, currently no federal or state law requires labels to contain a foreign language translation. In fact, in states with English-only laws, the opposite can be argued.

Continue reading "Language Translation, Product Warning Labels and Foreign Language Speakers" »

We've blogged about professional translation services and employer's vicarious liability. According to Florida law, an employer can legally prohibit employees from conversing in a foreign language. However, it is not this straight forward. In order to prohibit a foreign language from being spoken in the workplace, one typically must tie the prohibition to a legitimate reason.

Continue reading "Language Translation and Speaking a Foreign Language in the Workplace" »

We've blogged about competent human translators and their role in the process of identifying the products, which qualify for the "Made in the USA" label, as well as the importance of professional translation services for communication with the non-English-speaking consumers.  One translation-related question often arises in connection with foreign language disclosures.

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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.

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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" »

Earlier we've blogged about corporate translation services in the context of international arbitration. Although the purpose of arbitration is to allow for the amicable resolution of business disagreements, sometimes a party will be left unsatisfied with the choice of arbitrator. Both the arbitration done under the Rules of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) or via internal (ad hoc) rules allow for a challenge. When raising a challenge, specific requirements must be met:

Continue reading "Language Translation & Interpreting for Corporate Litigation Attorneys, and Challenging Arbitrators under an International Arbitration Act" »

Professional translation services play an important role in arbitration. Nearly every industrialized nation has an International Arbitration Act on their books. Although every nation's Act is unique, all are similar in purpose - to facilitate the mediation and arbitration of international commercial disputes. Further, all states who have International Arbitration Acts agree to specific formalities as part of the International Arbitration Convention.

Continue reading "Corporate Translation, Legal Translation Services for Corporate Litigation Lawyers, and International Arbitration" »

As more and more people move abroad, many couples will face divorce in a foreign court. Such situations will require professional translation services. But dealing with professional language translators and court interpreters will not be as challenging as having the foreign granted divorce recognized by a U.S. court - if the marriage occurred in the United States. Typically this becomes relevant when one or both of the parties moves to the U.S. and issues regarding support or custody arise.

Continue reading "Professional Translation Services for Matrimonial and Divorce Attorneys, and Having a Foreign Granted Divorce Recognized in a U.S. Court" »

With the growing economic and political strength of the European Union, more and more transatlantic business is being conducted. This leads to an increase of transatlantic business contracts. Such contracts need to be translated into the language or languages of the European country, with which the U.S. company is conducting business. And, the more international business transactions there are, the more blurred the law that governs the enforcement of contracts becomes.

Continue reading "Legal Document Translation, and Enforcing U.S. Judgments in Europe" »

Foreign language document translation and language interpreting play an important role in the investigation and defense of money laundering cases. Money laundering occurs when an individual or organization attempts to disguise the origin of proceeds which stem from a preceding criminal act. In other words, it is the act of transferring the proceeds made from a criminal act in order to conceal their criminal origin. In the setting of international commercial arbitration, the following elements of the offense of money laundering need to be established:

Continue reading "Legal Translation, and Asserting a Money Laundering Defense in the International Arbitration Setting" »

Foreign language barriers, which are easily overcome with the help of competent medical interpreters, can cause various problems when they are ignored in a medical setting. According to medical malpractice theory, a physician may be held liable if his inability to adequately communicate with a patient prevents him from obtaining proper informed consent. This line of legal liability stretches from the Quintero v. Encarnacion case. In this case, the patient was only able to communicate using a few Spanish words.

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When a party relies on a piece of documentary evidence written in a foreign language, they must have the document translated into English and file an affidavit attesting to the accuracy of the translation.

So what happens when both parties submit separate affidavits by two different document translators attesting to having submitted an accurate translation?

Continue reading "Certified Language Translator's Affidavit, and Professional Translation & Interpreting Services for Litigation, Court Proceedings & Arbitration Proceedings" »

As the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is aimed primarily at international transactions, the issue of accurate foreign language translation becomes essential to avoiding legal trouble. According to the FCPA, it is a crime to, among other things, to bribe a foreign official.

Continue reading "Foreign Language Translation in Context of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act" »