July 2, 2008

Foreign Language Translation and International Conflict of Laws

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 and International Conflict of Laws " »

June 27, 2008

Language Translation & Interpreting for Attorneys, and Challenging Arbitrators under an International Arbitration Act

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 Rule 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 Attorneys, and Challenging Arbitrators under an International Arbitration Act" »

Bookmark: Bookmark Language%20Translation%20%26%20Interpreting%20for%20Attorneys%2C%20and%20Challenging%20Arbitrators%20under%20an%20International%20Arbitration%20Act at Google.com Bookmark Language%20Translation%20%26%20Interpreting%20for%20Attorneys%2C%20and%20Challenging%20Arbitrators%20under%20an%20International%20Arbitration%20Act at del.icio.us Digg Language%20Translation%20%26%20Interpreting%20for%20Attorneys%2C%20and%20Challenging%20Arbitrators%20under%20an%20International%20Arbitration%20Act at Digg.com Bookmark Language%20Translation%20%26%20Interpreting%20for%20Attorneys%2C%20and%20Challenging%20Arbitrators%20under%20an%20International%20Arbitration%20Act at Spurl.net Bookmark Language%20Translation%20%26%20Interpreting%20for%20Attorneys%2C%20and%20Challenging%20Arbitrators%20under%20an%20International%20Arbitration%20Act at Simpy.com Bookmark Language%20Translation%20%26%20Interpreting%20for%20Attorneys%2C%20and%20Challenging%20Arbitrators%20under%20an%20International%20Arbitration%20Act at NewsVine Blink this Language%20Translation%20%26%20Interpreting%20for%20Attorneys%2C%20and%20Challenging%20Arbitrators%20under%20an%20International%20Arbitration%20Act at blinklist.com Bookmark Language%20Translation%20%26%20Interpreting%20for%20Attorneys%2C%20and%20Challenging%20Arbitrators%20under%20an%20International%20Arbitration%20Act at Furl.net Bookmark Language%20Translation%20%26%20Interpreting%20for%20Attorneys%2C%20and%20Challenging%20Arbitrators%20under%20an%20International%20Arbitration%20Act at reddit.com Fark Language%20Translation%20%26%20Interpreting%20for%20Attorneys%2C%20and%20Challenging%20Arbitrators%20under%20an%20International%20Arbitration%20Act at Fark.com Bookmark Language%20Translation%20%26%20Interpreting%20for%20Attorneys%2C%20and%20Challenging%20Arbitrators%20under%20an%20International%20Arbitration%20Act at Yahoo! MyWeb
June 18, 2008

Translations and Foreign Regulatory Evidence in Products Liability Cases

Earlier we blogged about language translation in the context of products liability claims in the presence of the English only warnings. Foreign language translation becomes even more relevant in product liability cases when the issue of foreign regulatory evidence arises in pharmaceutical lawsuits, mainly due to the international scope of pharmaceutical sales.

Continue reading "Translations and Foreign Regulatory Evidence in Products Liability Cases" »

June 12, 2008

Legal Translation and Asserting a Money Laundering Defense in the International Arbitration Setting

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" »

June 4, 2008

Medical Interpreters, Foreign Language Barriers and Informed Consent

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.

Continue reading "Medical Interpreters, Foreign Language Barriers and Informed Consent" »

May 30, 2008

On the Role of Translator’s Affidavit in Litigation, Court Proceedings & Arbitration Proceedings

According to 37 C.F.R. 1.637 (2003) Rule 647, 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 "On the Role of Translator’s Affidavit in Litigation, Court Proceedings & Arbitration Proceedings" »

May 6, 2008

Determining the Unavailability of Foreign Language Translator/ Interpreter to Provide Expert Witness Testimony in Person- Telephonic Evidence

Earlier we blogged about the admissibility of the telephonic expert witness testimony by a foreign language translator/ court interpreter. One key factor in a court’s decision to allow telephonic testimony is whether or not the witness is available. Thus, in order to admit foreign language translator testimony via telephone, a party must sufficiently demonstrate that in fact the foreign language translator/ interpreter is “truly unavailable”.

Continue reading "Determining the Unavailability of Foreign Language Translator/ Interpreter to Provide Expert Witness Testimony in Person- Telephonic Evidence" »

May 4, 2008

Admissibility of Telephonic Expert Witness Testimony by Foreign Language Translator/ Court Interpreter

Although sometimes admissible, the use of telephonic expert witness testimony given by a foreign language translator or court interpreter is highly disfavored by the courts. In general, the courts are likely to apply the same standards of admissibility of telephonic testimony by a foreign language translator/ interpreter as they would to any type of telephonic testimony.

Continue reading "Admissibility of Telephonic Expert Witness Testimony by Foreign Language Translator/ Court Interpreter" »

April 16, 2008

Language Translation and Contract Interpretation: Foreign Language as Trade Use Evidence

Depending on the quality of the original, source text, foreign language translations may sometimes be perceived as ambiguous. According to the Law of Contracts, one method for interpreting the terms of an ambiguously written contract is to look at any terms of trade used within the document. This refers to any terminology that has a special meaning within a given trade that is the subject of the contract. However, this can become an even more complicated task when the terms of trade are in a foreign language.

Continue reading "Language Translation and Contract Interpretation: Foreign Language as Trade Use Evidence" »

April 11, 2008

Language Translations and Registering a Foreign Language Trademark

When applying for a trademark that contains a foreign language term or word, certain issues as to the meaning of the term may arise. This may become an obstacle to successfully obtaining the trademark when the foreign language term has different meanings in different cultures.

Continue reading "Language Translations and Registering a Foreign Language Trademark" »

April 4, 2008

Challenging Unfavorable Ruling Resulting from Unethical Use of Foreign Language Documentary Evidence

Irrespective of the availability of foreign language legal document translations, various issues may come up in the context of foreign language evidence. What happens if an opposing party uses a foreign language document in an unethical manner and receives a favorable judgment because of it? Can the ruling be challenged, based on the unethical use of the document? If so, what is the standard of review?

Continue reading "Challenging Unfavorable Ruling Resulting from Unethical Use of Foreign Language Documentary Evidence" »

April 1, 2008

Pharmaceutical Translations and the European Union’s Fast Track Approval Process for US Pharmaceuticals

Recently the European Union issued a new, fast-track review process for approving foreign made pharmaceuticals to be sold in the European Union. Since the European Union operates under numerous languages, it is important that any application for pharmaceutical approval under the EMEA fast-track system be submitted with the proper foreign language translations. This becomes particularly important when trying to demonstrate the unmet need or improvement requirement under the Accelerated Assessment Procedure.


744895_pillsPILLS2.jpg

Continue reading "Pharmaceutical Translations and the European Union’s Fast Track Approval Process for US Pharmaceuticals" »

March 28, 2008

Language Translation and Ethical Issues of Filing Privileged Foreign Language Documents: The Receiving Attorney’s Side

Sometimes during multilingual discovery an attorney will inadvertently file a privileged document. This can happen with foreign language documents, especially when the English translation is not available. When this occurs, the receiving attorney has various ethical obligations as to how to handle the filing. However, every state has very different approaches to what these ethical obligations are.

Continue reading "Language Translation and Ethical Issues of Filing Privileged Foreign Language Documents: The Receiving Attorney’s Side" »