| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | To offer or not to offer legal translations? Thread poster: Marc Bjørnholt
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Baran Keki 
Türkiye
Local time: 10:39
Member
English to Turkish
Rachel Waddington wrote:
makes the most of the experience he already has
That's exactly what I meant. Though, the word/term I used was "make more of" (as opposed to "make the most of").
Apologies for my poor English. I'm still trying to master it.
Have a nice evening.
| | | | | Quality and profitability | Feb 6, 2022 |
You will obviously be slower at the outset for many reasons. Indeed, it will probably take you a couple of years to get up to speed.
Two things that will gain/lose you clients: good/bad quality work; hitting/missing deadlines.
(1) Take the time you need to do a good job. A rush job increases the risk of your compromising quality. You could shoot yourself in the foot. So aim for quality, aim to produce work you are happy to defend. Most translators are never totally satisfied as any p... See more You will obviously be slower at the outset for many reasons. Indeed, it will probably take you a couple of years to get up to speed.
Two things that will gain/lose you clients: good/bad quality work; hitting/missing deadlines.
(1) Take the time you need to do a good job. A rush job increases the risk of your compromising quality. You could shoot yourself in the foot. So aim for quality, aim to produce work you are happy to defend. Most translators are never totally satisfied as any piece can be done slightly differently, improved upon, enhanced. Keep track of the references you use for a particular job.
(2) Accept jobs you know something about. You learn all the time when translating. If you know something about the field, you will produce a coherent text that is likely to make sense to the client too. If you know nothing about the law in the source country and even ess about the law in your target language country and you are interested in the area, take some online training. Your clients are not guinea pigs. They won't thank you if you treat them as such.
(3) "Legal" translation is a huge field. There are fields within the legal field that I would not touch with a barge pole. I did a joint honours degree in English law and French language. I then went to law school and began a career in the law. A lot of the initial training in terms of approach, thinking, linguistic tricks and tics have stuck with me. However, I have been in France for 30 years and remain very careful about the jobs I accept.
When you start out, use the knowledge and skills you already have. Build on those and branch out from time to time. As you continue to work, you will find you often come across things you know nothing about. That's where you are out of your comfort zone and need to do a lot of research. This is where the internet comes into its own. Be extremely careful about the sources you use. Compare original language sources and compare to glossaires and so on. Or the other way round. You need to be able to make your own mind up based on the context of your source document. Sometimes you'll get it wrong, or not spot on. Be wise enough to defend your choices and humbre enough to point out where your are uncertain. You will gain respect that way and build a clientbase with greater longevity. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 03:39
Romanian to English
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| „legal translations” encompass a variety of legal fields | Feb 6, 2022 |
Marc Bjørnholt wrote: Mihai Badea wrote:
In the business world, translators have a particularly bad reputation. They think we don't take ourselves seriously and claim we know very little about their world. Because of this, translation quality may suffer.
Seemingly, in the view of businesspeople, all translators are poets which, of course, from a business point of view, is not good.
There is even talk of a cult of poverty among translators. This might be an ironical reference to our rates.
When I was studying in university to become a translator, I was told that it's better to have a linguistics degree rather than training other specialists to be good with languages and translation. But so far my experience has indicated the reverse, that a lawyer, for example, may be able to become better at legal translation than those of us with an MA in languages.
I am a lawyer by training and practiced Criminal Law for 14 years in my country. For the last 25+ years I have been translating legal documents in the USA - only in the field of Criminal Law. I hate Contracts, Civil Law, Family Law, etc. and never ever accepted projects in these fields.
Therefore, if you intend to approach the legal field, try to focus on one or two domains; study hard, practice a lot and ask competent people if you don't understand something.
Good luck,
Lee
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 10:39
Member
English to Turkish
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matt robinson
Spain
Local time: 09:39
Member (2010)
Spanish to English
| Do what you can | Feb 7, 2022 |
When starting out I took on jobs that were at the very limit of my ability and worked late and at the weekend in order to turn in first-rate translations that an experienced translator could have done in half the time or less. Over the years I have developed a client base that is aware of the areas I work best in, and I fully understand the type of translation I am best at.
I translate both legal and medical texts, although I would not say I am a specialist in either of those fields, but a... See more When starting out I took on jobs that were at the very limit of my ability and worked late and at the weekend in order to turn in first-rate translations that an experienced translator could have done in half the time or less. Over the years I have developed a client base that is aware of the areas I work best in, and I fully understand the type of translation I am best at.
I translate both legal and medical texts, although I would not say I am a specialist in either of those fields, but a high degree of specialisation is not always necessary or even desirable with regards to a specific text.
Another point I might add is that from day one I have always turned down work that I felt was beyond me, and told the client the reason why. I have found that honesty, even to the point of stating that a specific text is beyond my capabilities, has paid dividends in terms of building trust and fostering long-term business relationships. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tony Keily
Local time: 09:39
Italian to English
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| You'll not only be slow... | Feb 7, 2022 |
... you'll get it wrong.
Maybe start by looking at contracts, which are often pretty standard. But you need to prepare. In your spare time, you need to study a number of contracts from good sources, in source and target versions, and read up on contract law, even on Wikipedia. Then take on modest jobs, like service-level agreements for small-scale provisions of service, or maybe property sales (although this brings you into other areas, like land registry matters and conveyance).... See more ... you'll get it wrong.
Maybe start by looking at contracts, which are often pretty standard. But you need to prepare. In your spare time, you need to study a number of contracts from good sources, in source and target versions, and read up on contract law, even on Wikipedia. Then take on modest jobs, like service-level agreements for small-scale provisions of service, or maybe property sales (although this brings you into other areas, like land registry matters and conveyance).
The important thing is that your target text is based on and comparable to solid reference sources.
For law in general, a good place for resource purposes is: https://e-justice.europa.eu/home?action=home&plang=en
And avoid cosmetic legalese: the simpler the better, provided it's right. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Francesco Sani
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:39
Italian to English
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| Interesting topic.. we have all been there. | Feb 7, 2022 |
I hope that the OP finds a good pace and the type of translation work that matches his expectations/time.
I relate to the OP's points because I have been doing translations of legal documents for a decade yet I am
not legally trained nor do I really feel it is my calling, though I have become competent in a particular niche
(consular papers) and this stream has been steadily growing - even more so since Brexit became a reality in 2020.
Do I cal... See more I hope that the OP finds a good pace and the type of translation work that matches his expectations/time.
I relate to the OP's points because I have been doing translations of legal documents for a decade yet I am
not legally trained nor do I really feel it is my calling, though I have become competent in a particular niche
(consular papers) and this stream has been steadily growing - even more so since Brexit became a reality in 2020.
Do I call myself a legal translator? Frankly no, I still keep an open mind in terms of where I would like to go with
this skillset: my realism, however, tells me that the experience I gathered - building templates, knowing how
consulate staff operate and being able to advise clients even before translating a single word in order to
bring about a better outcome for them - is valuable and should not be anything but visible.
As long as you can compromise on your dilemma and feel that the work is worthwhile - for you but also for
your clients - then even if it does not feel like a perfect fit you may grow to accept it professionally and
in the best scenario, personally too.
Good luck out with it all!
[Edited at 2022-02-07 20:42 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-02-07 20:42 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-02-07 20:44 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mihai Badea (X)
Luxembourg
Local time: 09:39
English to Romanian
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| Being methodical might make a difference | Feb 10, 2022 |
How are you doing, Marc? I hope you did not get depressed! There is no reason for that.
You did a quality translation MA with added-value (business). That is a very good start.
As to law, it is a very complex field and none of us will ever know it all. But we need to get acquainted with the essentials.
Start by studying some general notions of law, and then expand your knowledge based on what interests you most and/or what you expect will be most useful for... See more How are you doing, Marc? I hope you did not get depressed! There is no reason for that.
You did a quality translation MA with added-value (business). That is a very good start.
As to law, it is a very complex field and none of us will ever know it all. But we need to get acquainted with the essentials.
Start by studying some general notions of law, and then expand your knowledge based on what interests you most and/or what you expect will be most useful for the documents you will be translating.
There are also books on the specific topic of legal translation.
And if you are a fan of social media, you might find relevant groups using the proper search terms.
Learning is gradual. And we learn throughout our lives. At the beginning, though, the time investment needs to be more substantial.
Please do let us know if we can be of any futher help.
Good luck! ▲ Collapse
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Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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| Dig around for some bilingual contracts | Feb 10, 2022 |
They're a pretty common EU thing. Most aren't officially disclosed, but a LOT of them leak out into various online repositories anyway.
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 10:39
Member
English to Turkish
| Speak for yourself | Feb 10, 2022 |
Mihai Badea wrote:
Please do let us know if we can be of any futher help.
Who is 'we'?
| | | | Mihai Badea (X)
Luxembourg
Local time: 09:39
English to Romanian
+ ...
| Beginning is difficult | Feb 10, 2022 |
Baran Keki wrote: Mihai Badea wrote:
Please do let us know if we can be of any futher help.
Who is 'we'?
Baran,
You might have forgotten how it was at the start of your career. It's tough.
And realising that linguistic skills, in which we invested so much time, are not that appreciated by the market can be disheartening.
But there is no need to give up. Just organise yourself, make a good plan, a roadmap, and try to stick to it.
| | | | Mihai Badea (X)
Luxembourg
Local time: 09:39
English to Romanian
+ ...
| Books that might be helpful | Feb 10, 2022 |
Marc,
Here are some books that could probably be useful:
Legal Skills
Emily Finch and Stefan Fafinski
Oxfotd, 2021
The Ashgate Handbook of Legal Translation (Law, Language and Communication)
Le Cheng, King Kui Sin, Wagner Anne
Routledge, 2014
Comparative Law for Legal Translators
Guadalupe Soriano-Barabino
Peter Lang, 2016
There are many useful books out-there. Perhaps colleagues will ta... See more Marc,
Here are some books that could probably be useful:
Legal Skills
Emily Finch and Stefan Fafinski
Oxfotd, 2021
The Ashgate Handbook of Legal Translation (Law, Language and Communication)
Le Cheng, King Kui Sin, Wagner Anne
Routledge, 2014
Comparative Law for Legal Translators
Guadalupe Soriano-Barabino
Peter Lang, 2016
There are many useful books out-there. Perhaps colleagues will take time to suggest other specific resources you can use to get up to speed.
Law is fascinating. You will not get bored easily. ▲ Collapse
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Anne Maclennan
Local time: 09:39
Member (2010)
German to English
+ ...
| Take the time to learn your subject | Feb 11, 2022 |
You make no mention of a qualification in law. That would be a great advantage, if you want to translate legal texts, but many translators successfully translate legal texts without any legal qualifications.
I started out with a degree in English law and added a postgraduate translation diploma. When I began seriously to translate for a living I invested in textbooks summarising the law of the countries of my source languages, glossaries of legal terms in those languages and a good standar... See more You make no mention of a qualification in law. That would be a great advantage, if you want to translate legal texts, but many translators successfully translate legal texts without any legal qualifications.
I started out with a degree in English law and added a postgraduate translation diploma. When I began seriously to translate for a living I invested in textbooks summarising the law of the countries of my source languages, glossaries of legal terms in those languages and a good standard mono-lingual legal dictionary. There is plenty to be found on the Internet, in places such as Wikipedia, as has already been mentioned, but if you can find a good compendium textbook on the law of your source language(s) you will have a basis to read through carefully in the first instance and then to dip into to check points from time to time. Also, text books and glossaries will give you the exact phrases used in legal documents. This is perhaps an old-fashioned view, but I abide by it!
Also, learn about legal systems in your source and target language countries and keep up to date with changes in those systems. When I did my law degree the supreme court of appeal in England was the House of Lords; since then a Supreme Court has been instituted – a fairly important change! But there are also minor changes - the terminology used, the court system, in which courts certain types of cases are heard, etc. Make sure you know the accepted equivalent names in your target language for the courts in your source language country/countries.
There is a lot to legal translation, but for me, one of the advantages is that the source language is (usually) well-expressed, clear, specialised and directed to a specific audience. Like other contributors to this forum I do not translate certain areas of law. I tell my clients which areas I am happy to work in and refuse what are not my fields.
As everyone else has said, experience comes with time. Everyone has to start somewhere. Be patient, be analytical about your own capacity, in terms of speed, knowledge and talent and don't stop learning about your translation areas! ▲ Collapse
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