First, not every translator is able to translate these documents. By that, we do not particularly mean skill barrier that would prevent one from completing the translation, but there are certain certifications that are required to ensure that the translation can be used. For instance, in California, county clerks require court-certified or ATA certified translators to sign most translation certifications.

If you are a translator and are looking to expand your field of expertise, having these kinds of certifications will make you more attractive to potential clients. Monterey Language Services has an extensive network of court certified and ATA-certified interpreters as well as translators in many different languages whom we work with to ensure that we are always able to meet our clients’ needs.

One more thing to be careful of is the project’s timeline. Clients have different needs regarding timelines, and some might need urgent certified translations. While translating these kinds of documents in a short time might not be too difficult, the more concerning part is certifying the translation.

Most states or counties have their own forms that need to be filled out and notarized then submitted with the translation, but these forms need to be signed in-person, and the originals need to be given to the client. The client may expect to get everything in their hands in 24 hours. Unless we are 100% confident, otherwise we should give ourselves at least one extra day to ensure that any problems that come up do not affect the delivery of the files.

Being entrusted to help someone with the translation of their legal documents is an honor, but what’s what needs to be done and whether there is enough time to do it are important things to consider, so that we can avoid unexpected situations and deliver the project to the client on time.

It’s always about team work. At Monterey Language Services, we are always looking for the right fit for a translation team which always includes a reviewer. Translation can become a long and difficult process if we don’t choose a right team, but then with the right insights and strategies, it becomes easier to control quality and get the desired results.

Lack of the natural flow probably is the most common scenario to be improved. Other than that, many things could be missed in a translation as well, whether it’s due to careless error or a difficulty of tracking everything that the client wants. This is why we need to start with the right foot by choosing a right team to work with for a specific project , and so we can ensure that the translation is accurate, complete, and easy to read.

Then, how do you know what kind of a team would be the best to use? It’s the same for translators and reviewers, you have to choose one that is the best fit for you and the project at hand. This means that even if you are used to using a certain team, you cannot always use them for every project that you have. The selection usually is based on subject specialization. Someone who writes well and is familiar with how subject terminology is used in their daily business. For instance, someone who has experience with the medical field, ideally familiar with whatever is being mentioned in the document. If a translator or a reviewer is unfamiliar with the subject, they may not catch certain errors or they may misunderstand the real meaning or commonly used terminology in that field.

Additionally, you need a team who are familiar with cultural conventions. For example, in Japanese, there are different ways of writing depending on the audience that the document is written for. If someone is not familiar with the different nuances of the language, they might flag certain phrasing or pronoun usage as errors, even though they are correct in the context of the document. This is why depending on the content, it is important to hire translators and reviewers with a certain amount of experience.

One other thing that you might want to be careful of is more in regards to your company itself. The team should be made aware of what is expected of them and what they expect the finished translation to look like and represent. This means everything should be kept handy and shared, including style guides, terminology lists, stop-word lists or any other kind of documents that they want the translation to adhere to. This will help everyone be aware of what they should be looking for when they are translating as well as reviewing.

Because rather than hiring a professional interpreter, the court let one of the witnesses’ uncle do the interpretations.

The problem occurred because rather than following Ferrier’s instructions of interpreting word for word what the witness said, the interpreter went beyond relaying and started to explain what his nephew was saying.

Usually courts will not allow anything but professionals to interpret for this exact reason. Most court interpreters are trained exactly for this purpose so that there is no need to explain anything that the witness is saying, thus, preventing complications like this one.

Source: http://republicanherald.com/news/problems-with-interpreter-lead-to-continuance-in-auburn-attempted-homicide-case-1.1315986