LEGAL TRANSLATION EXPLAINED BY SOUNDTRAD

Legal and sworn translations

What’s a legal translation?

A LEGAL TRANSLATION IS THE TRANSLATION OF A SPECIALISED TEXT OF A LEGAL NATURE. TOO MUCH LEGALESE? LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

Understanding the industry is essential in order to get the best service possible.

The translation world has many specialisations, sectors, sub-sectors, technologies and can offer a wide range of language services.

Therefore, before requesting a quote for our legal translation service, you should know exactly what we need and what is being offered

Legal translation is a specialised or technical translation of a legal text, using the language and forms of the law. Any text written by persons connected with the law, including, for example, legislators, judges or legally authorised officials (lawyers) can be considered a legal text.

traduzione giuridica
traduzioni legali asseverate

 The translation of laws, decrees, constitutions, contracts, rulings, agreements and wills are all legal translations.

SoundTrad, our legal translation agency, offers a legal translation service at very competitive prices, carried out only by professional native translators who are law experts and in any language you need.

We offer Italian-English legal translations for companies, English-Italian, French-Italian and Italian-French legal translations, as well as other language combinations.

Our work method

This is our work method for legal translations:

  • We analyse the legal document that needs to be translated;
  • We select the professional native translator who will work on your project;
  • We choose any technological software to achieve the highest quality for every job;
  • We revise the translated product;
  • We deliver it to the client;
  • We wait for feedback or a request for any changes.

We are specialised in legal and sworn translations, such as:

  • Employment contracts
  • Lease contracts
  • Agreements with companies
  • Staff contracts
  • Legal terms and conditions
  • Contracts with suppliers
  • Judgements and procedural acts
  • Company reports
  • Occupational health and safety documents
  • Documents on the prevention of risks at work
  • Data protection texts
  • Letters of transfer of personal data
  • Business letters
  • Press announcements
  • Licence applications
  • Confidentiality agreements
  • Certificates with legal value
  • Legal translations of import/export contracts
  • Life and accident insurance
  • Mortgages and mortgage credits
  • Legal Documents
  • Bills of lading/delivery notes
  • Terms and conditions on loans, mortgages, sureties
  • Wills and notarial powers
  • Appeals
  • Licences
  • Notarial documents
  • Bank documents
  • Reports and complaints
  •  

You could not find the type of document you need to translate?

Talk to us and tell us about your project and what language you need your legal documents translated into.

What is a sworn translation?

A legal translation can be sworn in court.

You may sometimes need a translation to be sworn in court.

If you have a legal text that needs to be sworn and you’re not sure what kind of translation is required because you don’t know the sector,

don’t worry, we can help.

Here is some basic information you’ll need before requesting a translation.

What is a sworn translation?

 A sworn translation is the official translation of any type of document to be used in a legal context. 

A sworn translation has the same legal value as the original document.

Here are a few examples of documents that typically require a sworn translation:

  • Qualifications (high school diplomas, degrees, master’s degrees)
  • Driving Licenses
  • Certificates (birth, death, marriage)
  • Documents to apply for citizenship

This is an official translation as it is carried out by a professional translator accredited by the competent body in every country in the world. In fact, the process to obtain a sworn translation varies from country to country.

Sworn legal translations in Italy

 In Italy, a translation can be sworn in a court, justice of the peace or notary public. Submitting the original document or a certified copy of it, the translation, and the sworn statement signed by the translator or person acting on their behalf is sufficient. 

Therefore, in Italy, the costs for the service to obtain a sworn translation are higher than in other countries.

The United States and the United Kingdom lack an actual concept of “sworn translation”. However, a certified translation (or certificate of accuracy), signed by the translation agency, may be requested, certifying that the legal translation performed conforms to the original.

In Australia , on the other hand, only NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters) certified translators may provide certified translations.

In France, a sworn legal translation is carried out by a sworn translator(traducteur assermenté), i.e. a professional who has taken an oath before a court (High Court or Court of Appeal), and who may officially provide translations in the language combinations for which they are competent.

As you can see, it is quite a demanding process, which we at SoundTrad, a legal and sworn translation agency, will gladly carry out for you.

How much does a sworn legal translation cost?

A sworn Italian-English legal translation in Italy, for example, can cost between €30.00 and €50.00 per page.

To this fee, you have to add a fixed handling fee of €60.00; €12.00 courier fee, if required; and the cost of tax stamps, amounting to €16.00 for every 4 pages of sworn document.

Sworn translations are sent to your address, as a sworn translation onlyhas legal value in paper form. 

In fact, it includes the original document (or photocopy) and the translation, both certified by signature and stamp.

If a digital copy is sufficient, it can be sent by e-mail, without additional postage costs.

Can a document that has already been translated become a sworn translation?

Yes, but only if revised in full by one of us here at SoundTrad, our translation agency in Brescia.

Is a sworn translation obtained in one country also valid in others?

No. A legal translation provided by a sworn translator is only officially recognised in the national territory of the country in which it was sworn. This is why we at SoundTrad always select the most suitable professional in each country to ensure acceptance by the local authority.

Call us if you have any questions! We will be happy to help if you have any doubts about your sworn legal translation.

Tell us about your legal translation project

WHAT IS YOUR LEGAL TRANSLATION PROJECT?

Send us a message, email or call us.
We’ll provide you with a tailor-made quote each time.
(If you also attach the text to be translated, the quote will come even faster!)