What exactly is meant by English-French Legal Translation?

While translation in general can be more nuanced than people think, a legal translation into French or from French is much more than just moving words from one language to another.

Legal translation is focused on a wide variety of documents such as wills, court and financial documents, declarations, patents or court decrees.

Legal translators of French must have a good knowledge of the legal system of the country from which the document originates. In order to avoid misleading translations, they must also have an extensive knowledge of both English law and the law that applies to Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland.

In a globalized world where companies from all over the world can do business, legal translation takes on a very important role. We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that not all legal translations need to be official (certified). Translations from or into French should only be officially certified when requested by an official institution, agency or department. So be sure to check if an official, certified or sworn translation is required in Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland, or if maybe a simple translation French<>English will do.

French Legal Translation differ from other types of translation

Legal documents in French, unlike other documents such as a general web site, have a specific terminology. Our French Legal Translators are able to correctly translate these concepts into English or Spanish. They do not simply replace one word for another.

The choice of certain words in a legal text has a very specific and precise meaning. On the other hand, any ambiguity or inaccuracy can invalidate a legally binding document. A small mistake could have significant financial and/or legal consequences.

Legal jargon of each country (UK, Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland…) is complex and its terminology can be very specific. Add to this the cultural and regional differences in territories where French is spoken, and you can understand how difficult legal translation can be.

Legal translators translate a legal concept from English into French or vice versa. To be legally binding, the English and the legal French terminology must be unambiguous. 

Textual references for French Legal Translators

All legal translators of French turn to reference works to do their job. For example, specialized dictionaries and glossaries, codes, laws and legal doctrine, both in English and from countries like Belgium, Canada, France, Switzerland.

Legal translators frequently check out civil and criminal procedure codes and regulatory rules. In these reference books they usually find precise descriptions in French and in English of each legal concept.

Referral sources help translators confirm that they are using the appropriate terms used in a given legal proceeding. The work of a legal French-English translator is very precise and painstaking. In addition to these specialised legal researches, French translators use computer aided translation tools like TM (Translation Memories) and Multilingual Term Bases. Translation Memories let them find pieces of text already translated by them or by other translators. Specific French Machine Translation engines are also used in combination with TM and have proven to be very useful.