High quality translation is a significant requirement throughout legal industries across the globe. Whether information for a client from a different language background or legal documentation for a business seeking to enter global markets, translation is critical to ensuring accurate communication across language barriers. Despite a recent emphasis and subsequent demand for machine translation (MT) and AI driven translation engines, these cutting-edge technologies can have limited functionality when it comes to certain types of translation. Because the legal industry and law in general is a high stakes field with often ambiguous language, relying entirely on automated translation can lead to potentially dire consequences compared to humans providing legal translations. Although these technologies are now a mainstay in the field, human translation remains an irreplaceable mechanism for legal content translation and is at the heart of CSOFT’s localization solutions for the legal industry.
Ambiguity, Vagueness and the Nuanced Complexity of Legal Language
As anyone with experience in the legal industry knows, ambiguity and vagueness of language is ubiquitous and a common point of contention in many legal proceedings. Much of this legal language is rife with complex terminology and nuanced phrasing that is often regionally specific and dependent on the regulatory body involved. Regardless of the language or region, however, all legal jargon requires a deep understanding of both language and law to comprehend it accurately. Along with the language itself, many legal documents require case-specific contextual knowledge that isn’t readily apparent within the text. Given these factors, MT or AI-generated translation often falls short for legal translation, as it tends to miss nuanced meanings or misinterpret phrases that a qualified expert translator would readily understand.
The Risks of Mistranslation in Legal Contexts
The high-stake nature of legal translation and accompanying risks of mistranslation is the greatest concern with MT or AI generated translation alone. There are several potential consequences of mistranslation for legal documents, including further contractual disputes, misinterpretation of rights, or even legal liabilities. Legal documents relating to immigration are among the most important uses of legal translations, but also contain some of the worst consequences for mistranslation. For example, and in a worst-case scenario, mistranslation of documents for Asylum and Refugee claims can be the difference between life and death. Specifically, mistranslated court documents misrepresent an asylum seeker’s claims or background, they could be denied entry, putting the applicant back at risk. Additionally, for a corporation seeking to enter global markets, mistranslation of regulatory documentation could lead to lengthy legal reviews and or audits that could derail or even prevent timely market entry. In both cases, humans in legal translations, specifically expert and locally sourced linguists, will be more attuned to the contextual and nuanced meaning that is often disregarded by MT or AI translation, making it more accurate in the most important circumstances. To learn more about the risks of mistranslation in the legal field, check out the following article by Leaders in Law: “How Mistranslations in Legal Documents can Affect Immigration Outcomes.”
Considering Cultural and Jurisdictional Sensitivity in Legal Translations
Legal systems across the globe vary greatly by nation and region. The legal language and documentation of any country or regulatory body are undoubtedly shaped by the underlying society and culture. This is where human translation becomes critical for the legal industry, especially when it is provided by an in-country translator. CSOFT’s teams of linguists and subject matter experts in over 250 countries utilize their own experiences and perspectives to provide translations that consider these often-nuanced cultural meanings. CSOFT’s experienced legal translation teams skillfully manage any variations or complexities that arise during translation. Considering this ability to more accurately and holistically consider cultural nuance, it becomes clear that humans providing legal translations with regional knowledge can more appropriately adapt content for a specific demographic than machine or AI driven translation without their subjective experiences.
Quality Assurance, Accountability and Other Traits of Humans in Legal Translations
CSOFT’s human translators bring a level of responsibility and reliability to their work, especially in a high-stake field such as law, that machine translation cannot match. Qualified translators must adhere to ethical and professional standards, offering an added layer of accountability that’s critical in the legal field, where even a minor error can have significant consequences. In some countries, such as the USA, both lawyers and their translators must make an affirmation that all documents are true and accurate translations. This is something that AI cannot and should not do. Additionally, human translation also involves rigorous editing and review processes conducted by multiple individuals to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. In this translation process, each document goes through multiple stages, including proofreading and cross-checking by legal experts, to ensure accuracy, consistency, and compliance with legal standards. This thorough approach is vital to producing reliable legal translations that meet both linguistic and legal requirements. Click here to learn more about CSOFT’s Corporate Law Translations.
Humans in Legal Translation: Expertise Enhanced by Technology
For the legal industry, AI and MT tools can offer valuable support by accelerating the translation process. However, this technology works best when it is complementary to human expertise, rather than replacing it. Human translators play a vital role in reviewing and refining machine-generated outputs, especially for complex legal contexts in which precision is critical. This collaborative approach, referred to as “human-in-the-loop” in technology sectors ensures that translations meet the highest standards of accuracy and cultural relevance. By blending the speed and efficiency of technology with the nuanced understanding of humans in legal translations, CSOFT can achieve the best of both worlds for clients with legal translation needs. Click here to read CSOFT’s white paper on AI and Language.
CSOFT International as a Leading Provider of Global Legal Translations
Considering the importance of law within almost every industry, reliable human translators are irreplaceable in their role in legal translations. Due to the critical importance of context, cultural sensitivity, and accountability in the legal field, human translators are a better fit for this critical work when compared to advanced technologies alone. To get the most accurate and cost-effective translations, however, human translators must utilize advanced technologies as a tool for efficiency while ensuring no meaning is lost in translation. Our expert linguists and translators at CSOFT, spanning over 250 countries, use industry-leading MT and AI-based technologies to handle legal translation cases quickly and efficiently, regardless of the languages or countries involved.