by Maria Eugenia García
Rethinking the Role of Legal Translators in Law Firms
What if legal translators moved beyond the role of external language service providers and became part of the law firm team -working remotely or on-site, but fully integrated, whether behind the scenes or side by side with lawyers?
In my 25 years as a legal and certified translator, I have consistently been encouraged to play the role of an “invisible” linguistic professional: someone who delivers a target text by a given deadline, with minimal interaction. In practice, however, something is often lost along the way. Relationships between clients and translators are not fully developed, the final product does not always follow client’s priorities, drafting style or workflow, and optimal efficiency is not achieved.
Going beyond the brief
In arbitration matters, translators may ask lawyers to share procedural calendars, prior submissions and reference materials in order to become familiar with the terminology used and the case strategy. Once the project is assigned, it is also helpful to establish priorities – for example, whether certain sections should be translated first, while others (such as footnotes or quotations) can follow. In some cases, I even agreed with clients to share the case folder used by them, ensuring access to all cited sources. Law firms tend to value this level of involvement and commitment from translators.
No Lag Between Edits and Delivery
In the field of cross-border contracts -such as share purchase agreements, loans, and credit facilities and mortgage documents-, it is common for lawyers to circulate near-final drafts for translation, only to introduce further revisions, deletions or additions shortly thereafter. Translators must then incorporate these changes quickly so that the documents can be used in negotiations or shared with counterparties. In Argentina, deadlines are often tight due to regulatory filings, registrations or financial/banking transactions, and last-minute changes can create significant pressure for both lawyers and translators. In my experience, one effective solution has been to work on-site at the law firm using my own computer on or shortly before the execution date. This approach streamlines the process: lawyers can review the work live and in real time and delivery becomes immediate, allowing documents to be printed and signed, or uploaded without delay.
Getting Every Detail Right
In the translation of personal or corporate documents, particular attention is often required for key data such as names, IDs and registration details. Translators must exercise extreme care when reproducing this information. In such cases, it is essential to verify with the client or law firm any apparent misspellings, inconsistencies or possible errors. In my experience, these issues may go unnoticed by the client and a translator’s keen eye for detail can prevent delayed or duplicate filings or other complications down the line.
What has been your experience as a legal translator in your jurisdiction?
About the Author
Maria Eugenia Garcia
Maria Eugenia Garcia is an English into Spanish Certified Translator and an Attorney-at-Law graduated from University of Buenos Aires. She has worked as a freelance legal translator since 1999 for law firms, major companies and other players in the legal industry.
She has also provided English legal language training for translators at the Buenos Aires’ Translators’ Association (CTPCBA) and at University of Buenos Aires and comparative law training for attorneys-at-law in several Argentine law firms.
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