• March 28, 2024
 Legal language service providers – a guide for family lawyers

Legal language service providers – a guide for family lawyers

Family lawyers increasingly work with clients with family ties and legal documents from all over the world. Supporting clients at some of the most vulnerable times in their lives, having access to the right legal language service provider is essential to ensure no interests and assets are misrepresented, and decisions are made on accurate interpretations of the law.

A legal language service provider is a company that provides language-related services to legal professionals. These services may include legal translation, document review, document editing, language QA, transcription, interpreting and more. Legal language service providers are often contracted to help lawyers, law firms, and other legal professionals with the language-related aspects of a case or project.

However, given the vast amount of companies purporting to offer accurate interpretation service, it’s difficult to know which one to choose.

Firstly, check their experience, qualifications and track record

When selecting a legal language service provider, assessing the quality of the provider’s work is important. This can be done by evaluating the provider’s experience, qualifications, and track record, specifically in relation to language services within legal practice areas

The first step in evaluating a legal language service provider is to assess their experience. It is important to look at the provider’s past work and determine if they have the necessary experience and expertise to handle the job. Experience is particularly important when it comes to legal translation, as the translator must be familiar not only with both the source and target languages, but also the jurisdictions in which the translations will be used.

The next step is to assess the provider’s qualifications, such as ISO 17100 & ISO 9001 certifications, and professional memberships such as with the Association of Translation Companies. It is important to ensure the provider is qualified to handle the job.

Finally, it is important to evaluate the provider’s track record. This involves looking at the provider’s past projects and determining if they have successfully completed them, and for whom. It is also important to look at any feedback or reviews from past clients to understand how satisfied they were with the provider’s services.

And then ensure the provider is right for your requirements

Once you have evaluated a legal language service provider, you can begin to make a decision about which provider to work with. Here are some tips to help you make the right decision:

  1. Consider the services offered – Make sure that the provider offers the services that you need.
  2. Evaluate the provider’s experience – Look at their past work and make sure that they have the necessary experience to handle the job.
  3. Assess the provider’s qualifications – Make sure that the provider is qualified to handle the job.
  4. Look at the provider’s track record – Make sure that they have been successful in completing past projects.
  5. Read reviews from past clients – Reviews can help you get an idea of how satisfied the clients were with the provider’s services.
  6. Compare prices – Make sure that you are getting the best value for your money in relation to the experience, quality, and service offered.
  7. Ask questions – Don’t be afraid to ask questions to make sure that you are making the right decision.

Written by James Halstead, General Manager, and Iwona Durlak, Family Partner and Director at IMD Legal Translation & Interpreting Ltd

James Halstead and Iwona Durlak

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