Legal translation services are fast becoming the most important sub-sector in the translation services industry. From the perspective of the employer, it is possibly the most difficult area to recruit for because it requires an almost inconceivable amount of cross-discipline skill from the prospective employees. Here are the three main attributes to consider when searching for a good legal translator:
1. Fluency in the specialised language - Many companies are guilty of applying a chronic over emphasis on the 'legal' part of the 'legal translator' job title. This is a massive error because it places undue weight on the importance of an exceptional legal resume, suggesting that such legal skill is ample compensation for sub-fluency in a target language. This overlooks the remit of the legal translator to spot each and every cultural nuance, regional phrase or linguistic intricacy in the foreign legal document. Failure to recognise such things can result in poor translations and legal penalties - so don't settle for anything less than fluent perfection.
2. Versatility is key - Possessing a wide and varied legal knowledge is much better than possessing a specialised knowledge, when it comes to legal translation. A versatile approach is vital in order to engage in the preliminary client consultation period and to know instinctively when separate legal specialists must be brought on board for advice. Essentially the translator must be a networker for legal extremities - a middle-man who knows enough about every corner of the legal market to make good judgement calls. The translator is, first and foremost, there for their language skills. Legal skills should be judged on the merits of the individual's ability to understand client demands, not on their ability to argue a case in court. This is a fact that often evades employers and they are sometimes left with a misfit individual who cannot appreciate the tamer needs of low-level clients.
3. Legal administrative experience trumps court experience - Following on from the aforementioned point, a serious pitfall that often catches out employers is the tendency to overlook legal back-of-office employees. Many 'big-shot', court-dwelling lawyers who possess fluency in a target language catch the eye of employers and are immediately sought after. However, these suave professionals are often not suited to the more time-consuming, administrative aspects of the translation process. Background legal employees, many of whom make their way through the less glamorous routes of chartered accountancy and building society legislation, are infinitely more suited to the qualitatively tinged, data-driven rigours of legal translation.
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