What do you need to know about translating contracts?
Any contract is an agreement between two or more parties. The document specifies the rights and obligations of each participant. In Ukraine, all contracts are drawn up in the state language - Ukrainian.
About contracts between citizens of different countries
If the parties to the agreement/contract are citizens of different countries, then translation is indispensable. In this case, it is necessary to resolve not only legal issues, but also linguistic ones. It is necessary that the terms and provisions of the document are interpreted equally by each party.
Often a contract is drawn up in English, even if the parties to the contract are not English-speaking. English has long been perceived as the language of business communication. In this case, the contract must be translated into the language of each of the parties. Another option is to create a bilingual contract.
Features of contract translation
What you need to do to translate the contract into English:
- To certify a contract by a notary. If your contract is needed for government agencies, for registration and other procedures, then the certification procedure is required. Such a document can be legalized by going through the procedure of apostille or consular legalization.
- When making a translation, it is important to take into account all the nuances: correctly translate numbers (if they need to be localized), abbreviations, names, indicate signatures and seals. The translation deciphers the clauses of the law to which the document refers.
- The finished translation is certified by a notary and sewed with the contract. In this case, the notary certifies the signatures of a professional translator.
During the translation process, the translator must not only translate the text, but also observe legal terminology. When translating from English into Ukrainian or vice versa, there should be no discrepancies. This is a legal document that requires accuracy not only in the original, but also in the translation. A notarized translation with an apostille stamp has legal force.
Contracts are legal documents, so their translation should be done by linguists who specialize in legal texts. An ordinary translator cannot cope with such a difficult task. Therefore, in our Pereklad bureau, translators with relevant legal experience work on contracts.
You also need to take into account the specifics of the contract. This could be a purchase and sale contract, a contract for the provision of services, a loan, or another type of legal contract. Depending on the nature of the documents, they are regulated by different legislative acts. All this is important to take into account when translating.
Another feature is the need to take into account grammatical structures. They indicate the rights and obligations of each party. Therefore, there should be no errors here either. Inaccuracies and incorrect translation can seriously affect both the execution of contract provisions and decisions during legal proceedings.
That is why the translation of contracts and agreements should be entrusted to professionals.
