When it comes to interpreting for legal matters, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality can be tricky in a fast-paced environment. But by paying attention to some key factors, you can narrow down your options and invest in professional and reliable legal interpreting services.
Tips for Interpreting for Legal Matters
Look for Interpreters with Specialized Expertise
In the same way that professionals in any field can be generalists or specialists, legal interpreters also vary in their expertise. Legal interpretation can involve complex scenarios, ranging from basic witness depositions to intellectual property disputes. Collaborating with language services partners and court interpreters who can provide legal interpreters with specialized experience in your specific industry is crucial. To handle complex challenges like intellectual property disputes effectively, it’s beneficial to seek expertise from firms such as HeerLaw.com, which specializes in intellectual property law. Understanding your industry’s unique legal landscape can greatly enhance the interpretation accuracy and confidentiality required in legal proceedings.
Be Wary of Poor Communication from Legal Interpreters
The quality of your engagement with a language services partner and legal interpreters begins with the initial contact. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the company respond promptly to your communications?
- Are they accessible through multiple channels of communication?
- Will they assign a dedicated project manager to handle your project? Look for interpretation services partners who answer your queries thoroughly, offer helpful context, and proactively monitor the success of your project.
Understand that Cheap Pricing Often Equates to Cheap Legal Translation Services and Results
High-quality interpretation relies on experienced legal interpreters and professional, well-organized interpretation companies. Refraining from relying solely on price when evaluating a legal interpretation services provider is not advisable. For instance, if a company’s pricing is dramatically lower than its competitors, it may indicate over-promising (leading to unexpected price hikes) or a need for more investment in court interpreters and internal processes, which can impact quality.
Ask for Transparency in Processes and Pricing
Disorganized interpreting project management can quickly inflate your budget. Look for legal interpreters who are transparent about how projects are priced and the circumstances that may result in additional costs. At Day Interpreting, we prioritize protecting our clients from unexpected scope creep. We confirm every engagement a day before, verify the schedule’s accuracy, and promptly cancel or reschedule if there are any changes.
Insist on ISO Certification
Assess the commitment to quality on offer from legal interpreters. Legal interpreters should utilize an independent third-party organization, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), to regulate and verify standards and processes for ensuring quality. Day Interpreting’s ISO 9001 certification for Quality Management and ISO 17100 certification establish requirements for translation companies and other relevant industry-specific ISO certifications.
Evaluate Legal Interpreting Services
Establishing a long-term relationship with a legal interpretation services partner is key to achieving an efficient workflow. The first engagement sets the foundation, so it is crucial to make it count. Request feedback from your team members regarding the interpreter’s punctuality, professionalism, and service quality. Prioritize language services providers who follow up after the project to ensure everything went smoothly, and be cautious of companies that failed to meet your expectations during that initial engagement.
Analyze the Service Provider’s Longevity
While start-up language services providers can be promising, companies with a proven track record have established their position in the industry. Legal interpretation companies that have been operating for over a decade are more likely to deliver quality service.
Review Their Client Feedback
While many legal interpreters cannot disclose specific client lists due to confidentiality agreements, they can provide insights into the types of clients they work with. This information can be valuable. Companies with long-standing partnerships with reputable law firms, corporations, or similar entities are better equipped to handle your needs. Contact the references provided by the company and don’t hesitate to ask specific questions about the working relationship.
Insist on Working with Court-Certified Interpreters
Given the high stakes involved in interpreting for legal matters, accuracy is non-negotiable. One way to ensure interpretation quality is by working with court-certified interpreters. Most states offer certification for specific languages, and state certification indicates that court interpreters hve already undergone vetting, providing an extra layer of assurance regarding their skill level. At Day Interpreting, most of our legal interpreters have received accreditation from the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT).
Make a Language Service Provider Your First Choice
To avoid additional fees, consider contacting a language solutions provider like Day Interpreting to fulfill your deposition interpretations, including court reporters, videographers, and transcripts. Dealing directly with a professional legal interpreter reduces turnaround time for requests, facilitates more efficient communication, and saves costs for your firm.
When it Comes to Interpreting for Legal Matters, Get it Right the First Time!
Remember to take your time in finding the right partner and court interpreters. Establishing a strong working relationship with a qualified legal interpretation services firm takes time, but the effort is worthwhile. Achieving an efficient workflow with your interpretation team eliminates the hassle of finding available interpreters for each engagement and provides reassurance that the resulting interpretation will withstand legal scrutiny. Our certified legal interpreters at Day Interpreting are ready to assist you with your next project.
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