Legal translation
Translation of legal documents into more than 40 languages including contracts, court rulings, articles of association, statutes, prospectuses and agreements.
Translation of legal documents
Legal translation can involve a wide range of texts. One common denominator might be that there is an agreement between two or more parties, such as a contract, purchase agreement or lease, but legal translation can also include various documentation relating to legal proceedings.
We also translate corporate documents such as codes of ethics or codes of conduct, policies on anticorruption or financial risk, whistleblower policies and other types of HR policies. These are essentially documents in which a company undertakes to comply with certain rules or standards over and above what is required in national or international laws. Other documents may include supplier policies that describe requirements relating to insurance, pay levels and safety procedures. Our clients often request translation of these documents in all of the languages spoken in the markets where they operate.
Our translations are always produced by professional translators, but in the case of legal texts, sometimes a certified translation is required depending on the context in which they will be used. Read more in the section below. Some public bodies such as courts and government agencies or educational institutions – in Sweden and abroad – may require a certified translation. Find out what applies in your case or contact us and we’ll help you to determine what is required.
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Certified translation – in Sweden and other countries
We receive numerous inquiries about authorised, certified or notorised translations and what makes this type of translation different from others. Strictly speaking, a translation can only be correct or incorrect in relation to the original text. What people wonder about is whether a translation needs to be authorised in some way, for example produced by a translator who is certified or authorised and sets their stamp on the translation, or if a stamp from a notary public is required. Examples of documents that may require this in their translated form are education certificates, certificates of employments, registration certificates, various agreements and contracts or court rulings, decisions and other official documents.
Companies and translation agencies cannot become certified – only individual translators can – and Novoterm itself is therefore not certified. But we can provide you with accurate legal translations and issue a certificate confirming the translation’s authenticity and accuracy. A translator who has been certified by the Swedish government is authorised to translate and attest to a translation’s accuracy. Translators certified in another country, such as by the ATA or CIoL, are generally authorised to confirm that a translation is accurate.
The exact requirements for a legal translation may vary and we therefore always emphasise the importance of checking what applies in your specific case. Sometimes a translation does not need to be certified even if you might think it does. In some countries, only translators who are selected and assigned by the government may produce translations that will be used in a public authority context. Furthermore, a legal translation performed by an authorised Swedish translator may need to be notorised if the Swedish translator’s stamp is not valid in other countries.
If you need help as a private individual, we recommend contacting an authorised translator directly. For more information, see Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency, or Federation of Authorised translators, FAT. There you can find authorised translators who translate from Swedish to English and vice versa, and also numerous other languages.
Our expertise in legal translation
Commercial agreements and terms & conditions
We can provide translation of commercial agreements and other types of contracts, confidentiality agreements and purchasing terms & conditions. Translation of these documents may be needed if your business is involved in importing or exporting, or if you want to expand into a new market. Other examples include translation of supplier, partnership or franchise agreements.
Legal documents for corporate contexts
Statutes, articles of association, AGM documents and board meeting minutes are important documents for companies, their shareholders and other stakeholders. Translation of these must therefore reflect both the structure and content with absolute precision.
Official documents
Decisions from authorities in various matters, instructions that describe how to comply with laws and regulations in practical terms may need to be translated so that, for example, foreign companies, organisations and others who want to operate in Sweden will be able to read them. Studies, reports and various permit documents may also need to be translated for the same reason.
Legal proceedings and court documents
Rulings, law suits, mediation agreements and other documents linked to legal proceedings require accurate legal terminology and a clear structure. Regardless of whether a court case will take place in Sweden or in a foreign court, documents may need to be translated depending on which parties are involved. In such situations it is crucial for the translated document to be entirely accurate with no room for misinterpretation.
What do we translate in the legal field?
We translate various types of internal and external legal documents for companies. Our clients often request translation of these documents in all of the languages spoken in the markets where the company operates. Certain financial documents, such as prospectuses produced for IPOs or when new shares are issued, contain sections of legal language. Our specialised translators can translate these for our clients. The translators that work on these assignments have many years of experience in this field.
Examples of legal documents we translate:
Legal precision and translations you can trust
At Novoterm we understand the importance of precision in the legal field, where using specific terms is crucial. To ensure that our translations are precise and that legally correct terminology is used, we choose specialised translators with specific experience in the area.
We have extensive experience of legal translation projects that are complex and executed under time pressure. The translation is performed with the help of professional translation tools, for timely and structured management of the material and to ensure terminology consistency. In these types of assignments we also often work closely with another party, such as a law firm representing the client.
Translation and language review for your industry
Contact Novoterm
Do you need help with translation or language review? Please contact us!
