Legal translations at Språkbolaget

In this article we talk about the translation of legal documents. As a customer, what do you need to consider? What can a legal translator do and not do? What is required for a translation to be legally binding?

Legal texts

The legal field is vast and legal documents can range from law to purchase agreements. As our customer, you can help you with with the translation of various types of agreements, and business contracts, product warranties and licence agreements, collective agreements, employment contracts and procurement documents.

What does a legal translator do?

A legal translator possesses experience in translating legal texts. This includes knowledge of the legal terminology and register used in the field. The translator's task is to create a functional text in the target language, namely their native language. Translators take care to ensure that the tone and register are appropriate for the intended audience. The document you receive in return will have the same content as the one you sent for translation, but in another language.

However, the translator is rarely a lawyer themselves, even though many have some form of training in the subject. Neither the translator nor we as an agency verify that the content of the document complies with laws, regulations or other conditions in the countries where it is to be used.

A translation is a translation: the original is legally binding

In the case of agreements and similar, we must emphasize that the original language is the legally binding version should a dispute arise. It’s common practice to add a sentence at the end of the document to cover this eventuality, such as:This is a translation of the Swedish original. In the event of any inconsistency between the Swedish and English versions, the Swedish version shall prevail.”

For a translation to be considered an original, a legal professional must review it to identify any potential problems, just as one would were a Swedish employee, who is not a lawyer, to write a contract in Swedish.

Will authorisation be necessary?

Documents such as certificates of various kinds; birth certificates, marriage certificates, letters patent, articles of association and similar, must be notarised by a notary public or translated and stamped by an authorised translator for them to be valid in the eyes of the authorities.

A certified translator is authorised by the Kammarkollegiet in Sweden and translates only to or from Swedish.

Språkbolaget has many authorised translators in its network, and we can help you determine whether or not your translation needs an official stamp. We only translate for businesses. We refer private individuals to the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency's (Kammarkollegiet) website.