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As we did for technical translations and life sciences, today we’ll take a look at the advantages of using CAT tools in the field of legal translations.
ASTW translates legal and judicial documents, entrusting them exclusively to experienced professionals. Whether in-house or freelance translators, our linguists are native-speaking lawyers registered with the professional associations where they live. Or they are translation professionals with an educational background that includes legal studies.
In each of the two scenarios, we entrust these texts exclusively to experts in the field, capable of combining linguistic and translation skills with an in-depth knowledge of legal terminology and law.
It would be impossible to provide a complete list of these documents, which most commonly include various kinds of contracts, technical reports, divorce agreements, judgements and procedural documents, appeals, certificates, wills and notary declarations.
Given the extremely sensitive and delicate nature of these documents, relying on an expert is essential for the success of the process. The utmost attention must be given, as a single term can change, and in the worst case invalidate, the legal and administrative value of a document.
CAT Tools have proved to be a faithful ally of translators for years, as a very useful tool that guarantees maximum quality.
If you would like to learn more about CAT tools and computer-assisted translation, we recommend our video on machine translation post-editing.
LEGAL TRANSLATIONS: ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY
Accuracy and reliability are the characteristics to look for when carrying out legal translations.
And they are precisely the features offered by computer-aided translation tools.
Shared by the other translation sectors, the advantages are obvious, and this is the key to CAT tools. Let’s take a closer look.
TRANSLATION MEMORIES
Translation memories (TMs) are nothing more than ‘databases’ in which the translations completed by the linguist are (automatically) saved. The subdivision by text segments ensures a detailed division of the entire document. If the same segment, or a portion of it, appears in a different document, the TM will suggest the segment already translated to the professional. It is of course the linguist’s choice whether and how to use this tool.
TMs can be client- or sector-specific and are enriched from time to time with the segments approved by both the translator and the reviser.
TERMBASES
Another machine translation tool is termbases. Their underlying principle is similar to that used for TMs.
These terminology databases allow to search, check and choose specific terms or keywords in the text. Having a quality termbase allows to quickly find a precise match, saving time and effort in finding a suitable translation for a specific term. Another advantage of these termbases is the guarantee of terminological consistency, ensuring a given term will always be translated in the same way.
QUALITY CONTROL
Last but not least, machine translation allows the use of various quality control (QA) functions. From spell check to tag inconsistencies up to the correct correspondence (and obviously presence) of numbers within the source and target text, eliminating possible oversights.
All this translates (pardon the pun) into less time necessary, reducing translation costs.
For more information, visit our dedicated page.
English translation and adaptation by Sarah Schneider
