As straightforward as legal cases may seem to outsiders, they often involve unseen complexities that only attorneys and their assistants face, such as the need for foreign language services for court trials, affidavits, and attorney-client consultations. Several factors influence a law firm’s need for a translation service, such as its demographics, geographic location, and area of practice. For example, a law firm in Los Angeles that specializes in immigration law would need more services in Spanish than a Midwestern law firm that specializes in estate planning. However, regardless of a law firm’s language needs, securing them in the right place affects the quality and availability of service. With this in mind, many law firms choose to hire translation professionals through a court reporting agency rather than a translation service.
Foreign language services through a court reporting agency
While a translation service would seem to be the best option for hiring translators, there are advantages to hiring translators through a court reporting agency, three of which we list below.
1. Trained knowledge of legal procedures
Because affidavits and court trials can be unique opportunities to obtain critical information, it pays to hire a translator who is professionally trained to provide translation for an affidavit and/or court trial, as a translator does not The trained person could easily speak to a witness/client in a way that a lawyer does not intend to, even siding with the person against the lawyer. To ensure that translators perform their role in a professional manner, it is best to hire them through a court reporting agency that reviews their work experience.
2. Trained knowledge of specific terminology
When a case involves complex terminology, it is helpful to have a translator who understands the terminology and can fluently explain it to a witness/client, as disruptions in the deposition/examination processes can weaken a lawyer’s control over the exchange. Unlike your average translation service, many court reporting agencies specialize in providing legal support professionals who have a firm grasp of specific bodies of terminology, such as medical terminology, business terminology, and financial terminology. While a difference in native languages can create a communication barrier, so can a translator’s inability to effectively communicate the meaning of complex terminology.
3. Availability of Additional Legal Support Assistance
Unless a law firm prefers to perform its legal support services in-house (an expensive arrangement in today’s cost-saving culture), you might benefit from building a relationship with a support agency that offers various types of legal assistance, such as court reporting agencies are one example. In addition to offering language translation, reporting agencies also offer the following services, among others: complex litigation assistance, document recovery, document review, legal video, and court reporting.