M21LEGAL

What is specialised legal translation?

Understand the concept, importance and requirements of specialised legal translation in the service of lawyers and companies.

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Specialised legal translation is a discipline that demands much more than linguistic mastery. It requires in-depth knowledge of both source and target legal systems, absolute terminological rigour and a clear understanding of the context in which each document will be used.

At M21Legal, our translators combine legal training with practical translation experience, ensuring that every document retains its legal meaning, its validity and its accuracy in any language.

Why is it different from general translation?

Legal translation deals with highly specialised terminology, sentence structures specific to legal discourse and concepts that may have no direct equivalent in other legal systems. A translation error can have serious legal consequences, from contract invalidation to the rejection of documents in court.

For this reason, legal translation requires translators with specific training and experience in the field of Law, capable of faithfully understanding and conveying the legal meaning of the original.

Who can carry out legal translation?

A specialised legal translator must possess advanced linguistic skills, legal training (a bachelor's, master's or postgraduate degree in Law or Legal Translation) and proven experience in legal translation projects.

At M21Legal, all translators meet the requirements of the ISO 17100 standard, which establishes rigorous professional qualification criteria for translators.

The role of ISO 17100

The ISO 17100 standard is the international benchmark that defines quality requirements for translation services. It includes the selection of qualified translators, mandatory review by a second linguist and quality control protocols at all stages of the project.

By choosing an ISO 17100 certified company like M21Legal, you are guaranteed auditable processes and consistent results.

Which documents require legal translation?

Commercial contracts, court proceedings, corporate documents, legal opinions, deeds, powers of attorney, compliance documents, international arbitrations, patents, non-disclosure agreements, data protection policies and internal regulations are some of the types of documents that require specialised legal translation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Legal translation refers to thematic specialisation — translating texts of a legal nature. Certified translation is a form of formal validation, where the translator or company attests to the faithfulness of the translation to the original. At M21Legal, we offer both services.
Legal translation alone does not confer legal validity to the document. For official purposes (courts, notaries, public bodies), a certified or sworn translation is required. M21Legal provides certified translations with legal validity in Portugal and abroad, including the Hague Apostille.
The timeline depends on volume, complexity and the language pair. In general, we send the quote within up to 3 working hours and delivery times are defined case by case, with full transparency from the first contact.

Do you need specialised legal translation?

Receive your quote in up to 3 working hours and ensure internationally recognised quality.

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