Legal Translation Services by Professional Translators
Legal language translation services provide great opportunities to educate non-English-speaking clients in their languages. The only important factor is to determine, what kind of information will be relevant to them. Take, for example, “notario publico“. In Latin American countries the “notario publico” is a well-respected attorney who has taken an additional certification exam and draws up documents, known as “public notarial instruments” or “public deeds.” A U.S. notary, on the other hand, is forbidden from preparing legal documents or giving legal advice, unless he is also an attorney.
This difference, however, is often lost in translation. Many Spanish-speakers, new to this country, believe that a notary public here is a lawyer.
To protect non-English-speaking consumers from unscrupulous “immigration consultants”, who take advantage of the false cognate between these Spanish and English words, some states have passed legislation prohibiting the use of the term “notario publico” in advertising aimed at the Spanish-speaking public.
A new law recently passed in Indiana makes it illegal for a notary public to advertise in either Spanish, English or both languages without including the following disclosure: “I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in Indiana, and I may not give legal advice or accept fees for legal advice.”
A law firm that publishes information like this on its Web site, or blog, or makes public service announcements about it in the Spanish language will gain a lot of credibility in the Spanish-speaking community.