Whether your law firm practices locally or internationally, you should consider adding a foreign language translation of your materials to your marketing plan. As the non-English-speaking population continues to grow, the competition to market legal services specifically towards this multilingual population will continue to intensify. Likewise, international law firms deal with a non-English speaking client base. And the best way to reach these groups is by doing a foreign language translation of all your marketing materials, particularly your Web site.
of Web sites come in several formats. Many law firms use a verbatim
foreign language translation of the content found on their main Web
site. Some law firms offer a foreign language translation of various
parts of the main Web site, while other law firms create an entirely
separate and unique Web site for a given language audience.
Although a verbatim translation works for understanding some rudimentary texts, it can cause problems. Just because saying something in English makes sense does not necessarily mean it will translate with the same meaning into a foreign language and culture. This is particularly true when talking about specific legal terms and concepts. To protect your law firm from potential liability, it is important that all the foreign language translations of your marketing materials take into account cultural differences.
For additional information, read our earlier legal translation blog post “Legal Document Translation- the Other Side of Language Translation Process”, located here, as well as
“Are Your Gambling with Your Law Firm’s Document Translation Needs?”, found here;
and our translation company’s foreign language translation and interpreting tips; and our professional translation agency’s legal translation and interpreting tips.