Legal Translation of International Sports Contracts
Legal translations of contracts are often needed in the international world of sports. Any sports fan knows that, regardless of the game, sports are becoming more and more international in scope. However, what most sports fans fail to realize is that in order to play professional sports in the United States, an entire legal process must first occur. And professional translation services are an integral part of this process.
Take, for example, the issue of contracts. In most major sporting leagues, players’ contracts are negotiated as part of a collective bargaining process lead by that particular sports players’ union. In essence, a collective bargaining agreement is the contract that exists between the league and the union and states the rules and procedures of operation – including salary caps, methods of determining salaries, rules for trades and drafts.
As foreign language speaking players become more involved in sports, the players’ union must ensure their interests are fully represented in the collective bargaining process. Thus, in order to create a valid contract, an attorney representing the players’ union, league, team, or individual player must be able to show that the non-English-speaking player understood and knowingly consented to any agreement reached. To accomplish this, foreign language interpreters must assist in the bargaining process and foreign language translations of all legal documents must be provided.