Foreign language translation services, and namely, legal translation services, play a key role in international franchising. One of the first things to be seen when an emerging market begins to open up is an influx of international franchising chains. This was seen in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and is now being seen in Central Asia. However, taking a franchise overseas involves numerous legal steps – often done in the emerging market’s native language.
The first step is to access the market’s economic potential, followed by a thorough due diligence check. Both of these steps will require foreign language translations and foreign language interpreters. But most importantly is navigating the legal process of taking a U.S.-based franchise overseas. First, one must satisfy the legal requirements to gain the rights to establish a franchise overseas. Although this will be done in English, all documents should be translated into the language of the target market in order to satisfy that country’s requirements for demonstrating ownership rights.
In the actual foreign country, one must also satisfy the necessary legal steps for setting up a business. This process will most likely be done in that country’s native language and, thus, require a foreign language translation of both the statutes and the required filings.
To read our legal translation blog post “Professional Translation Services, Legal Translations and International Franchise Mediation”, click here.