Under the Korean Civil Procedural Law, every foreign document should be submitted with its Korean translation in order to be duly admitted as evidence. The need, however, for legal translation is not confined to the realm of litigation. You may need a translation of a critical business contract, a financial statement, patent/trademark documents, birth/marriage certificate, or court’s judgment. With that said, when you face up with any legal issue involving a Korean law or a Korean party, the document translation into or from Korean is somewhat inevitable.

It is needless to say that absolute accuracy is called for because mistranslation of a passage or even a word could lead to negative legal ramifications. That is why the legal translation should be performed by legal professionals equipped with judicial and legal knowledge and experience.

We have seen people just go to ordinary translation service providers and end up with problematic translations. When the translator does not understand the legal implication and purpose of the document, her translation cannot deliver the true meaning of the document and could even deteriorate the value of the document.

The competent legal translator should find which part of the document is the core of the document from a legal point of view, and should fully elaborate on that part, using easy and perfectly matching words which can harmonize two different legal systems. But many ordinary translators overlook this point.

Therefore, it is highly advisable to find professional translators specialized in legal translation. When you have a chance to talk with a translator, make sure to ask if she has a professional or educational background in law. By the way, many Korean law firms do provide legal translation services. So, if you are not sure about the translator’s competency, it is a good idea to contact Korean law firms.

Of course, our office provides a legal document translation service from English to Korean and Korean to English.  Our office is unique in that every translation is performed by a Korean qualified attorney.

If you have any questions about the translation of legal documents, please visit our Legal Consultation center or send your inquiry email by clicking here. Our Korean licensed lawyers will answer your inquiry.

© 2010 Wonil Chung, Korean Licensed Lawyer, Chung & Partners, Korean Law Firm. All rights reserved.