Understanding the Role of Legal Interpreters and Translators in the UK and Other Types

Trained and qualified Interpreters and Translators are part of the global economy because they contribute significantly to the way the commercial and the business segments operate in different countries. That is why it is so very important to understand the different types of interpretation and translations services that a competent agency can offer you.

Legal interpreters and translators in the UK work with legislative documents and therefore, they need to have extensive knowledge of legal terms and terminologies. The work involves translating and interpreting documents such as litigation papers or financial papers, patents, wills, and legal rulings, etc. The translators and interpreters need to have a vast knowledge of specific terms in both languages with accurate legal terminologies, also called Legalese. 

Besides the legal interpreters and translators in the UK, there are other types of interpreters and translators too. These are:

1. Interpreters - types

• Simultaneous interpreters – these are people who are trained to interpret live – that is as when the conversation is happening, they translate the speaker's words in the other language. Such translators need to be thoroughly proficient in the industry of the speaker, have the intelligence to understand and translate idioms, phrases, and words exactly the way the speaker speaks so that the essence remains precisely the same.
• Consecutive translators are people who translate only after the speaker has paused and finished speaking. These people get the time to take notes and then translate into the language of the audience.

2. Translator – types

• Technical translators – they are responsible for technical documentation in technology-related fields like IT, etc.
• Scientific Translators – they work with documents that relate to science.
• Financial translators – work in the finance industry, with banks, stock exchanges, and more.
• Judicial translators – their work is related to court proceedings.
• Juridical translators – translators who work with legally-binding documents.
• Literary translators – are people who work on written books and need to ensure that the semantic content of the original text is maintained.

Interpreters and translators need to be competent in the region-specific customs and traditions too. For example, a Pakistani interpreter and translator should be competent in the English language as well as the national language of Pakistan, which is Urdu. An Indian interpreter and translator should be specialized in the national language of India, which is Hindi as well as other regional languages of the country if the need is to translate the documents or interpret them in the local vernacular language.