What happens if a translated legal document contains mistakes? Can mistakes by the translator result in a civil or criminal liability suit on him or his contracting company?

One thing's for certain – if a translated legal document contains an error that leads to legal action, the translator will find himself out of work. He may not get sued, but he sure won't get any work for a long, long time. Here are a few cases that highlight the issue: Case Studies: How Legal Interpretation Translation Errors Trigger Lawsuits Before you read the following, know that the courts will likely not distinguish between interpretation and translation, so these cases are applicable for interpreters as well. Way back in 2005, the University of New Mexico Hospital was sued by a civil rights group. The group claimed that the hospital provided unequal healthcare to people who did not speak English. The New York City's Welfare agency was sued for violating the Equal Access To Human Services Act. What had the Agency done to deserve this? Well, the act required the Agency to print its forms in Arabic, Chinese, Haitian, Kreole, Korean, Russian, and Spanish languages, and it had failed to do so. Calloway v. Boro of Glasboro Dept.of Police et al, makes for another interesting case. Calloway, an illiterate and deaf female, was accused of committing criminal sexual activity against a minor. The Police unsuccessfully tried to communicate the charges and her rights in sign language. They then appointed an uncertified interpreter to communicate the Miranda Rights to her. Calloway still could not understand what was going on and asked for her attorney. She was arrested and released on bail within one day. After her release, she sued the police and the interpreter for negligence. She claimed that the interpreter was not qualified to serve her and had incorrectly interpreted what was being communicated by the cops. The court ruled in favor of the interpreter, but the big issue was that the interpreter was made to stand in the dock. This could have ruined her career, irrespective of the fact she was innocent. This is why legal translation is a tricky subject and must be conducted by a professional, certified and preferably sworn translator. What's The Solution? The world is fast becoming a smaller place and the number of global takeovers is increasing, thereby increasing the demand for legal translation. Law is both culture- and region-dependent. Many countries have not updated laws laid down decades ago and some institutions that exist in the source country are not found in the target country. Clients must approach a professional company that specializes in legal translation. In addition, the company must have access to sworn translators that are familiar with a particular region of the source country, if the translation requires it. Professional translation companies also get the output reviewed by another legal translator, and by a lawyer if needed. Working with a freelancer may work out fine, but why take the chance when there are professional translation companies around that deliver high-quality output?