Professional written translation for business — legal, technical, medical texts

Legal and technical translations are two different worlds, though both require precision.

Legal translation covers documents with legal significance: contracts, agreements, founding documents, licenses, court decisions. Here, it’s important to convey not just words but the legal force of formulations that operate in another legal system. One wrong phrase can lead to a breach of contract or legal disputes.

Technical translation is instructions, technical descriptions, specifications, user manuals, certificates of conformity. The main task is to make the information understandable for engineers, users, or technical personnel. Here, mistakes can cost safety or spoil the impression of a product.

Which documents most often require translation

In international business, document translation is not a one-time service but a constant need. Companies that collaborate with foreign partners, enter new markets, or participate in international tenders regularly turn to legal and technical translation.

Legal documents that require translation:

• Contracts and agreements (purchase-sale, lease, subcontracting, service provision). For example, a contract in English or a bilingual contract for a foreign partner.
• Company founding documents (charter, extract from the register, minutes of general meetings), submitted for participation in tenders or registration of branches abroad.
• Court documents — decisions, claims, appeals, needed in international cases.
• Licenses, certificates, powers of attorney, confirming the right to operate, copyrights, intellectual property.
• Legal correspondence, memoranda, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which must be clear to both parties and legally correct.

Technical documentation often translated:

• Operating, installation, maintenance instructions (User Manual, Betriebsanleitung).
• Equipment specifications, product technical descriptions, catalogs.
• Test protocols, declarations of conformity, ISO, CE certificates, etc.
• Project and design documentation, drawings, labeling — all critical for production and supply.
• System documentation for IT projects, API instructions, software documentation.

Translation of such documents requires precise knowledge of terminology, understanding of context, and compliance with the norms of the country where the document is sent. For example, an instruction for equipment exported to Poland must be translated into Polish, adhering to local technical standards and terms.

Medical and pharmaceutical documents also often requiring professional translation:

• Drug instructions.
• Clinical studies.
• Regulatory documents for drug registration.
• Medical reports, test results provided to patients or for international insurance.

All these documents require not just a translator but a specialized professional who understands the subject area and possesses the relevant terminology.

When translation is needed with notarized certification

Not all documents require official certification, but in some cases, notarized translation is indispensable. Typical situations:

• Company registration abroad.
• Submission of documents to court.
• Licensing or certification.
• Cooperation with state institutions.

In such cases, the translation must be not only accurate but also legalized: with notarized certification or an apostille. This confirms that the text matches the original and can be used in official procedures.

Consequences of errors in translations

Professional legal translation into English or translation of technical text is not only a matter of accuracy, it’s also a matter of safety, reputation, and financial responsibility. Translation errors can cost a company much more than the translation itself.

Legal risks:

• One incorrectly translated term in a contract, and it loses legal force.
• For example, in a contract, instead of “irrevocable” (non-revocable), it says “revocable” (can be revoked). Such an error can lead to the termination of the agreement, penalties, or loss of an investor.
• Translation without considering the legal norms of the target country can also cause a refusal in company, product, or patent registration.

Technical risks:

• In an instruction, “seal” is translated as “plomb” (dental filling) instead of “gasket” — and the installer assembles the equipment incorrectly. As a result — an accident or breakdown.
• Real-life example: due to an error in the translation of an operating manual, a manufacturer recalled over 10,000 units of equipment from the market, costing millions of dollars.

Medical errors can be even more serious. Translating the wrong dosage or misinterpreting side effects can have fatal consequences.

An error in translation doesn’t forgive; it costs dearly. That’s why the translation of technical text or legal documentation must be performed by experienced specialists.

Who should do the translation — freelancer or agency?

Not every translation requires a team of 5 people. Sometimes one experienced specialist is quite enough. But there are projects where only a technical document translation agency can guarantee quality, speed, and stability.

When a freelancer is sufficient:

• Small text volume (e.g., a presentation or letter).
• Content without narrow-specialized terminology.
• One document where deadlines are not critical.

However, even in these cases, it’s worth checking the specialist’s experience, availability of work samples, and basic legal responsibility.

When a team is needed:

• Translation of technical documentation where terminological consistency and coherence are important.
• Legal translation of contracts, licenses, documents for foreign partners — adhering to ISO standards.
• Work with large volumes or multiple languages simultaneously.
• Ongoing cooperation where specialist replacement is important in case of illness or vacation.

In a translation agency like Yepanoff, a project involves a manager, translator, editor, and, if needed, a legal consultant or technical expert. This approach minimizes errors and ensures strict deadlines.

Legal translation services or technical documentation translation is a zone of responsibility better entrusted to a team with proven processes, not a single person.

What to pay attention to when ordering a translation

To ensure that the translation of legal documentation or technical texts is not just grammatically correct but truly suitable for work, it’s worth evaluating more than just the price.

Here’s what to consider:

• Certification. Check if the contractor works according to the ISO 17100 standard, which regulates the quality of translation services.
• Experience and narrow specialization. Experience in legal or technical texts is a must. One translator cannot equally well translate both contracts and drawings.
• Glossaries and CAT-tools. Using specialized software (Trados, MemoQ) ensures terminological consistency and speeds up work.
• Availability of editing. If an agency offers only “translation” without an editor, it’s a risk.
• Fixing stages in the contract. Defined deadlines, responsible persons, delivery format — all this must be specified in advance.

Cheap translation of technical texts without checking standards and processes often ends in costs for revisions — or even losses for the business.

List of languages most often used by businesses

There’s no “universal” translation — for each language and field, it’s better to involve a specialized professional. Then the client receives a text that sounds natural and inspires trust. The vast majority of companies seek translation of contracts and documentation into these languages:

1. English — the standard for international agreements. But translating a contract from Ukrainian to English must consider not only grammar but also legal formulations of both legal systems.
2. German — popular in the B2B segment in engineering and pharmaceuticals. It has complex grammar, so English technical translation is much simpler than German.
3. Polish — for Ukrainian companies entering the EU market. Especially relevant for exporting goods and accompanying documents.
4. French and Spanish — for working with Southern Europe and Latin American countries. Here, localization to the cultural context is especially important.

How much you need to pay for translation

The cost of technical translation depends on several factors:

• Text volume — the more pages, the more work, but discounts for large volumes are possible.
• Translation language — for example, translating technical text from English to Russian is usually cheaper than from Chinese or German.
• Topic complexity — technical documentation, pharmaceutical instructions, and contracts require specialized terminology.
• Urgency — translation “for yesterday” costs more.
• Need for notarized certification or formatting — additional services also affect the budget.

Keep in mind that the cost of technical translation usually includes:

• Translator’s work;
• Editing;
• Terminology verification;
• Final proofreading;
• Project management.

It’s important to choose not just by price but by the approach to quality, because fixing errors in important documents is always more expensive than doing it right the first time.

Translation without risks: start with what’s important

Legal agreements, technical descriptions, medical device instructions — all these documents don’t forgive mistakes. If a business is entering international markets, quality translation becomes an essential part of the process.

First, translate:

Contracts, agreements;

• Technical documentation, instructions, specifications;
• Presentations and commercial proposals for partners;
• Legal documentation accompanying supply or cooperation.

When choosing a contractor, be sure to check:

• If the company has experience in your industry;
• If it works according to ISO standards;
• How the process is structured — from assessment to final quality control.

Leave a request at Yepanoff, and we’ll assemble a team for translating your contract or technical documentation, considering your business’s specifics, deadlines, and style. We work accurately, quickly, and in accordance with ISO 17100:2015. If you’re unsure about quality, try testing us by ordering the first 2 pages of a large document for free.