Recent Posts

Litigation Translation

In our increasingly international business environment, cross-border litigation is becoming far more common, and that means the need for litigation translation is greater than ever before. The recent sparring between Samsung and Apple is a reminder that high-stakes matters often involve companies based in different countries, speaking different languages.

Legal Translation Costs: Who Should Pay? (Part 2)

We previously explored the issue of who should pay for legal translation services in November of 2011, when the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held in Taniguchi v. Kan Pacific Saipan LTD. 633 F.3d 1218 (9th Cir. 2011) that the district court did not abuse its discretion in awarding legal translation costs to Kan Pacific, including document translation costs (from Japanese to English) as well as interpretation costs. The Court of Appeals interpreted 28 U.S.C. §1920(6) (which grants courts discretion to award costs for the compensation of interpreters) to include document translation as part of the costs to be awarded at the conclusion of litigation.

How To Select a Legal Translation Provider

At most law firms, when a document translation is needed, the usual course of action is to request estimates from several translation companies and pick the cheapest one. This is not unreasonable. Clients are more cost-conscious than ever, and less likely to obtain a legal translation that comes with a hefty price tag. Unfortunately, the cost of fixing a poor translation is much higher than obtaining an accurate translation to begin with, not to mention spillover costs in embarrassment or even potential damage to your case.

Legal Translation: Who Should Pay?

The costs of legal translation incurred during litigation can be enormous. Document translation fees for a complex, cross-border litigation case can easily reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more. Who should pay for translation services, and should the winner be reimbursed for the huge expense? The Supreme Court will weigh in on this…

Document Translation Dispute Irks Judge

Disputes involving document translation are not unusual during patent litigation. What is unusual is for the presiding judge to single out these translation disputes in his decision. But in Gemstar- Tvguide International Inc & Others v Virgin Media Ltd & Another [2011] EWCA Civ 302, Lord Justice Robin Jacob did exactly that. The case hinged…