Translation of Commercial Contracts: Legal Validity and Key Considerations
Everything you need to know for legally valid translation of international commercial contracts: process, risks, and expert recommendations.
The Importance of Translation in Commercial Contracts
Mistranslating a single word in a contract opens the door to different interpretations of the parties' obligations, payment terms, or dispute resolution provisions. For this reason, it is essential to work with specialist translators who are proficient in legal terminology for commercial documents.
Commonly Translated Commercial Documents
- Sales and purchase agreements
- Distribution and dealership agreements
- Partnership and share transfer agreements
- Non-disclosure (NDA) agreements
- Banking and financing documents
- Export-import contracts
Critical Concepts in Legal Translation
Force majeure: The scope in the English or German text may not always exactly overlap with its counterpart in Turkish law. Arbitration / Tahkim: Incorrect conveyance of the dispute resolution mechanism can affect the validity of the contract. Indemnification / Tazminat: The conceptual difference between legal systems sometimes gives rise to translations requiring explanatory footnotes.Bilingual Contracts
Some international companies prepare bilingual (parallel column) contracts valid in both languages. In this case, which language shall prevail in the event of a conflict between the two languages must be explicitly stated in the contract.
Warning: Do Not Use Automatic Translation
Tools such as DeepL or Google Translate can cause serious loss of meaning in commercial contracts. Using machine translation uncorrected in legal documents carries both professional and legal risks.
Zorlu Tercüme's Legal Translation Service
With our translators experienced in legal content, we translate your company documents, contracts, and commercial correspondence quickly, accurately, and confidentially. We also provide complete service for documents requiring sworn approval.