Summary Translation Services
In complex international litigation, it is often economically infeasible to translate every foreign-language document contained in the file. And sometimes the client only needs to extract certain information from documents instead of submitting word-for-word translations. As a practical alternative to save time and money, Lingua Franca offers a Summary Translation service. This means that a certified translator with expertise in the subject matter will review the global database of potentially responsive materials and provide a written summary, either document-by-document or in groups, so that the lead attorney can select which files are worth translating in full. Of course, these summary translations themselves are not admissible in Court.
Additionally, Lingua Franca has experienced legal translators available to work side-by-side with associates, discovery paralegals, and independent coders to help identify key foreign words and phrases necessary to search for potential “hot” documents in a larger set of documents produced in discovery. Our team can later provide written summaries of potential responsive materials or even orally summarize documents as they are being culled from the source database to help clients analyze the production more effectively.
Summary translations are also used on a rolling basis when translations are needed in real time. This way, the import and substance of recently published documents – newspaper articles, blogs, social media posts, and other periodicals can be conveyed to the client almost as soon as they are disseminated. This would help keep track, for instance, of foreign news stories regarding high profile cases and social media reactions as they are trending.