What is summarization translation and when should you use it

What is summarization translation and when should you use it

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase translation services? If you’re like most people you’ll think of the, oftentimes, laborious task of a document being translated word-for-word. The truth is, translations span from machine translation to a variety of professional translation services.

Basic machine translation, such as Google Translate can provide you with the gist of the text, so you have a general idea of the content. However, translations, such as website translations, marketing material, etc., are best left to professional translators that are fluent in the language. The reason to use human translators for some of your translation needs is that they have a deeper understanding of the language nuances, and can better craft copy to impact your target audience. 

Then there are summarization translations, which can save you both time and money. These work a little bit differently, and can be beneficial in helping you make the right decisions for your clients, as well as accelerate the completion of the project.

Summarization translation described

Not a word-for-word translation, a summarization translation is a brief overview of the key points in a document, written in the target language. 

More precisely, a professional translator will read through the details of the source document. Once this person has a good understanding of the content, they will summarize the important points into the target language. Although extremely effective, these types of translations are most beneficial in the legal field for reviewing important case and research information.

When to use summarizations

As previously mentioned, summary translation is often used in the legal industry to review data, laws, or research. Legal professionals often rely on summary translation to quickly gain an understanding of case materials, for fast turn around time of a document or to make a decision in a short period of time. Let’s take a closer look at when you should use summarization translation.

  • Journal articles, manuals, and academic books

If you’re in the legal field, you know only too well the amount of information contained in legal articles and books. Pouring through endless content is both labor and time intensive. To quickly get the information you need, a summarization translation will provide a brief overview of the data found in the source articles and research documents. Unless you’re submitting case files as evidence, in which case word-for-word file translation will be necessary, a summarization translation of the files will provide exactly what you need.

  • Contracts and agreements

For legal reasons, contracts and agreements are often filled with standard jargon. And, for this reason you typically don’t need a word-for-word translation of “boilerplate” text .

A summarization translation provides the highlights, as outlined in the contract or agreement, enabling you to understand what both parties are agreeing to, as well as any other important pieces of information. With this information, you and your client can progress with confidence much faster, and for less money.

  •  Laws and regulations

While it’s important for you to have an understanding of the laws and regulations in other countries, you don’t always need a verbatim translation. With a summarization translation, you’ll have a good understanding of the details as they apply to your current case.

  • Case summaries

When all you need to know is what happened in a case and the outcome, you just need the facts. It’s no secret that translating legal arbitration word-for-word is typically time-consuming. When all you need are the key points of what happened during a case, a summarization translation will give you exactly what you need.

Summary

As you can see, summarization translations are ideal for many legal situations. Since lawyers often only need to get the gist of a document when reviewing legal resources, rules, or legal case summaries, summarization translations enable them to make faster decisions, while reducing translation costs.

If you’d like to learn more about how BURG Translations helps you ensure high quality legal translations, contact us today.

Image: PhotoSpin