Translation for Law Firms
Translation of exhibits, pleadings, contracts and documentary evidence for Canadian law firms and notaries. Certified translators where the court requires one.
What does Asiatis translate for law firms?
Asiatis translates what goes into the file: exhibits, pleadings, contracts, expert reports and foreign-language documentary evidence. Where the court or the body requires a certified translation, it is produced by a translator certified by a provincial order, with their declaration and seal.
Documents handled
Each document type raises a difficulty of its own — and that is what decides how the engagement is organized.
Exhibits and documentary evidence
Often foreign-language and of uneven quality: emails, messages, statements. The source is carried over as it stands, errors included.
Pleadings
Form and headings are set by the court seized of the matter; translation does not reinvent them.
Contracts and agreements
A term rendered two different ways inside one contract creates an ambiguity the other side can use.
Expert reports
Another profession's vocabulary — medicine, engineering, accounting — set inside a legal frame.
Notarial deeds and corporate documents
Settled formulas whose equivalent shifts between civil law and common law.
Correspondence and demand letters
Tone is part of the content: a demand letter softened in translation loses its legal effect.
Industry vocabulary
A few terms where the calque is expensive. They enter the account glossary on the first engagement.
- Mise en demeure
- "Demand letter" only half covers it: in Quebec civil law the mise en demeure produces legal effects of its own.
- Sûreté
- Means "security" in the sense of a charge over property — never "safety", never a traded security.
- Prescription
- Means "limitation period". A complete false friend for the medical sense.
- Hypothèque
- Covers more than "mortgage": in Quebec law a hypothec may bear on movable property.
Applicable regulatory requirements
What makes translation mandatory in this sector, and under whose authority. We tell you what applies to your situation before the quote, not after the invoice.
Charter of the French Language
Pleadings issued by a legal person and filed before a Quebec court are accompanied by a certified French version.
Official source: Charter of the French Language (CQLR c. C-11) — LégisQuébecProfessional translator orders (OTTIAQ, ATIO, STIBC)
A certified translation carries the declaration and seal of a translator certified by a provincial order.
Official source: OTTIAQ — Quebec order of translatorsCourt rules of procedure
A foreign-language exhibit is accompanied by a translation to be admissible; the court seized sets the required form.
Official source: Code of Civil Procedure (CQLR c. C-25.01)Professional secrecy
The translator assigned to the file is bound to confidentiality on the same footing as the firm's own staff.
Official source: Professional Code (CQLR c. C-26)
Last regulatory review: July 27, 2026. Provided for information only. This is not legal advice. Consult legal counsel for your own situation.
Most requested language pairs
Standard translation rates per word. Certified translation is billed differently and delivered in 2 to 3 business days.
| Language pair | Standard rate per word |
|---|---|
| English ↔ French (Quebec/Canada) | $0.17 – $0.19/word |
| English ↔ Arabic | $0.18 – $0.20/word |
| English ↔ Farsi/Persian | $0.18 – $0.20/word |
| English ↔ Russian | $0.18 – $0.20/word |
The full grid is on the pricing page.
A representative engagement
Voluminous foreign evidence
A commercial dispute rests on several thousand foreign-language messages and emails, only a fraction of which will be produced. The engagement runs in two stages: a fast overview lets the team identify the useful documents, then only those go to certified translation for filing. Translating everything to filing quality up front would cost several times the real engagement, for exhibits that will never be used.
Sector questions
When is a certified translation required?
When the court or the body calls for one — common for pleadings in Quebec and for foreign-language exhibits. We tell you before starting, because the difference in cost and turnaround is real.
Do you correct errors in the source document?
No. An exhibit is reproduced as it stands, errors and awkwardness included: what is in evidence is the document, not an improved version of it. Illegible passages are flagged.
How do you handle a file under professional secrecy?
One translator sees it, under a non-disclosure agreement, and the file stays in secure storage. We will sign your firm's own agreement if it imposes one.
Can you translate inside a tight procedural deadline?
Often, yes, by isolating only the exhibits to be produced. Tell us the hearing date before the quote: it changes how the engagement is organized.
A project in this sector?
Send us your documents and your deadlines. You get a quote Quote in 1 business hour, spelling out what is a regulatory obligation and what is not.
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