Legal Translation

Legal Translation Skill v0.2.0

Legal translation that thinks about legal effect, not literal words.

This skill is the international extension of Modern Jurist — a legal translation app originally built for the Indian legal ecosystem (English ↔ Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada), which reached an advanced stage of development and was recognised for its approach of translating legal intent and effect, not just words. This skill takes that same philosophy global: every language pair, every jurisdiction, every document type.

The goal is not to produce a finished translation. The goal is to produce a high-quality draft that a bilingual lawyer or qualified legal translator can review, verify, and finalise for use.

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Audience

This skill is designed for use by:

• Bilingual lawyers reviewing AI-assisted drafts before client or court use
• Qualified legal translators using AI to accelerate first-draft production
• In-house counsel working across jurisdictions who need a working draft for review
• Legal paralegals preparing documents for supervising lawyer sign-off

Not for: end-clients self-serving translations of binding instruments without lawyer review. Every output from this skill is a draft, not a final-form instrument.

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Not in Scope

Stop and redirect if the request falls into any of these categories:

• Certified / sworn translations required for court filing, immigration authorities, or official government submission — route to a credentialed sworn translator in the relevant jurisdiction
• Apostilled documents where the translation must itself be re-apostilled — the apostille chain requires a human certified translator
• Jurisdictions with statutory restrictions on AI-assisted translation of court filings or legal instruments (check local bar rules before proceeding)
• Documents where no bilingual reviewer is available — if the user cannot identify a qualified bilingual reviewer, do not produce a full translation; explain why and suggest they engage a certified translator
• Requests for legal advice on the translated content — this skill translates; it does not advise on legal effect in the target jurisdiction

If any of the above applies, say so clearly and stop.

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Work Shape

This is accretive-judgment work — the output is a draft for a bilingual reviewer, not a final-form instrument. Every output must:

1. Be watermarked: ⚠ DRAFT — Bilingual lawyer or qualified legal translator review required before execution or filing
2. Include clause-level confidence bands (see Step 3)
3. Include at least one specific clause flagged for lawyer review in Translator's Notes
4. End with the delegation gate (see Step 6)

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Escalation Triggers — Halt and Ask

Stop translating and ask the user before proceeding if any of the following apply:

• Document type cannot be identified — ask the user to describe it
• Source or target jurisdiction is unclear — do not assume; ask
• Target language not specified — ask; never assume from context
• Document contains untranslatable terms with material legal effect — flag each one, explain the gap, ask how to proceed
• Request is for a certified/sworn output — explain this is out of scope; redirect
• Governing law clause conflicts with party addresses or stated jurisdiction — flag the conflict; ask which governs
• Source text is ambiguous in a way that changes legal meaning — do not resolve arbitrarily; flag and ask

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The Four Layers of Legal Translation

Every legal translation must work at all four layers simultaneously:

1. Linguistic — correct grammar, syntax, vocabulary in target language
2. Legal-technical — correct legal terms of art, not dictionary translations
3. Jurisdictional — how this type of document is actually drafted in the target language's legal system
4. Pragmatic — does this read like it was drafted natively? Would a lawyer in the target jurisdiction trust this document?

A translation that passes Layer 1 but fails Layer 4 is useless for legal purposes.

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Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1 — Intake and Analysis

Before translating a single word, analyze the document:

Required inputs — if any are missing, ask before proceeding:

• Source language (required)
• Source jurisdiction (required — do not proceed with assumed jurisdiction)
• Target language (required)
• Target jurisdiction (required — do not proceed with assumed jurisdiction)

Also identify:

• Document type (see Document Type Library below)
• Parties and their roles
• All defined terms (these must be translated consistently throughout)
• Special clauses: arbitration, governing law, force majeure, indemnity, liability caps
• Dates, reference numbers, amounts — note all; they must not change

Read the right reference file:

• For target language conventions → references/legal-language-conventions.md
• For document-type patterns → references/document-type-library.md
• For legal terms across languages → references/legal-glossary.md

State your intake findings briefly before translating, e.g.: > "Detected: English lease agreement (Indian jurisdiction) → Hindi (Maharashtra). Parties: Landlord / Tenant. Defined terms: 8. Special clauses: arbitration (Mumbai seat), notice period. No escalation triggers. Proceeding."

Step 2 — Pre-Translation Glossary Build

For any document over ~200 words, mentally build a translation glossary first:

1. List all defined terms in the source document
2. Assign their target-language equivalents (consistently)
3. Note any terms with no direct equivalent in the target legal system
4. Note proper nouns, company names, reference numbers — flag these as UNTRANSLATED

For long documents, show this glossary to the user before proceeding: > "Before I translate, here are my term mappings: [table]. Does this look right?"

This is the single most important quality step. Inconsistent term translation is the #1 failure mode in legal translation.

Step 3 — Translate with Confidence Bands

The golden rule: Translate legal effect, not legal words.

Assign a confidence band to every clause or section:

| Band | Meaning | |------|---------| | 🟢 H | Standard term with a well-established direct equivalent in the target legal system. Low reviewer burden. | | 🟡 M | Term of art with a documented equivalent, but jurisdictional drift is possible. Reviewer should verify. | | 🔴 L | No direct equivalent in target legal system — explanatory translation only. Lawyer must review and adapt. |

Mark each clause or section with its band in the output: [H], [M], or [L].

Apply these rules without exception:

Structure

• Preserve ALL structural elements: clause numbering (1.1, 1.1.1), headings, sub-headings, schedules, annexures, recitals, definitions sections, signature blocks
• Never merge or split clauses
• Never reorder content
• Tables → preserve as tables; column headers translated, data preserved

Legal Language Conventions

• Use the traditional formal opening for this document type in the target language (see references/document-type-library.md)
• WHEREAS clauses → translate to the traditional recital form in target language
• IN WITNESS WHEREOF → translate to the traditional closing attestation in target language
• Operative words (shall, will, must, may, agrees to) → use their correct legal equivalents, not conversational equivalents
• "Shall" in legal drafting ≠ future tense; it means obligation — translate accordingly

Defined Terms

• Once a term is defined (e.g., "the Company"), use only that translated term everywhere
• Never paraphrase a defined term mid-document
• Definitions section → translate the definition label AND the definition body

Proper Nouns — STRICT RULE

• Party names (people, companies) → NEVER translate, NEVER transliterate unless specifically requested
• Place names → keep in original, add transliteration in parentheses on first use if target uses a different script
• Reference numbers, case numbers, registration numbers → NEVER change

Dates and Numbers — STRICT RULE

• Dates: preserve in original format; optionally add local format in parentheses
• Currency: preserve symbol and amount exactly (₹50,000 stays ₹50,000)
• Percentages, fractions, measurements → never change

Operative vs Recital Language

• Recitals (WHEREAS) → descriptive, past/present tense, translate naturally
• Operative provisions (the actual obligations) → precise, use "shall/will/must" equivalents, no ambiguity
• Definitions → match the formality and precision of the source

Step 4 — Transliteration (when requested or needed)

Transliteration = converting a word's sounds into a different script, while translation = converting its meaning.

When to transliterate vs translate:

| Scenario | Approach | |----------|----------| | Party name in a different script | Transliterate (e.g., "Rahul Sharma" → "راحل شرما" in Urdu script) | | Company name | Transliterate, never translate | | A legal term that exists in the source jurisdiction but not the target | Translate + transliterate original in parentheses | | Place names | Translate official name if one exists; otherwise transliterate | | Currency names | Translate (rupee → روپیہ) | | Legal latin phrases (force majeure, mens rea, etc.) | Keep in Latin; add translated meaning in parentheses |

Transliteration quality rules:

• Use the most widely accepted romanization/script convention for the language pair
• For Devanagari ↔ Latin: use IAST standard for formal/academic; simplified phonetic for legal
• For Arabic ↔ Latin: use simplified ALA-LC for legal documents
• For Cyrillic ↔ Latin: use BGN/PCGN romanization
• For Chinese ↔ Latin: use Hanyu Pinyin with tone marks
• For Japanese ↔ Latin: use Modified Hepburn

Always mark transliterations clearly: [transliteration] or in italics

Step 5 — Format and Present Output

Mandatory output header on every translation:

⚠ DRAFT — Bilingual lawyer or qualified legal translator review required before execution or filing
Skill: legal-translation v0.2.0 | Source: [language/jurisdiction] | Target: [language/jurisdiction]

For inline text (pasted content, short extracts): Show the full translated text in a clean block with confidence bands per clause. Follow with Translator's Notes.

For full documents:

---
⚠ DRAFT — Bilingual lawyer or qualified legal translator review required before execution or filing
---
[DOCUMENT HEADER - translated]
---
[Full translated document body — each clause marked [H], [M], or [L]]
---
TRANSLATOR'S NOTES:
[See Step 6]
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For file inputs (PDF/DOCX) → file outputs:

• Read source file using pdf-reading skill or docx skill as appropriate
• Produce translated DOCX using the docx skill
• Preserve formatting: fonts, spacing, heading styles, tables
• For RTL languages (Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu, Persian): note to user that paragraph direction must be set RTL in Word

For bilingual documents (side-by-side): Present in a two-column table: Original | Translation, clause by clause, with confidence band in a third column.

Step 6 — Translator's Notes and Delegation Gate

Every output ends with this structure:

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES
==================
Confidence summary: [X clauses H] [Y clauses M] [Z clauses L]

Terms with no direct equivalent:
• [term] — [what was chosen and why] [L]

Jurisdictional gaps:
• [any concept that exists in source jurisdiction but not target]

Flagged for mandatory lawyer review:
• Clause [X] — [reason: untranslatable term / jurisdictional gap / operative ambiguity]
• [at least one clause must always be listed here]

Transliteration key:
• [any names or terms that were transliterated]

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DELEGATION GATE

This output is a translation draft, not a final-form legal instrument.

✗ This is NOT legal advice. Interpretation of legal effect in the target 
  jurisdiction is the responsibility of a qualified lawyer in that jurisdiction.

✗ Privilege warning: If this document is privileged or work-product protected,
  sharing it for translation may break privilege unless the translator is within 
  the privilege circle. Confirm with supervising counsel before sharing.

✗ Accountability: The bilingual lawyer or qualified legal translator reviewing 
  this draft is accountable for the final translation — not this skill.

✗ For court filing, official submission, apostilled documents, or certified use:
  engage a sworn/certified translator in the relevant jurisdiction.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

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Failure Modes

(i) Legal advice vs. legal support

This skill provides translation support, not legal advice. It does not and cannot:

• Advise on whether a translated clause will be enforceable in the target jurisdiction
• Advise on whether the original document's terms are commercially appropriate
• Interpret legal effect in the target jurisdiction's courts

Interpretation of legal effect in the target jurisdiction is the local lawyer's call.

(ii) Privilege implications

Translating a privileged document or work-product may break legal professional privilege if the document is shared outside the privilege circle. Before translating any litigation document, draft legal advice, or privileged communication:

• Confirm the translator is within the privilege circle (e.g., engaged by the same client or instructed by the same lawyer)
• Flag this to the user if the document appears to be privileged material

(iii) Accountability gap

This skill produces a draft. The bilingual lawyer or qualified legal translator named in the engagement is accountable for the final translation. This skill is not a substitute for professional accountability.

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File Handling

| Input type | Method | |------------|--------| | Uploaded PDF | Use pdf-reading skill: pdftotext -layout first; rasterize pages if garbled/scanned | | Uploaded DOCX | Use docx skill: extract-text document.docx | | Pasted text | Translate directly | | Scanned image/PDF | Rasterize pages with pdftoppm, read visually via vision, then translate |

| Output type | Method | |-------------|--------| | Chat (default) | Present translated text in clean formatted block with draft watermark | | DOCX output | Use docx skill to produce formatted Word document; include draft watermark in header | | Bilingual DOCX | Two-column table + confidence band column in DOCX via docx skill | | PDF output | Use pdf skill |

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Document Type Library

Quick reference — for full patterns, see references/document-type-library.md.

| Document Type | Key Features to Preserve | |---------------|--------------------------| | Contract / Agreement | Definitions section, operative clauses, representations & warranties, governing law, dispute resolution | | MoU / LoI | Non-binding language, intent clauses, exclusivity provisions | | Affidavit | Solemn declaration language, deponent identity, court reference, jurat | | Power of Attorney | Scope of authority, revocation terms, principal/agent designations | | Will / Testament | Testator identity, beneficiary designations, executor appointment, revocation of prior wills | | Lease / Tenancy Agreement | Property description, rental amounts, term, renewal, termination clauses | | Court Order | Court identity, case reference, operative orders, compliance timelines, judge's authority | | Legal Notice | Notice period, demand/action requested, consequences of non-compliance | | Petition / Application | Court/authority addressed, relief sought, grounds, prayer clause | | Corporate Resolution | Entity identity, quorum, resolution operative language, authorization | | IP Assignment | IP description, consideration, warranty of ownership, assignment operative clause | | Employment Contract | Designation, compensation, IP assignme

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Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: LegalQuants
• Source: LegalQuants/lq-skills
• License: Apache-2.0

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.