Reading a contract in another language with AI
How AI translation can help you get the gist of a foreign-language contract, and when you need a qualified person instead.
AI can help you understand what a contract is about. Don't rely on it before you sign, pay or break the deal. Read with it. Then hand the real questions to someone qualified.
Why contracts are a hard case
Contracts use ordinary words in exact ways.1 Legal language "poses a significant challenge to machine translation tools" because of its precise nature. Researchers recommend that a human translator review machine output for accuracy. Some courts prohibit its use in formal proceedings.
2 Another source notes that words are often ambiguous. In a contract, one ambiguous word can change who owes what.
Two uses side by side
| Reading to understand | Relying on to act | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | Working out whether a supplier's draft covers delivery | Signing, paying, or ending an agreement |
| Is a machine draft enough? | It can give a rough picture | No. Ask a qualified person |
| Who should be involved | You, with care | A qualified translator and, for legal meaning, a lawyer |
The "example" row is illustration only. The advice in the last two rows follows the research recommendation above.
A sensible way to use AI on a contract
- Get the gist. Translate it to learn the topic: price, length, who does what.
- Make a list of terms. Note payment dates, penalties, renewal, cancellation and who's responsible if something goes wrong.
- Mark what you don't understand. Turn these into questions.
- Translate key clauses a second way. A back-translation can show up a clause that has shifted in meaning, but it isn't proof.
- Take the questions and the original to a qualified person. That could be a lawyer, plus a qualified translator if the contract must be understood in your language.
Contracts often hold private terms. Before step one, check how the tool treats your text, as set out on the privacy page.
When a certified translation is needed
Some offices want a formal translation, not a draft.2 Certified translations aim at legal equivalence between the two documents. Some countries "recognize self-declared competence". Others set stricter rules. It all depends on the place, so ask.
3 Australia's certifying body for translators is NAATI, which also lists a legal interpreter credential. That one is for interpreting, not for translating contracts. Look up the local body in your own country, and ask the office that needs the paper what it accepts.
What to do if the contract is already signed
Don't rely on a machine version in a dispute. Keep the original and every translation you made, with dates. Take them all to a lawyer. This page doesn't give legal advice, and the law depends on where you and the other party are.
A few warning signs
- The machine version of a clause contradicts another clause.
- A number, date or name differs between two translations.
- Words like "shall", "may" and "must" seem to change meaning between runs.
- The other party says only their language version counts.
Stop. Each of these is a reason to put the document down and ask a qualified person. Don't guess.
Where the facts come from
- Machine translation, Wikipedia
- Translation, Wikipedia
- NAATI Certification System, NAATI
Keep reading
How AI document translation works and where it goes wrongWhat an AI translation tool is actually doing with your text, and the kinds of mistakes it makes with business documents.
AI translation compared with a human translatorWhen a machine translation is good enough for a business document, and when a trained human translator needs to do the work.
What to check before sending a translated documentA practical way to review a machine translation when you don't speak the other language, from names and numbers to who reads it.