Overview
SIST ISO 20771:2021 - Legal translation - Requirements defines the professional baseline for individual legal translators, revisers and reviewers. The standard specifies the competences and qualifications, core translation processes, resources, confidentiality, record-keeping and continuing professional development (CPD) needed to deliver high‑quality legal translation services. It is intended to help practitioners demonstrate conformity of their legal translation work to recognized international requirements. Note: the use of raw machine translation plus post‑editing is outside the scope; consulting MT resources without full post‑editing remains permitted. Interpreting services are not covered.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Competences and qualifications: requirements for legal translators, revisers and reviewers to ensure linguistic, legal-system and specialist subject-matter competence.
- Translation process: core process steps such as agreement/specification, project preparation, translation, check, revision/review, verification, sign‑off and record keeping.
- Roles and responsibilities: clear delineation of translator, reviser and reviewer tasks, and expectations for cooperation with clients and stakeholders.
- Quality controls: procedures for checks, bilingual revision and monolingual review to ensure factual and linguistic accuracy and suitability for the agreed purpose.
- Confidentiality and security: obligations and practical measures to protect sensitive legal content, including guidance on professional liability and insurance.
- Professional development (CPD): ongoing training, documented proof of CPD activities and professional involvement to maintain competence.
- Documentation and records: requirements for keeping records of work, specifications, and corrective actions (complaints and nonconformities).
- Scope exclusions: machine translation output plus post‑editing is excluded; consulting MT tools by a translator is not considered MT + post‑editing.
Practical applications
- Use SIST ISO 20771:2021 to:
- Demonstrate professional conformity when supplying legal translations to courts, law firms, public authorities and corporate legal departments.
- Design internal workflows and quality assurance procedures for freelance legal translators and small practices.
- Define job descriptions, tender responses and contracts with clear role definitions (translator, reviser, reviewer).
- Establish CPD policies and evidence for auditors or clients requesting proof of ongoing competence.
- Strengthen confidentiality, record-keeping and liability arrangements for sensitive legal projects.
Who should use this standard
- Individual legal translators and specialist revisers/reviewers
- Freelancers and small translation practices offering legal translation services
- Legal departments, courts and public authorities that engage translators
- Quality managers and procurement officers drafting service specifications
Related standards
- ISO 17100:2015 - Translation services - Service requirements (project management, specifications)
- ISO 20539:2019 - Human translation process concepts and terms
- ISO/TR 20694:2018 - Translation quality assessment (language register and conventions)
Keywords: SIST ISO 20771:2021, legal translation, requirements, translator competence, reviser, reviewer, confidentiality, CPD, translation process, legal translator standard.