It may seem exaggerated, I know. But when we talk about international contracts, a poorly chosen word has the power to undo months of work. And yes, a sworn translator can be that silent but decisive figure who prevents everything from falling apart.
Let me tell you a real story, so real it could happen to you. One of those situations where a sworn translation, done with rigor, on time, and with good judgment, made the difference between closing a deal or losing everything.
It all started with a “quick translation”
A Spanish tech company was on the verge of achieving its first major milestone outside the country. The contract was practically closed, meetings finished, details polished. There was just one last step: sending the documentation translated into the foreign partner’s language.
And that’s where they stumbled. To save time and cut some costs, they opted for a “makeshift” solution: a friend who “manages” the language well enough because they had lived abroad for a few years. No training. No experience in legal translation.
The error was in a single sentence
In the original Spanish contract, one clause said the following:
“The supplier may be penalized up to 5% of the total contract value for each week of unjustified delay.”
Clear enough, right? It’s a possibility, a penalty subject to discretion. The problem was that in the translation, the phrase “may be penalized” was changed to the definitive “will be penalized.” It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it was.
That small change altered everything. What was flexible became an inflexible demand. And from the other side of the agreement, they read it as a punitive and disproportionate clause.
Immediate suspension
Not two days passed before the contract reached the foreign partner’s legal department. The response was swift: they suspended the signing. Just like that.
The argument was simple: the conditions no longer seemed reasonable. Something didn’t add up. The spirit of collaboration they had felt during the negotiations was not reflected in that document.
And so, what promised to be a huge step forward, was left hanging by a single poorly translated sentence.
The moment of the sworn translator
With the company team in alarm mode, someone said what everyone was thinking but no one had done: “What if we call a sworn translator?”
Less than 24 hours later, a certified professional was reviewing the contract, pointing out every incorrect nuance, and delivering a new sworn translation, this time with full legal validity, precise terminology, and adapted to the legal framework of both countries.
But it didn’t stop there. They also included an explanatory report with the key legal aspects of the most delicate clauses, clarifying any ambiguities and justifying each terminological decision.
That gesture, as professional as it was human, was what calmed the waters. The international client’s legal team understood that it had been a misunderstanding, not a bad intention.
Contract saved (by a hair)
And yes, the deal was back on track. A few days later, both parties signed the contract. They celebrated the start of a solid collaboration that, by a hair, almost fell apart because of such a small yet avoidable error.
What’s the moral?
In legal or contractual matters, it’s not enough to understand the language. You need to master the jargon, correctly interpret the legal context, and ensure that what’s translated holds the same legal force as the original. And that’s where a sworn translator comes into play.
What exactly does a sworn translator do?
A sworn translator is more than just someone who translates. They are a professional accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who can make translations with legal validity. That is, documents that can be submitted to official bodies, courts, or notaries. Among these are:
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International contracts
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Notarial deeds
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Court rulings
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Official certificates
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Financial reports
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Corporate statutes
All of these translations are sealed, signed, and registered. It’s not just protocol: they carry legal responsibility. What a sworn translator signs can have real legal consequences.
The key is precision
Cases like this aren’t rare. In the business world, interpretation errors happen more often than we would like. And the sad thing is that many could be avoided with such a simple decision as hiring a sworn translator from the start.
Because translating isn’t copying words. It’s knowing exactly how to say what you want to say, without losing anything in the process. And when legal documents are involved, you can’t afford any margin for error.