In a world where public procurement markets are opening up to international competition, the legal translation of calls for tender is becoming an imperative. If you're a lawyer, a legal expert in a local authority or an expert in public procurement, you know that a translation error can compromise the admissibility of a tender, or even exclude you from a procedure.
Why is the translation of tenders so sensitive?
Invitations to tender are technical, standardized and legally binding documents. Their translation is not simply a matter of linguistic transposition: it requires a perfect understanding of public law and the rules of public procurement, as well as the local practices of the country concerned.
In a cross-border context, you may be required to respond to a call for tenders issued by a foreign public authority or a European institution. In such cases, the official language of the procedure must be used. An imprecise translation may result in your application being rejected for non-compliance with formal requirements.
Strict technical and terminological requirements
Each call for tenders includes a wide variety of documents: advertising notices, consultation regulations, administrative and technical specifications, price lists, legal appendices, etc. These documents use a precise, codified vocabulary specific to administrative law and public contract law. These documents use a precise, codified lexicon specific to administrative law and public contract law.
Your translation must faithfully reproduce :
- the legal structure of the source text ;
- technical terms related to public procurement (contracting authority, joint venture, award criteria, etc.);
- the specifics of the law applicable in the country issuing the invitation to tender.
A simple literal translation can lead to legal misunderstandings. That's why it's essential to entrust this task to professionals trained in both law and translation.
A concrete example: dispute and exclusion due to a translation error
A French service provider responded to a public invitation to tender issued in Italy. A mistranslation of the subcontracting clause led to an erroneous interpretation by the Italian contracting authority. As a result, the contract was awarded to a competitor, and the French company had to take legal action before a local administrative court, with little chance of success due to the initial confusion.
In another case, a French local authority was asked to produce a certified translation of a European call for tenders as part of a cross-border tax audit. The inaccuracy of certain technical terms led to an urgent request for rectification, under penalty of administrative sanctions.
These examples show just how crucial a reliable legal translation is, not only for compliance, but also for avoiding costly litigation.
Legal 230 expertise: precision for your legal security
At Legal 230, our translators specialize in public law and work exclusively into their mother tongue. Each tender translation is entrusted to professionals who have mastered the legal systems of each country and the terminological subtleties of public procurement law.
Thanks to our double revision method and constant regulatory monitoring, we can guarantee our customers rigorous translations, ready for use before a public authority, a court of law, or in a sensitive contractual context.
Do you need to translate a tender?
Leave nothing to chance. Call on a team that understands your constraints and challenges.
Contact Legal 230 today for fast, expert and confidential handling of your documents.