Legal translation is a complex exercise that demands in-depth knowledge of the law, excellent command of the source and target languages and high-level writing skills. Translating an English contract into French, for instance, entails taking into account the differences between Anglo-Saxon and Roman law. To guarantee that the translation is equivalent – and not identical – to the original document, the translator must establish an equivalence between the principles specific to the two systems, which are often very different. A legal translator does not simply translate – he/she may very often need to carry out research in terminology and comparative law. Legal vocabulary is highly technical and precise and does not suffer the slightest inaccuracy. All the legal translators working with ALTO International have legal training and in some cases are practising lawyers.