Beyond Words: What’s in a Name?

By: Becca Matson

“The wife’s name is wrong,” the lawyer explained. “Can you change it to just her given name?”

Our translator’s response was immediate and firm: “No, that’s not what the document says.”

What seemed like an error served as an example of why understanding cultural traditions is just as important as linguistic accuracy in legal translation. Legal documents don’t exist in a cultural vacuum. They reflect the traditions, practices, and conventions of their source countries.

In many parts of India, it’s standard practice for a married woman’s name to be recorded in civil documents using her husband’s given name and/or surname after marriage. To someone unfamiliar with Indian naming traditions, this may look unusual or incorrect.

Park’s professional translators understand these cultural contexts. As language service providers, Park’s job is to accurately represent what appears in the source document, rather than “correct” cultural practices to match the target country’s expectations.

Instead of changing the name, we provided additional cultural context via a translator’s note. This note accomplished several important goals: it maintained translation accuracy, educated the immigration attorney about Indian naming practices, preemptively addressed potential confusion, and ensured legal protection.

Other cultural practices often require explanations as well. For example, in Iceland, names are based on the father’s given name, and in Indonesia, individuals legally only have one name.

Linguistic precision, cultural understanding, and detailed explanation through translator’s notes all matter as much as the standard translation. Park’s translations team takes the delicate art and science of professional legal translation seriously. We provide accurate and useful translations that serve all our clients’ unique needs.

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