Contract translation into Estonian, English or Russian comes in two forms: a working translation for you and your counterparty, and a translation certified by a sworn translator for courts, notaries and authorities that ask for one. Which one you need depends on who will read the document, not on the contract itself. Most foreign companies come to us with one of two problems. Either they have received a contract in Estonian and need to know exactly what they are signing, or their English template has to work for an Estonian partner without leaving room for two readings.
| Institution | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Estonian court | Yes. The court may require a sworn translation, and a procedural deadline is at stake. |
| Notary | Yes. For a notarial transaction, a foreign-language document is accepted with a sworn translation. |
| Counterparty | Up to the parties. A standard translation is usually enough. |
| Bank, registry or authority | Depends on the institution. Get the requirement in writing before you order. |
| Internal use | No. |
A bilingual contract is usually laid out in two columns, Estonian on one side and English or Russian on the other, with identical clause numbering so that every sentence sits next to its counterpart. The whole document is then signed once. For the translator this is stricter than an ordinary translation: no sentence may drop out of a column, and every defined term has to point to the same thing in both languages.
Which version prevails is decided by the contract itself, through a language clause such as: “In the event of any discrepancy between the Estonian and English versions, the Estonian version shall prevail.” Without one, both versions carry equal weight, and in a dispute an Estonian court will have to establish the parties’ actual common intention under § 29 of the Law of Obligations Act. That is a slow and expensive argument to have over one missing line.
A sensible rule is to let the prevailing version follow the governing law and the forum. If the contract is governed by Estonian law and disputes go to an Estonian court, making Estonian the prevailing language saves you a separate translation for the court later. If disputes go to arbitration held in English, the reverse may be true. We also check that the language clause itself reads the same in both columns, because surprisingly often it is exactly that clause that doesn’t.
If “Tellija” becomes “Customer” in the main agreement and “Client” in an annex, the other side can argue that the two words describe different parties or different obligations. For each client we keep a glossary of party designations, defined terms, job titles and sector vocabulary.
A translation memory stores every sentence we have already translated for you. When an amendment arrives six months later, it reuses the wording of the main agreement instead of a fresh interpretation, and your contracts read as one set.
Contracts contain prices, terms and personal data. Where required, we sign an NDA on our side, and access to your file is limited to the translator and editor assigned to it. Contracts are one part of our business translation services.
Not if the translation is only for the parties. Certification is needed when the contract goes to a court, a notary or an authority that asks for it. In Estonia only a sworn translator can certify a translation — see our sworn translation service; any sworn translator can be checked in the official list kept by the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs.
The one named in the language clause. Without such a clause both versions are equal, and a court has to establish what the parties actually intended.
Yes. Send the main agreement along with it so that defined terms and clause references match what has already been translated. A sworn translation can also cover part of a document; it then shows which part was translated.
Send the new version or a file with the changes: we translate the amended clauses and check numbering and cross-references. A certified translation has to be issued again, because the certification applies to a specific text.
Often yes, but some countries also require an apostille. A sworn translation is a public document, so an Estonian notary can apostille it; our apostille and legalisation service takes care of the submission.
Send us the scans and we will reply with the price, the deadline and the requirements of the institution you are filing with. The form takes a minute: contacts, languages and files.
Or write to info@tradux.ee
