How to Check the Quality of a Translation You Received

Numbers are where a small slip does the most damage, and they are the easiest thing to check without knowing the language.

• Tick off every figure in the original against the translation: ID and passport numbers, licence numbers, amounts, percentages, phone numbers and dates.
• Check that amounts written in words match the figures, in both documents.
• Watch the date order. 03/04/2026 is 3 April in the UAE and 4 March in the United States; a good translation removes the ambiguity, for example by writing the month as a word.
• If the original uses Arabic-Indic digits (٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩) or Hijri dates, see our guide to Hijri and Gregorian dates and numbers in translation.

• Personal names must match the passport spelling, not a phonetic guess. If you have the passport, check every name against it.
• The same name must be spelled the same way throughout the document and across a set of documents. Our article on name spelling mismatches explains why authorities reject inconsistent spellings.
• Company names match the trade licence exactly, including the legal form (L.L.C., FZE, Sole Proprietorship).
• Official bodies are given their official names, not a loose description.

Omissions are the most serious error a non-linguist can find. Compare the structure of the two documents:

1. Count paragraphs, clauses, bullet points and table rows. The numbers should match.
2. Check that headings, footnotes, small print, handwritten notes and text in stamps or seals have been translated or described.
3. Look for back pages, annexes and schedules. They are often skipped.
4. Check that anything illegible in the original is marked as illegible in the translation rather than silently left out.
5. Watch for additions. A translator's explanation should appear as a clearly marked translator's note, not inside the text.

You may not know whether a term is right, but you can see whether it is consistent. Pick three or four key terms from the original (a job title, a contract term such as "termination", a product name) and find them in the translation. Each one should be translated the same way every time. A term rendered three different ways in one contract is a warning sign.

If your organisation has a glossary or earlier approved translations, check the key terms against them. For legal documents, defined terms (words with capital letters that the contract defines) must stay identical throughout.

• The translation should follow the layout of the original closely enough that a reader can find each section.
• Signatures, stamps, seals and logos are indicated in the translation, for example as "[signature]" or "[round stamp of the Ministry of …]".
• For an official translation in the UAE, check that it carries what the receiving authority expects, typically the stamp and signature of the licensed legal translator. Ask the authority if unsure.
• Arabic text runs right to left. Check that mixed Arabic and English lines, numbers and punctuation have not been scrambled by the software.

For a high-stakes passage, such as a liability clause, a medical instruction or a product claim, ask a second, independent translator to translate a short section back into the original language. Then compare it with your original.

What it shows

Whether the meaning survived: a changed obligation, a missing condition, a wrong number or a softened warning.

What it does not show

Style and naturalness. A back-translation is deliberately literal, so differences in wording are normal. Look for differences in meaning, not in words.

Keep it short

Back-translate a few critical passages, not the whole document. For a full check, an independent translation proofreading and review is faster and more useful.

List the issues with page and line references and send them to the translator or agency. Simple corrections of names and numbers should be fixed quickly. If the problems are widespread, ask for the document to be revised by a second translator. For an official document, ask for the corrected version to be reissued with a fresh stamp rather than corrected by hand.

Compare it with the original side by side: numbers, dates, names, paragraph count, headings, stamps and layout. Then sample a key passage with a short back-translation or an independent review.

An independent translator translates the translation back into the original language without seeing the original. Comparing the two shows whether the meaning was kept. It is a spot check, not a full review.

Wrong or transposed numbers, misspelled names, dates in the wrong order, skipped sections such as back pages or stamps, and the same term translated in different ways.

No. Authorities in the UAE expect translations by a licensed legal translator. Machine output can omit words, invent terms and scramble numbers in right-to-left text.

No. Any hand correction to a certified translation can make it unacceptable. Send the corrections to the translator and ask for a reissued, re-stamped version.

It depends on the length and the language pair. Translation from scratch is Arabic⇄English legal translation is AED 60 per 200-word page (excl. VAT), with same-day delivery available. Ask us for a quote on reviewing an existing translation.

We review and correct translations made elsewhere, translate documents for UAE courts and authorities, and check numbers, names and terminology against the originals on every file. See translation proofreading and review and legal translation in the UAE.

This article is general guidance on the language side of events and documents. It is not legal advice. Platform features, venue rules and authority requirements change; confirm current requirements with the venue, the platform provider or the authority concerned.

Send us the original and the translation, and tell us where the document is going. Smart World Legal Translation – Sole Proprietorship L.L.C. (SWLT) is a UAE Ministry of Justice-licensed legal translation company in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, led by Dr. Hani Elimam. Our federal accreditation is accepted across the UAE, including by Dubai Courts, and we hold exclusive interpretation contracts with the UAE Federal Courts and the Federal Public Prosecution. Arabic⇄English legal translation is AED 60 per 200-word page (excl. VAT), with same-day delivery available. Send us the details on WhatsApp (+971 50 864 8439), email info@swlt.ae, or use our contact page.