Mediation Settlement Agreement Translation in the UAE

Judicial mediation

The court hearing a case refers the dispute (with the parties' agreement) to mediation at a centre attached to the court, and the case is paused while mediation runs. If the parties settle, the agreement goes back to the court for ratification. As summarised by UAE law firms, a ratified settlement is binding, cannot be withdrawn from, and is enforced like a court judgment.

Non-judicial mediation

The parties choose mediation themselves, before or outside a court case, through a licensed mediation centre or the Ministry of Justice's Wasata e-mediation platform, which handles both judicial and non-judicial mediation with mediators working in Arabic or English. The settlement can then be submitted to the competent court for ratification so it becomes enforceable.

Conciliation

Decree-Law 40/2023 also covers conciliation, in which the conciliator plays a more active role and may propose solutions. The language and translation points below apply in the same way.

Dubai: the Centre for Amicable Settlement of Disputes

Under Dubai Law No. 18 of 2021, many claims within the Centre's jurisdiction must go through amicable settlement before they can be registered with Dubai Courts. A conciliation agreement signed by the parties is approved by a judge of the Dubai Court of First Instance and, once the executory formula is affixed, has the force of a writ of execution. The Centre's jurisdiction has been adjusted since 2021, so check whether your dispute falls within it.

Official sources: the UAE Government portal page on mediation and the text of Dubai Law No. 18 of 2021.

Most settlements between a foreign company and a UAE party are negotiated in English. Before ratification, a court needs Arabic. Dubai Law No. 18 of 2021 states the rule plainly for the Dubai Centre: the agreement is entered in Arabic, may be prepared in dual-text form with a foreign language attested by a licensed legal translator, and if the Arabic and English texts conflict, the Arabic text prevails. A translated agreement must carry the licensed translator's signature or stamp and name.

The practical consequence: the Arabic text is the one that will be enforced. Do not treat it as a courtesy copy prepared the night before signing. Agree the English text, have the Arabic prepared by a licensed legal translator, check the Arabic against the English clause by clause with your lawyer, and only then sign both. Our article on bilingual contract drafting versus translation explains why a clause that is clear in English can be ambiguous when translated loosely.

An execution judge reads only what the Arabic text says. These are the points we check on every settlement agreement:

• Amounts. Every figure appears in digits and words, in the same currency, with VAT, interest and costs either included or expressly excluded, identically in both texts.
• Payment schedule. Instalment dates, amounts, the account to be paid into, and what happens if an instalment is missed (acceleration of the balance, return to the original claim) must be equally clear in Arabic. A vague default clause is the one most often litigated.
• Waiver and release. "Full and final settlement", "waives all claims" and "releases" each have an Arabic legal equivalent. The scope matters: claims arising from this contract only, or all claims between the parties. Do not let the translation widen or narrow the release.
• Party names and identifiers. Names must match the court file, the trade licence, the passport or Emirates ID exactly, including "L.L.C." and the legal form. A settlement with a misspelled defendant can stall at execution. See name spelling mismatches.
• Case references. The case number, court and mediation file number are copied digit for digit.
• Withdrawal and costs. Who withdraws which claim or criminal complaint, who bears court and mediation fees, and by when.

Mediation is conversation, not documents, and a party who cannot follow it cannot really consent to the outcome. Dubai Law No. 18 of 2021 allows a conciliator who does not know a party's language to engage a licensed legal translator, and the federal Wasata platform offers mediators who work in Arabic or English. If your language is neither, or you want your own interpreter, arrange one in advance.

Mode: consecutive

Mediation is usually interpreted consecutively: the speaker pauses and the interpreter renders each segment in full. It is slower than simultaneous interpreting but more precise, and it suits joint sessions and private caucuses alike. See our consecutive interpreting service.

Confidentiality

Conciliation sessions are confidential under the Dubai law, and Decree-Law 40/2023 reinforces confidentiality in mediation. The interpreter is bound by the same duty and should not discuss what was said in a caucus with the other side.

Sight translation before signing

When the final Arabic text is ready, the interpreter can read it aloud in your language before you sign, so you know what the enforceable version says. This does not replace a written translation for your records.

Many of the same practices apply in arbitration; our guide to the arbitration hearing interpreter covers briefing, glossaries and interpreter neutrality in more detail.

In the DIFC, proceedings run in English and the DIFC Courts operate their own mediation service, so translation is needed mainly when an English settlement must later be enforced onshore, where the courts will expect an Arabic translation. The Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) has its own Mediation Rules (2023 version, in force from 1 October 2023), under which settlement agreements are also confidential. Our comparison of onshore courts and DIFC/ADGM explains the language rules on each side.

No. It was replaced by Federal Decree-Law No. 40 of 2023 on Mediation and Conciliation in Civil and Commercial Disputes, in force since 29 December 2023. Older articles that cite Law 6/2021 describe the previous regime.

The parties can negotiate in English, but an onshore court ratifying or enforcing the agreement works in Arabic. For the Dubai Centre, the agreement is entered in Arabic and a bilingual version is allowed with the Arabic prevailing. Prepare the Arabic before signing.

Before the Dubai Centre for Amicable Settlement of Disputes, the Arabic text prevails in a conflict under Dubai Law No. 18 of 2021. Even where a clause says English prevails, the court enforces on the basis of Arabic, so the two texts must match.

Sometimes. The Dubai law lets a conciliator engage a licensed legal translator when needed, and Wasata mediators work in Arabic or English. For other languages, or for your own interpreter in private sessions, arrange one in advance with the centre's agreement.

Arabic⇄English legal translation is AED 60 per 200-word page (excl. VAT), with same-day delivery available. Settlements often have a signing deadline; tell us the date and we schedule the translation and a final comparison of both texts.

We translate mediation settlement agreements, payment schedules and withdrawal undertakings between Arabic and English, check figures, names and release wording against the court file, and provide consecutive interpreters for mediation sessions in Abu Dhabi, online, and across the UAE. We do not mediate, notarise or give legal advice; your lawyer and the mediator do. When the settlement is ratified, we can also translate the court decision or ratification order for use abroad.

This article is general information about the translation and document side of the matter. It is not legal or medical advice. Laws, procedures and fees change; confirm current requirements with the authority, court, hospital or embassy concerned, and take professional advice on your own case.

Send us the draft settlement and the case number, and tell us when you plan to sign. 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 your documents on WhatsApp (+971 50 864 8439), email info@swlt.ae, or use our contact page.