Step-by-step explanation
Confirm the exact judgment, version and attachments before formatting the English output.
Create a neutral source record for every file included in the agreed translation scope. Capture the complete displayed title, issuing court and jurisdiction, case identifier, source date, visible version or copy label, page range, content-bearing reverses and every appendix, schedule or certification page supplied with it. Mark whether the customer provided a complete judgment, an extract or selected pages, but do not decide whether that set is legally complete or sufficient. Resolve duplicate scans, missing page sequences and unclear attachment boundaries before production where possible.
Original fictional example: Lucía supplies a twelve-page document titled Sentencia No. 84/2025 plus a two-page Anexo I and a one-page clerk certification. The quote records three linked source components and fifteen supplied pages; it does not call the certification part of the judgment or decide whether another case document is required.
01
Build a page and hierarchy map.
List each source page, visible page number, heading level, paragraph range, continuation marker and relationship to annexes or certification pages. Identify recitals, background, findings, reasoning and operative text by the labels the source actually uses. The map controls production and completeness checks; it does not classify the legal importance or effect of a section.
Original fictional example: pages 1–3 contain Antecedentes, pages 4–8 Fundamentos de Derecho and pages 9–10 Fallo, while source page 11 begins Anexo A. The map preserves those boundaries and does not rename Fallo as a jury verdict.
02
Control the caption, court, case identifiers and party roles.
Create a term sheet for the displayed court name, chamber or division, case and docket identifiers, party names, initials or protected labels, and procedural roles. Preserve spelling and identifiers as displayed unless another source included in the agreed scope supports a documented presentation convention. Keep each role tied to the passage and stage that uses it, and flag visible differences instead of silently repairing them.
Original fictional example: the caption uses “M. R. G.” while a quoted filing spells “Marina Ruiz Gómez.” The translation preserves the source treatment in each location and logs the relationship for review without expanding every initial or deciding identity.
03
Preserve section levels, numbered paragraphs and cross-references.
Mirror the source hierarchy with distinct heading levels and retain article, section, ordinal, paragraph, item and subitem references. When the judgment points to “apartado 3,” “fundamento cuarto” or “folio 27,” translate the reference consistently and verify that it still points to the same source location. Do not renumber for visual convenience or repair a source cross-reference without an explicit editorial note.
Original fictional example: paragraph 16 refers back to Fundamento Jurídico Segundo and forward to the operative item 2. The English version retains both references, and QA checks the targets rather than replacing them with new page-based references.
04
Separate source quotations, legal references and translator wording.
Mark embedded quotations and preserve their boundaries, omissions, emphasis and source attribution. Retain law, regulation, prior-decision, record and exhibit citations as identifiable references under one project convention. Translate surrounding prose accurately without inventing an official English title, silently substituting a foreign citation style or implying that the translator verified the cited authority. Any translator note must be clearly distinguishable from judgment text.
Original fictional example: the judgment quotes three lines from a prior order, inserts an ellipsis and cites “Auto 17/2023, FJ 3.º.” The translation keeps the quotation marks, omission and compact citation together and does not claim an official English name for that order.
05
Reproduce footnotes, tables and repeated page elements traceably.
Keep footnote markers paired with the correct note and preserve tables, lists, indents, headers, footers, electronic-validation blocks and source pagination when they carry information. A readable English layout can adapt spacing and type size, but it should not merge columns, detach a note, hide a repeated identifier or make the output look like an original court-issued English record. Use page labels or a manifest when pagination cannot match exactly.
Original fictional example: source page 6 contains a two-column damages table and footnotes 12–14. The English layout widens the description column, keeps each value in its source row and places all three notes with their original markers.
06
Record signatures, seals, stamps, redactions and attachment boundaries.
Translate legible wording in signature and certification blocks and describe visible non-text elements under the approved notation convention. Record placement and association: which judge, clerk, court, date, page or attachment a mark appears beside. Flag cropped, faint, overlapping, redacted or unreadable material and request a better source when accuracy requires it. Do not recreate a seal, copy a signature, reveal concealed text or treat a visible mark as proof of authenticity.
Original fictional example: the final page shows a signature above “Magistrada-Juez,” a round seal partly over the date and a cropped electronic-verification code. The translation labels each visible element and asks for an uncropped page; it does not reproduce the signature or validate the code.
07
Run bilingual, numeric and source-to-output QA before delivery.
Compare the English output against every source page included in the agreed translation scope. Check caption text, names, roles, case numbers, dates, monetary values, statutory references, headings, paragraph numbering, cross-references, quotations, footnotes, operative items, signatures, seals and every attachment boundary. Resolve review queries, then issue an output manifest that states which source files, page ranges and attachments each translation and any certification cover.
Original fictional example: QA finds that translated paragraph 28 points to item 4 although the source points to item 3, and that Anexo II is absent from the delivery list. Both production errors are corrected before certification; no reviewer opinion is added about the order in item 3.