Corporate & legal translation · DubaiTranslation you can file,
rely on and defend
Who we work with
Four kinds of client, four different first steps. Pick yours.
Pleadings, evidence bundles and filings that have to be lodged on the court’s timetable, not ours. With an outside translator the question is not only quality — it is who else sees the file.
- Filing deadlines held, including bundles split across a team
- Ring-fenced delivery: your documents never reach our partner firm’s lawyers
- One terminology base across every document in the matter
- Certification and legalisation handled without a second vendor
Several vendors, no visibility into who checks what, and a compliance question you cannot answer when procurement asks it.
- One supplier, one contract, one named account manager
- Documented QA: a second legal linguist reads every file against the source
- Translation memory and glossary that belong to you, not to the vendor
- Written answers for procurement and security questionnaires
Material for an authority reads differently from marketing: accurate, plain, and free of commercial tone.
- Certified translation prepared for the receiving authority
- Legal Arabic written by linguists working in UAE legal language
- Second-linguist review before anything is released
- Confidentiality controls we can document and walk you through
KYC packs, source-of-wealth files, wills and trust deeds. Small volumes, high sensitivity, and no appetite for a name circulating.
- A named, restricted team on every file
- Documents handled inside a closed perimeter
- Wills, trusts, inheritance and family documents
- Discreet handover, digital or in hard copy
What we do
Language services for organisations that have to be precise: legal and corporate documents first, and everything else language-related around them.
Language servicesworldwide · 7 services
Technology heritage:
ABBYY Language Services
AWATERA traces its lineage to ABBYY Language Services, the language arm of ABBYY — a company known worldwide for document recognition and data capture. From that origin we inherited an engineering approach to language: translation memory, terminology management and quality control operated as systems rather than as habits.
That is why a 300-page contract set comes back consistent on page 300 and on page 3 — and why wording stays identical when the same client returns two years later.
- Memory A translation memory per client, so agreed wording is reused, not re-invented
- Terms Terminology bases approved with your counsel before volume work starts
- QA Automated checks on numbers, names, dates, defined terms and cross-references
- Dubai On the ground in the UAE since 2021
- Licence Licensed by the Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai, since 2021
ABBYY is a registered trademark of its respective owner. Shown to indicate AWATERA’s origin in ABBYY Language Services.
Legal translation
The service most of our UAE clients come for.
Below — what we translate, how a matter runs, who verifies it and what it costs.
Translation that has to hold up in front of an authority
A document drafted abroad carries no legal weight in the Emirates until it is translated and certified for the authority that will receive it. A contract, a power of attorney, a pleading or a corporate charter can be rejected over a single inconsistent term — and a rejection costs weeks, not hours.
We work with law firms, in-house legal teams, corporates and institutions that need translation they can file, rely on and defend.
What is included
- Translation by legal linguists matched to the practice area
- Terminology aligned with the receiving authority and with your counsel
- Independent editorial review before anything is released
- Certification for submission, where the authority requires it
- Notarisation, MOFA attestation and consular legalisation arranged end to end
- Formatting that mirrors the original, page for page
- A named account manager and one point of escalation
What we translate
Corporate and commercial
- Contracts, agreements and addenda
- Memoranda and articles of association
- Powers of attorney and corporate resolutions
- Board minutes and shareholder documents
- Trade licences and incorporation documents
- Compliance, AML and KYC documentation
- Tax, audit and financial statements
- Policies, codes and regulatory filings
Disputes and courts
- Claims, statements of case and pleadings
- Witness statements and expert reports
- Arbitral awards and procedural orders
- Filings for DIFC Courts, DIAC and onshore courts
- Evidence and disclosure bundles
- Enforcement and recognition documents
- Correspondence forming part of the record
- Hearing materials under deadline
How a matter runs
1) Intake and scopingYou send the scope and tell us which authority or forum it is for. We come back with a fixed price and a delivery date, usually within a few working hours.
2) Terminology alignmentFor anything beyond a single document we agree key terms with your counsel first, so the wording does not change halfway through the matter.
3) TranslationA linguist experienced in the relevant area of law produces the translation, supported by the client's translation memory and term base.
4) Review and QAA second legal linguist checks the text against the source. Automated checks cover numbers, names, dates, defined terms and cross-references.
5) Certification and deliveryWhere required, the translation is certified, notarised or legalised for the receiving authority. You receive it digitally, and in hard copy where the original must be attached.
Backed by an international law firm’s network
We work in partnership with UCL, an international law firm headquartered in Dubai. UCL brings market access and institutional relationships across the UAE. AWATERA runs translation, review and certification.
- Client documents stay inside the translation perimeter and are never shared with UCL lawyers
- Institutional oversight of standards and methodology, not of your files
- Legal terminology frameworks developed and maintained with input from practising lawyers
- A single point of contact to coordinate translation and, where you ask for it, a referral for an independent legal opinion — a separate engagement, not part of the translation
- Access to the UAE legal and institutional ecosystem through UCL’s network
- Court- and arbitration-ready filings for DIFC, DIAC and onshore proceedings
Confidentiality is part of the service, not an afterthought
Legal and corporate clients ask the same four questions before the first file moves: where is it stored, who can open it, how is access controlled, and what happens to it afterwards. Here are our answers.
Ring-fenced delivery
Documents from law-firm clients are handled in a separate perimeter and are never seen by our partner’s lawyers.
NDA before the first file
A non-disclosure agreement is signed as a matter of course, before any document is shared — not after the quote is accepted.
Need-to-know access
Only the linguists and reviewers assigned to your matter can open the material. Access is granted per matter, not per employee.
Controlled storage and retention
Files are held in controlled storage. Retention and deletion timelines are agreed with you and honoured.
No client material in public AI
Client documents are never submitted to public generative AI services or used to train external models.
Named accountability
You know who handled the document. The certifying translator is identified on the work that carries a stamp.
Ready for procurement review
We answer supplier security questionnaires and can walk your compliance team through the workflow.
Technology with a human signature
Machine translation and AI carry the first pass on suitable material. Nothing reaches a client, a counterparty or a court without a qualified human reading it against the source and taking responsibility for it.
- AI-assisted drafting where the material allows it, full human translation where it does not
- Automated quality checks on every file before human review
- Translation memory and terminology bases that keep a matter consistent over years
- A person, not a platform, signs off the final text
Sectors we have worked in
How we price
Per matter
A fixed price and a delivery date before work starts. No open-ended hourly billing, no surprises on the invoice.
Framework agreement
Agreed rates, turnaround commitments and a standing NDA for firms with recurring work. Suitable for panel and procurement arrangements.
Retainer
Reserved capacity for steady monthly volume, with priority handling on urgent filings.
The quote depends on the language pair, the subject matter, the certification required and the deadline. Send us the scope and we respond within one business day.
Languages: Arabic · English · Russian · and further language pairs on request
Also in the UAE
Through our Dubai office AWATERA also handles company formation, visas and residency, bank accounts, accounting and tax, corporate support and market research — for clients setting up or running a business here.
Our clients
For more than 20 years AWATERA has worked with international corporations in pharmaceuticals, automotive, technology, banking and consumer goods — industries where a mistranslated clause has consequences measured in money and time.
Company names and logos are the property of their respective owners and are shown with their permission to indicate previous cooperation.
Our Clients' FAQ
Certified translations are produced for the specific authority that will receive them — courts, the Ministry of Justice, MOHRE, free zone authorities, banks and notaries each have their own expectations. Tell us the destination at intake and we prepare the file accordingly. If an authority raises a formal objection to the wording, we correct and re-issue it.
Yes. Arabic legal translation is handled by linguists working in UAE legal language, not by general translators. For court and government material the Arabic version is reviewed by a second legal linguist before release.
An NDA is signed before any file is shared. Access is limited to the people assigned to your matter, storage is controlled, retention is agreed with you, and client documents are never submitted to public AI services. We are happy to complete supplier security questionnaires.
Yes, where the material allows it — and always with human verification. AI assists the first pass; a qualified linguist reads the result against the source and takes responsibility for what is delivered. Sensitive material is handled in a controlled environment, never in public tools.
Yes. Volume work is split across a team working from one shared memory and term base, so the output stays consistent. Tell us the deadline at intake and we confirm whether we can meet it before you commit.
Yes. We work with framework agreements, agreed rate cards and standing NDAs, and we can go through procurement and compliance review.
No. The UAE is not a signatory to the Hague Convention, so an Apostille has no effect here. Documents require consular legalisation — a longer and more expensive route. We handle it end to end.
Tell us what you need
We come back within one business day with a fixed price and a timeline.