Legal translation is more than exchanging vowels and consonants. It is an emotionally charged practice because often those translated documents are the missing piece in a very important process. They could be contracts determining ownership or immigration records that decide green card eligibility.

With so much at stake, lawyers cannot cut corners when enlisting a translator, so here are five questions a lawyer must ask during the hiring process:

• Is the translator certified?

There are several types of certifications. The American Translator's Association (ATA) certification is earned by passing a rigorous exam that has only an 8% passing rate for some languages. The ATA offers separate certifications when translating to and from English. For example, one certification is granted for translating from Spanish to English, while another certification is given for translating from English to Spanish. Someone who passes both exams is double-certified.