Notes on trilingual legal work.
A small publication of essays on certified translation, overseas legal assistance, and the careful language that moves between English, Spanish, and Italian. Written for lawyers, executives, and the colleagues who handle their files. New pieces appear when there is something worth saying — not on a schedule.
Recent essays.
Certified vs. sworn translation — what's actually the difference?
The terms get used interchangeably and shouldn't be. Here is what each one means in U.S. practice and in civil-law jurisdictions like Italy, Spain, and most of Latin America — and which one you actually need for USCIS, a Roman tribunal, or a Madrid notary.
Read essay →How U.S. law firms work with overseas trilingual paralegals.
A practical guide to the engagement basics — W-9, 1099, NDA, SOW — the confidentiality concerns, the technical stack that actually keeps work privileged, and the common shapes of an effective ongoing arrangement.
Read essay →Legal Spanish vs. everyday Spanish — why fluency isn't enough.
An executive who can chat fluently in Spanish at dinner can still get blindsided by a Spanish contract. Where the language diverges, the regional differences that matter, and the targeted vocabulary worth learning before you sign.
Read essay →What U.S. firms actually look for in a remote legal assistant.
Candidates assume they need a law degree they don't need; firms assume "bilingual" on a CV means what they need it to mean. What the screening actually turns on — language depth, contractor terms read properly, document discipline, and the line a non-attorney never crosses.
Read essay →Tracking USCIS delays — the work that happens before a mandamus is ever discussed.
Receipt dates, published processing times, each office's case inquiry date, and the one-page flag that puts a stalled case in front of the attorney before the client calls to ask about it.
Read essay →From languages to a legal career — the move is possible, and more ordinary than it looks.
Language graduates are told the options are three: teach, translate, interpret. There is a fourth, it runs into the legal profession, and it does not require a law degree. What transfers from language work, what has to be built, and the evidence that firms are recruiting for exactly this.
Read essay →Have a multilingual matter? Email Carol.
Tell me a little about the file, the languages involved, and the deadline. Replies in English, Spanish, or Italian — whichever you prefer.
Email Carol →