Translate a contract and keep the terminology consistent

Procurement manager · Time: 30 min · Documents

Tools that fit this task

• ChatGPT $20/mo
• Claude $20/mo
• DeepL $8.74/mo

Prompt

Role: you are a legal translator from {{source language}} into {{target language}}.
Context: a {{type}} contract between [Party A] and [Party B]. Glossary: {{term: translation}}, {{term: translation}}. Formal tone.
Task: compare the original and the translation below. Find missing or added sentences, changed numbers and deadlines, glossary terms translated differently, and places where the translation changes the legal meaning.
Format: a table clause | original fragment | translated fragment | problem | fix. At the end, a summary: how many clauses the original and the translation contain and whether the numbering matches.
Original:
{{original}}
Translation:
{{translation}}

Steps

1. Build a glossary: party names, job titles, product names and key terms with a fixed translation
2. Anonymize details and amounts if you translate in a public service, or use paid DeepL with text deletion
3. Translate the document with the glossary and a formal tone
4. Give the assistant the original and the translation with a prompt to check them against each other: missing sentences, changed numbers, different translations of one term
5. Fix the discrepancies found and check clause numbering and cross-references
6. Have a lawyer who reads the source language proofread the translated clauses on liability and termination

How to check the result

Every glossary term is translated the same way throughout the document, the number of clauses and figures matches the original, and a lawyer confirmed the key clauses

Pitfalls

• Without a glossary the translator swaps "supplier" and "contractor" in a long document
• A bilingual contract where another language prevails needs a language precedence clause, and machine translation will not add it

Data that stays out of public AI tools

• Supplier prices and terms from sealed bids: a trade secret of both sides, into a service with codes
• Annual procurement plans and budgets: before a tender is announced, only inside a corporate environment
• Contracts with real parties and amounts: into a public service as [Party A], [Party B], [amount]

Other tasks for procurement managers

• Run a quick counterparty check before a deal
• Build a competitor price review
• Run a risk review of a contract for your side
• Compare two versions of a contract
• Write a formal claim letter to a counterparty
• Keep a contract register and track deadlines
• Find discrepancies in a counterparty reconciliation statement
• Write an email to a foreign partner in their language
• Get a spreadsheet formula from a plain-language request
• Write a business letter

AI tools for procurement managers · Prompt: Translate a contract and keep the terminology consistent