Agreement Cannot Be In Spanish

My Spanish client base has been growing so to be more professional I was working on a Spanish Version of the Agreement/Contract. Since I use ISN I was going to upload it out there. In talking with Chris from their support I mentioned to him what I was doing and he stated that all agreements had to be signed in the English version. I fired off an email to Nick and he replied and verified this is in fact true.

So just a heads up to any other Inspectors that have Spanish clients, they MUST sign the English version of the agreement.

So just to cover my butt, I am still going to create a Spanish version but will save it as a PDF file and upload it to my web site. Then in my English version of the agreement on ISN I can put a link to this PDF file so they will be able to read the Spanish version. Don’t want any of them coming back stating they could not read/understand the contract and start complaining because I didn’t inspect something.

Thanks for sharing.

Good to know.

Although if I were going to do an agreement in Spanish, then I’d have to have one in Hindi, Hebrew, Mandarin, and Arabic as well.

My clients tend to be pretty diverse.

Thanks for the heads up, but I can’t understand why this would be true. Nick, care to explain?

Because the legal system of the U.S. operates in English. So you can offer the Spanish version so that the client can read it, but then have them sign the English version.

Also, to protect yourself, provide them a copy of the Spanish version of www.nachi.org/now.htm

Few if any states have laws on the books requiring contracts to be in English. Contracts written entirely in a foreign language are legal but should there be issues that take it to court, the contract must be translated by a certified translator before it can be entered into evidence. This is common in the vast majority of States. Texas is the state that is used as a guideline for foreign language contracts. Part of their “Texas Rule of Evidence 1009” states: Translation of a foreign-language document is generally admissible so long as it is accompanied by a sworn affidavit from a qualified foreign language translator, stating the translator’s qualifications and that the translation is fair and accurate.

There is nothing in the Federal Rules of Evidence that require contracts to be in English.

Because this is the damn United States!

TSA is proposing to reject 10 states drivers licenses as ID to fly in next week. If your not home from vacation yet, you may not get home…

Thanks to our “Idiot-in-chief”, Illegal residents can drive, but you can’t fly in your own country!

Your face when the judge throws out your “Legal” contract…

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No kidding…

You and I have to learn Spanish to initiate a legal contract.
Don’t be making anybody but US citizens uncomfortable…

Isn’t a contract you make with somebody that isn’t really there not really a contract anyway?! Not in this country.

Why do I have to “press one” to hear anything in English?

Ask a local Shawnee how it feels. :wink:

I have spent more time in courtrooms than most lawyers (most couldn’t find the courthouse steps if they had to). I can’t imagine submitting something to a judge in Spanish… LOL! It would be absurd.

Agree. I’m not going to take any chances. I will continue to email them my English version and in that email there will be a link back to my web site where they can VIEW it in Spanish if they so desire but it will also state in the email that they MUST sign the online English version or no inspection can be performed.

If the contract is in Spanish, it must be presented as signed. It would be required to be translated into English before it could be entered as evidence. Don’t you read the other posts en toto? Oh wait, that is Latin… exactly what a large portion of our legal system uses in stating written opinions. Get over yourself Nick. You spend a lot of time in airplanes too, does that make you a 747 pilot? :roll:

Stephen, you go ahead and submit something to a sitting U.S. judge in Spanish… good luck with that. When the judge asks you WTF is this? You just tell him:

LOL!

Why, American Indians speak and read English… ???
(except in the movies)

I don’t need a frigging history lesson. I’m talking about TODAY.

You still fail to comprehend what has been written, probably because it disagrees with your vast courtroom experience :roll:. In order to enter a foreign language contract or document into evidence, IT MUST be translated first by a certified translator per the Federal Rules of Evidence. The judge would get both the original foreign language contract, the translated English version along with the notarized affidavit from the certified translator. There is no law against foreign language contracts. There is no law that states all evidence in a court case must be in English.

I don’t understand why everyone is against the issue. Can’t make any money on it? :roll: If you have a heavy foreign client base, it might just pay to have your general inspection agreement officially translated into that language. Word might get around and build your business.

Don’t like it? Then don’t do it.

We have that.