Professional Standards for Sino-Nigerian Legal Translators and Interpreters in Commercial Dispute Resolution

Commercial disputes between Nigerian and Chinese parties are an increasingly common feature of Nigeria's legal and arbitration landscape, and the quality of legal translation and interpretation in these proceedings directly affects the fairness and accuracy of dispute resolution outcomes. This study examines the professional standards, competency requirements, and institutional gaps in Sino-Nigerian legal translation and interpreting. A professional assessment design was adopted, with interviews conducted with 20 legal practitioners who have participated in Sino-Nigerian commercial arbitration or litigation, ten practising Mandarin legal interpreters, and five officials from the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. Documentary review of three published arbitral awards with language-related contested issues was also conducted. Findings indicate that there are no formal professional standards for Mandarin legal interpreters practising in Nigeria's courts or arbitral institutions. Competency in Chinese commercial law terminology is widely deficient among available interpreters. Parties to Sino-Nigerian commercial disputes often incur substantial delays and additional costs due to interpretation quality challenges. International arbitral standards require but cannot enforce interpreter qualification in ad hoc domestic proceedings. The study concludes that Nigeria requires a Mandarin Legal Interpreter Certification Standard administered by the Nigerian Bar Association or the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and recommends establishing a Mandarin Legal Interpreting short course in collaboration with Chinese law faculties.

Keywords: legal translation, Sino-Nigerian disputes, professional standards, Mandarin interpreting, commercial arbitration