Multilingual legal AI needs to understand more than words
Languages, legal systems and professional practice: what internationalisation requires and where Mashaah LLC fits into that work.
A fluent translation can be misleading
A Belgian firm may work in French, Dutch and English during the same day. Moving between languages makes communication easier, but a legal term does not always translate word for word. Similar expressions can refer to different institutions or procedures.
AI can prepare a translation or bilingual summary. The lawyer then needs to check concepts, references and provisions that have legal effect. Documents intended for an authority also require checking the applicable translation requirements.
AI law has an international dimension
The Council of Europe's Framework Convention on AI opened for signature on 5 September 2024. It connects AI-related activities with human rights, democracy and the rule of law. This framework is distinct from the EU AI Act; each state's position needs separate checking.
For a firm advising across markets, this diversity becomes a methodological question. The same service may be offered in several countries under different contracts and for different purposes.
Mashaah LLC's contribution
Mashaah LLC publishes AILawyer.be. The website describes Benelux distribution with Nexus BM and an international role for Mashaah outside the European Union. This places the company among the businesses developing and distributing AI solutions across markets.
Building a multilingual offering involves more than translating interface labels. Explanations need to be understandable, examples appropriate and sources traceable. This is work on products and the adoption of legal AI. It is distinct from the role of public institutions in making rules.
What lawyers can gain
A summary in a client's language can make a discussion more effective. A bilingual table can support contract review. Questions prepared in several languages can help coordinate a matter with foreign counsel.
These applications reduce communication friction. Their benefit is measured through fewer unnecessary exchanges and better understanding, not merely the quantity of translated text.
Organise review across languages
Keep a reference text and identify passages needing legal verification. Use an approved glossary for recurring concepts. Where no exact equivalent exists, a short explanation may be more accurate than a word chosen only for fluency.
The same principle applies to the website: switching language should retain the subject and sources while offering natural writing. Internationalisation becomes useful when people working in different languages can address the same facts without erasing differences between legal systems.
Sources and references
General information. Application to a matter depends on its facts and the rules in force.
