In today’s global economy, businesses are doing more than just crossing borders—they’re effectively dissolving them. This era of boundless expansion, while ripe with opportunities, also ushers in a multitude of legal challenges.

As companies venture into new territories, they often encounter cross-border litigation, which can be particularly challenging due to the intersection of diverse legal systems, languages, and cultures.

However, the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) marks a pivotal turning point, offering a revolutionary approach to tackling the complexities of multilingual litigation, making it easier to operate in new territories. This transformative shift is reshaping the strategies of legal professionals worldwide, ushering in a new era in the legal landscape.

The Expanding Universe of Cross-Border Litigation

Globalization has led to an interconnected world economy, but this interconnection comes at a price. According to a survey by Statista, almost 40% of companies have been involved in cross-border litigation, highlighting the prevalence of international legal disputes.

These disputes span multiple countries, sometimes stretching across dozens of jurisdictions. Global expansion is not slowing down, and with it, the complexity and frequency of cross-border disputes are set to rise. These disputes cover a broad spectrum, from commercial disagreements and regulatory compliance issues to intellectual property rights and anti-competitive behavior.

The digital revolution has exponentially increased the volume of potentially relevant data. The amount of data generated annually has grown each year since 2010. According to Statista, the 120 zettabytes of data generated in 2023 is expected to increase by over 150% in 2025, totaling 181 zettabytes.

This flood of digital information, combined with the multilingual nature of global litigation, presents a formidable challenge to the legal industry.

The Multifaceted Challenge of Multilingual E-Discovery

Cross-border litigation is an extremely complex process, and describing it as just “challenging” would be an understatement. It involves dealing with multiple jurisdictions, each with rules and legal complexities. Furthermore, data collection laws in some countries can create additional difficulties by restricting data transfer beyond their borders. Navigating through this labyrinth of legal systems and regulations can be a daunting task.

Electronic discovery (e-discovery) further amplifies these challenges. In e-discovery, legal teams are tasked with searching, securing, and utilizing electronic data as legal evidence. When this process involves multiple languages, it becomes complex and expensive. Inaccuracies, such as poor translations or missed deadlines, can have serious consequences, including heavy fines, investigations, and legal liability.

The preliminary step of translating documents for English-speaking lawyers is time-consuming, and ensuring accuracy in translation further delays the process, which can be particularly problematic for cases with tight deadlines.

Relying solely on human translators or local law firms to navigate cross-border litigation can quickly escalate costs. According to EDRM, document review is the most expensive phase of e-discovery and is generally responsible for 70% to 80% of the total cost of e-discovery. However, these costs can potentially triple these figures if a multilingual document review is required.

Opting for this traditional approach not only proves to be painstakingly slow but also remarkably expensive, underscoring the need for more efficient solutions in the face of global legal challenges.

AI: The Game-Changer in Multilingual Litigation

AI, with the use of machine learning (ML) and neural language processing (NLP), is revolutionizing the field of multilingual litigation, offering solutions that were unimaginable a few decades ago. AI, with its advanced algorithms and learning capabilities, is streamlining the e-discovery process, enhancing accuracy, and reducing costs. Let’s delve further into how AI is making a difference.

Language Identification and Text Search

AI-powered tools can automatically detect the languages present in large datasets, which is a crucial initial step in organizing the review process. AI goes beyond mere identification and enables advanced text searches across languages by employing machine learning to comprehend context, idioms, and nuances. This ensures that legal teams can quickly search for relevant documents, regardless of the language.

Text Extraction and Document Organization

Enhanced optical character recognition (OCR) technology powered by AI can extract text from scanned documents and even audio files, making it possible to process multilingual data at an unprecedented scale. AI also aids in the organization of documents, categorizing them by language and relevance, thereby optimizing the review process. This level of automation and precision significantly reduces the time and resources required for multilingual litigation.

The Human-AI Partnership

Despite the advances in AI, the human element remains irreplaceable, especially in tasks requiring nuanced understanding and interpretation of legal documents. The most effective approach combines AI’s computational power with the expertise of professional translators and legal experts. This synergy ensures the highest levels of accuracy and efficiency in handling complex multilingual litigation.

The Strategic Advantage of Partnering with LSPs

In this intricate landscape, legal teams benefit immensely from collaborating with language service providers (LSPs) specializing in multilingual litigation support. These providers offer a blend of AI-powered technologies and human expertise, ensuring that legal professionals can navigate the complexities of international disputes effectively.

Welocalize is a full-service LSP that provides translation and interpreting services to support litigation matters. Our team of skilled translators and process experts cater to the needs of global law firms, corporate enterprises, and legal professionals from diverse practice areas.

Welocalize is an expert in handling translation requirements for high-profile cases that involve multiple sites, complex logistical challenges, and tight deadlines. Our solution leverages the power of machine translation (MT) and AI-enabled workflows to simplify the automation process with professional reviewers and translators for blended tasks.