In many ways, practicing law, especially business law, often seems like living in a wilderness survival TV show: immediately dropped into an already tricky legal situation, your main goal is to get out without suffering too many setbacks or injuries. Much like the reality TV genre, the key to accomplishing this when it comes to litigation can be found in having a detailed knowledge of your surroundings and being as well-prepared as possible. Understandably though, attempting to impress everyone in the conference room with your survival skills may not assist in dealing with cross-border litigation, but eDiscovery will.
Certainly, eDiscovery is nothing new. Going back to 1999, when a University of California study discovered that 93% of all information produced during that year was in digital format, the concept of identifying, collecting, and analysing electronically stored information for possible investigation or litigation use already made sense, and it has only grown in importance as the years have gone by and our reliance on digital information has increased. While this would typically necessitate a business-related investment in domestic eDiscovery, many businesses are struggling to meet the massive boom that has occurred in eDiscovery thanks to global trade.
Here are some facts to consider:
According to WTO numbers, compared to 1999 (in current dollar value), 2016 global imports and exports have increased by 174% and 180%, respectively, with both being valued at approximately USD 16 trillion.
A survey conducted in 2014 indicates that cross-border litigation costs involving 2 to 5 countries can cost from USD 2 million to over USD 6 million.
Finally, due to the increasing use of social media and multiple communication platforms available, the overall volume of electronically stored information is growing by an estimated 65-70% annually.
With increasingly more data requiring more in-depth litigation regarding a greater value of goods and services moving across borders in more diverse languages, even a well-staffed and adequately funded legal department can feel overwhelmed. The key to managing this massive flow of information lies in a resource that most international businesses already use: professional translation services.
As much as a translation company’s services work synergistically to meet the specific requirements of your company, so too can these services work to benefit the eDiscovery needs of your firm or legal department. If you are a large organisation looking to renovate or reorganise an existing cross-border eDiscovery program, EVS Translations can work with you in order to develop a roadmap that, based solely on your needs, would include a multifaceted approach of machine translation (for speed and volume) as well as experienced document reviewers who specialize in litigation (for accuracy and review of highly critical information). Furthermore, for firms who are struggling with the ESI side of the equation, by possessing an IT team skilled in working with large-volume databases, we can offer in-house services to assess and analyse ESI- including metadata – as well as offer support for all major file formats in all languages. Essentially, in the realm of eDiscovery, your translation services provider can quickly become your information brokerage, ensuring that you are well-prepared for any litigation regardless of your surroundings.
