What Does ChatGPT Answer When Asked "Should lawyers use ChatGPT to translate legal documents?"

At L&S Traduction, we understand how efficient and convenient AI tools such as ChatGPT can be for lawyers in dealing with their daily tasks. But how safe is it to use such tools when dealing with confidential information? Lawyers have a duty to respect the confidentiality of their clients– does using ChatGPT or Deepl breach that duty? Let's see what ChatGPT has to say:

Prompt: "According to you, is it better/safer to use AI to translate contracts, or should lawyers use professional legal translators?"

Good question—and the honest, professional answer is this:

For legal documents—especially contracts, court documents, or anything involving client confidentiality—it is better and safer to use professional legal translators rather than general AI translation tools.

Here’s why:

✅ 1. Confidentiality

Lawyers have strict ethical obligations to protect client confidentiality. Even though some AI tools (like DeepL Pro with proper settings) offer better data protection than free versions, you are always safer using a professional legal translator who has signed confidentiality agreements and works under professional standards of discretion. General AI tools carry inherent risks, especially if not configured properly.

✅ 2. Accuracy and Legal Nuance

Legal translation is not just about language—it’s about legal meaning. Contracts and legal texts often contain specialized terminology, nuanced phrasing, and jurisdiction-specific concepts that AI—even advanced AI—can mistranslate or oversimplify. Professional legal translators understand both the law and the language, ensuring that critical meanings are preserved.

✅ 3. Risk Management

For law firms, the cost of one mistranslation can be enormous—ranging from damaged client relationships to actual legal disputes. The cost of a professional translator is minor compared to potential legal liability or reputational harm.

⚠️ When might AI be acceptable?

• For internal drafts or working translations, where confidentiality risks are controlled and accuracy isn’t yet critical, AI can be a time-saving tool.

• Never for final versions or client-facing legal translations unless reviewed by a professional.

⭐ Bottom line:

• AI = assistant, not substitute.

• For serious legal work, professional translators are the right choice.

For once, we couldn't have said it any better! While using AI tools allows enormous gains in efficiency, lawyers should be careful not to breach their duty of confidentiality by using ChatGPT or DeepL for sensitive legal documents. If you need to translate confidential documents, be sure to call upon the expertise and safety of professional legal translator!