Today, the ecological issue is a central concern for both businesses and regulated professions. While law firms, legal departments or notary offices are already asking themselves questions about the compliance of their digital tools with the RGPD, few measure their environmental footprint linked to document practices on a daily basis. Yet seemingly innocuous activities, such as management and especially legal translation, can generate a significant carbon footprint. In this context, the implementation of environmentally-friendly legal translation becomes a concrete challenge. Could the use of a specialized machine translation solution such as Lexa represent a solution that is both effective and responsible?
A more energy-intensive activity than you might think
A traditional process with multiple impacts
Translating a legal document requires much more than simply converting files. In a classic human translation approach, various phases take place in succession: transmission of the document, potential printing, revision and verification, exchanges by e-mail, telephone calls or videoconferences, not to mention the archiving of the various variations on cloud servers. Each gesture, even the most trivial, involves an expenditure of energy.
A concrete example: an assignment contract
Take the case of a law firm that needs to translate a 40-page business transfer agreement. Printing, cross-reading, multiple e-mails, saved versions: the whole process produces almost 3 kg of CO₂ for a single document. This represents a distance of 20 km covered by a gasoline-powered car. A reality frequently overlooked in business practices.
Human, hybrid or machine translation: what's the difference in carbon footprint?
Comparison of current models
Three main models coexist today:
- Human translation, the most resource-intensive and time-consuming.
- Hybrid translation, which combines an initial AI version with human proofreading.
- Specialized automated translation, such as that offered by Lexa.
Carbon impact estimates speak for themselves:
- Human translation: 60 to 80 g of CO₂ per page
- Hybrid: 30 to 40 g
- Automatic via Lexa: just 5 to 10 g
The limits of general-purpose tools
Tools such as DeepL or Google Translate rely onparticularly large, non-specialized models, whose energy consumption can be up to 15 times greater than that of a restricted engine. LexaLexa® , sharpened for the legal field, reduces stress while increasing accuracy, all with a negligible energy footprint.
A legal department faced with an international project
A legal department is responsible for translating 100 internal procedures into ten different languages. Traditionally, this equates to 80 hours of human labor, several gigabytes of storage and a multitude of e-mails. With Lexa, everything was translated in three hours, while reducing the carbon footprint by a factor of six.
Lexa: architecture designed for sobriety
An economical, targeted infrastructure
Lexa is based on specialization by legal field. Unlike general-purpose engines that process a variety of texts, Lexa uses lightweight models specifically trained on legal datasets . This considerably reduces the resources required.
Features geared to digital sobriety
Lexa offers :
- Batch translation
- Access to a unique history
- Centralized document management
- Hosting on low-footprint European servers
Case study: a tax firm saves time and energy
A tax firmtranslated 250 pages in one day via Lexa, with no printing and no return trips. The firm's carbon footprint was reduced by over 80% compared with its previous working method.
Innovative, responsible technology
Lexa incorporates an engine specially developed for the legal sector, without the need for large-scale models. The technological approach is based on radical innovation: targetingsector-specific applications, minimizing the resources required, and ensuring stable industrial performance. This specialization enables Lexa to be not only faster, but also more frugal, without sacrificing quality.
A solution in line with CSR and regulatory obligations
A choice in line with the CSRD directive
European CSRD regulations require large companies to assess and disclose their impact on the environment. With this in mind, the digital footprint left by internal tools is becoming a criterion for compliance. Legal departments, design offices and law firms involved in CSR initiatives are now required to include their suppliers in this approach.
A long-term competitive advantage
The use of a motor such as Lexa not only offers the possibility of minimizing indirect emissions (scope 3), but also of promoting a responsible digital strategy in the context of calls for projects, audits or CSR certifications.
Towards more responsible legal translation
As companies assess their carbon footprint and digital responsibility becomes a selection criterion, specialized automation presents itself as an appropriate solution. Lexaby simplifying intermediate processes, minimizing superfluous communications and avoiding dependence on complex infrastructures, not only improves efficiency, but also significantly reduces the ecological footprint of legal professionals.
Choosing Lexa is not just about choosing an efficient legal translation tool, it's also a concrete step towards a more sustainable approach. Lexa offers a new approach, combining expertise, economy and efficiency: that ofa more ecological legal translation, without compromising on precision.
Conclusion
Legal professionals are becoming increasingly aware of the tangible environmental impact of digital technology. Given the rapid increase in the quantity of documents to be managed, the need to ensure the confidentiality of communications and the intensification of regulatory requirements in terms of ethical practices, legal translation can no longer be viewed solely in terms of cost or time. It must also be viewed from a sustainable perspective.
Lexa meets these three criteria by offering a specialized, efficient and streamlined machine translation solution. It significantly reduces the carbon footprint associated with translation, while maintaining high linguistic and legal quality. It's a solution that meets the requirements of legal departments, law firms, notaries and lawyers wishing to reconcile professional excellence with a commitment to the environment.
Integrating Lexa into your working methods therefore represents a responsible, future-oriented decision. A tangible approach to updating your methods while minimizing your footprint in the long term.
