Translate articles of association into Spanish

What articles of association become in Spanish

Whether your source is called articles of association, a company constitution, bylaws or statuts, the Spanish document is normally titled estatutos sociales. Core terms have settled equivalents, but some depend on whether the reader is in Spain or Latin America, and a few change how the company is perceived.

• General meeting: junta general in Spain, asamblea general de accionistas in Mexico and several other Latin American countries.
• Registered office: domicilio social; objects: objeto social; share capital: capital social.
• Shares: acciones for a public or joint-stock company; Spanish limited companies issue participaciones sociales instead. Picking the wrong word suggests a different type of company.
• Board of directors: consejo de administración; a sole director is an administrador único.

Company forms are not converted. A UK Ltd is not a Spanish sociedad limitada (S.L.), and a German GmbH is not one either: the convention is to keep the original abbreviation and state the governing law, for example Ltd, sociedad constituida conforme al derecho inglés. Check this first in the free extract.

Figures, dates and cross-references

Articles of association are full of figures that must stay exact and consistent from one clause to the next. Spanish conventions differ from English ones:

• Separators: in Spain, 10.000,00 €; in Mexico, 10,000.00, as in British usage. Share capital, nominal value and number of shares must still add up.
• Amounts in words, common in the capital clause: ten thousand euros becomes diez mil euros; one million is un millón de euros, with de after millón or millones.
• Dates: 15 de marzo de 2024, month in lower case.
• Numbering: Article 1 becomes Artículo 1.º or Artículo primero; a reference such as "subject to Article 14" must still point to the same article.
• Defined terms: "the Company" becomes la Sociedad, capitalised consistently throughout.

Spanish runs longer than English. Twelve pages of English articles will usually take more space in Spanish, so a cap table or a signature block may shift onto the next page.

What Manuce returns, and what it does not do

Your articles are handled by Thémis, the engine specialised in legal texts. The file comes back in its original format with the layout preserved: a Word document stays a Word document, with its article headings, numbering and tables. Accepted formats: Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, plain text, Markdown, HTML, RTF and CSV.

• Scanned PDFs: certified copies downloaded from a companies registry or stamped versions are often just images. Without selectable text, the file cannot be read.
• Sworn translation: Manuce does not provide one. In Spain, filings with the Registro Mercantil, notarial deeds or registering a sucursal (branch) often require a traducción jurada signed by a traductor-intérprete jurado; Latin American countries have their own official translator systems. Ask the recipient before ordering.
• Adapting to Spanish law: Manuce translates your articles; it does not redraft them as compliant S.L. or S.A. bylaws.

The translation therefore suits a Spanish-speaking partner, bank or lawyer who needs to understand your constitution, or a sworn translator preparing an official version. For a document you will pass on, the Professional level fits best; Premium adds a cross-review.

Preparing the file and checking the result

Before uploading:

• Use the current consolidated version, including the latest amendments adopted by the shareholders, ideally the Word file rather than the signed PDF.
• If you only have a PDF, try selecting a sentence; if you cannot, ask your lawyer or company secretary for the source file.
• Remove tracked changes and working comments that are not part of the adopted text.

When the translation arrives, check first:

1. The company name, registration number and addresses, which must match the original.
2. The share capital in figures and in words, and the number of shares.
3. Whether junta general or asamblea suits the country receiving the document.
4. Cross-references and voting thresholds, such as mayoría de dos tercios.

If a term must stay in English, such as the title of a body specific to your company, check it in the free extract first, then in the full translation.

In practice

1. Upload your articles as a Word file or a PDF with selectable text.
2. Review the instant quote and the free extract: check the company form and the term used for the general meeting.
3. Pay, then download the Spanish translation from your account a few minutes later.
4. Check figures, registration numbers and cross-references between articles.
5. If a registry or notary requires it, pass the text to a sworn translator.