The London Court of International Arbitration (the LCIA) has formally published nine new translations of the LCIA Arbitration Rules (2020) and Schedule of Costs (2023), enhancing the useability of the Rules for its significant international user base.

The formalisation of nine additional translations of the LCIA Rules underscores international arbitration's status as a preferred form of dispute resolution for international projects, projects with an international element and projects with parties in different jurisdictions. This article provides a short summary of the update and serves a reminder for the use of arbitration as a preferred form of dispute resolution in projects and contracts with an international aspect.

Global access to the LCIA Rules

Prior to 7 July 2026, the LCIA Rules were only formally available in English, and while a Spanish translation was also accessible, there were no "formal" translations. In 2024 though, LCIA cases involved parties from 101 jurisdictions, and 95% of cases were international in nature.

In support of "greater accessibility" for this global arbitration community, the LCIA Rules and the Schedule of Costs have now been formally translated into nine additional languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Ukrainian - a vast, multi-jurisdictional array of translations. A second tranche of translations is set to be published later this year.

While the statistics show that LCIA Arbitration is already heavily international, these new translations (and the further ones to come) underline the importance of that international nature, and serve to enhance the accessibility of LCIA arbitration for its broad international user base – albeit the English text remains authoritative and will prevail in the event of any inconsistency in the translations.

The LCIA's Director General, Kevin Nash, observed: "LCIA arbitration sits at the intersection of markets, legal systems, and cultures. These translations are a practical expression of that global role".

The LCIA is taking significant steps to aligning the global reach of the LCIA Rules more closely with its global users, making the LCIA Rules more accessible for parties, solicitors and counsel.

Is international arbitration right for your business?

For businesses entering into projects and contracts with an international element, international arbitration is a favoured mode of dispute resolution with potential benefits including confidentiality, and international enforceability of awards.

Our specialist international arbitration practitioners across Canada, Europe and the Middle East have wide-ranging experience advising on and operating all major arbitration rules, from negotiating suitable arbitration and dispute resolution provisions at contract set-up, through to obtaining and enforcing arbitration awards.

For help devising suitable dispute resolution provisions, or to talk about a prospective or existing dispute, please contact Gordon Bell, Tom Price or another member of our International Arbitration team.