legal translation

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    Legal translation is the translation of texts within the field of law. As law is a culture-dependent subject field, legal translation is not a simple task.Only professional translators specialising in legal translation should translate legal documents and scholarly writings. The mistranslation of a passage in a contract, for example, could lead to lawsuits and loss of money.When translating a text within the field of law, the translator should keep the following in mind. The legal system of the source text is structured in a way that suits that culture and this is reflected in the legal language; similarly, the target text is to be read by someone who is familiar with another legal system and its language. Apart from terminological lacunae, or lexical gaps, the translator may focus on the following aspects. Textual conventions in the source language are often culture-dependent and may not correspond to conventions in the target culture. Linguistic structures that are often found in the source language have no direct equivalent structures in the target language. The translator therefore has to find target language structures with the same functions as those in the source language.Translators of legal texts often consult law dictionarylaw dictionaries, especially bilingual law dictionaries. Care should be taken, as some bilingual law dictionaries are of poor quality and their use may lead to mistranslation.

    Relevant literature -
  • Sandro Nielsen: ''The Bilingual LSP Dictionary. Principles and Practice for Legal Language''. Gunter Narr 1994.
  • Sandro Nielsen: "Translation Strategies for Culture-Specific Textual Conventions in Bilingual Dictionaries". In ''Lexicographica. International Annual for Lexicography 16/2000'', 152-168.
  • Giuliana Garzone: "Legal Translation and Functionalist Approaches: A Contradiction in Terms?" at !http://www.tradulex.org/Actes2 000/Garzone.pdf.
  • Mette Hjort-Pedersen & Dorrit Faber, "Lexical ambiguity and legal translation: a discussion" at !http://www.degruyter.de/journa ls/multilin/2001/pdf/20_379.pd f.
  • Susan Šarčević, "Legal Translation and Translation Theory: a Receiver-Oriented Approach" at !http://www.tradulex.org/Actes2 000/sarcevic.pdf.Category:Tran slation
  • Websites


    Mayers-Rosen, Law offices, Legal Translations & Notary Services
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    Legal Language Services
    Expertise in language translation, transcription, and court reporting.
    http://legallanguage.com

    Multilingual Dictionaries
    Wide variety of multilingual dictionaries and translation services.
    http://www.worldlingo.com/

    Transperfect Translations
    Offers international communication services in 90+ languages.
    http://www.transperfect.com

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