Every language professional working between Common Law and Civil Law countries knows the broad brushstrokes differences between both legal traditions. They all know, for example, that Common Law is judge-made law while Civil Law is codified or that Common Law is characterized by the doctrine of precedent while precedent is not (necessarily always) binding…
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Every seasoned legal translator knows that understanding the differences between their source and target languages is the secret ingredient in the exceptional translation sauce. Experienced legal translators know what first, second, and third instance courts are called in both legal systems, why some but not all judges are called justices, why words like “magistrate” may…
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I. A Little Recap Contrary to popular belief, literality is never the right choice in legal translation. While fidelity to source is indeed the guiding principle when translating all things law, fidelity is better achieved by other means, and none of those means involve word-for-word or literal translation. In my last post, I argued…
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We’re happy to announce that the American Translators Association’s Law Division is launching a new blog on legal translation and Paula will be one of its authors. ATA Law is where Paula will explore the complexities of legal language, vocabulary, and translation. Whether you’re a client and want to improve your legal writing skills or…
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As a former Ethics professor at the Law School of Universidad de Palermo in Buenos Aires, Paula is always happy to discuss ethics with anyone willing to dig deep into the subject. This year, she was thrilled when the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT) gave her the opportunity to facilitate a pre-conference…
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Contracts, contracts, and more contracts! Paula loves talking about contracts almost as much as she loves translating them. More importantly, she loves contributing to the professionalization of translation by helping her follow translators with their contracts. So, when NETA asked her to give a remote presentation on contracts for their 21st Annual Conference, she jumped at…
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This year, Ana and Paula traveled to the amazing city of Budapest for the 2017 Business Practices Translation Conference (BP Conference), where Paula facilitated a pre-conference Masterclass and then spoke at the general conference the following day. The Masterclass covered the practical and legal implications of translation as an intellectual service; how to apply the…
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As Co-Head of Legal Affairs at the International Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters (IAPTI), the organization holds a special place in Paula’s heart. As if that wasn’t enough, this year’s conference was held in Paula’s native Buenos Aires. Needless to say, there she was talking shop with fellow translators and interpreters from all over…
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