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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I. The Case for Plain Language In “The Public Speaks, Again: An International Study of Legal Communication” published in the University of Arkansas Little Rock Law Review (2017), Law Professor Chris Trudeau and co-author Christine Cawthorne took a look at the public’s preferences for legal communication across five major English-speaking countries (the U.S., England, Canada,…
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In “Politics and the English Language,” George Orwell laid the groundwork for the philosophical theory he would brilliantly put forward two years later in his great dystopian masterpiece 1984. I doubt any of my readers are unfamiliar with the novel, so I won’t go into details. However, I will remind readers what Winston (the main…
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Two weeks ago, I published a post on using will and shall in dual language or translated contracts. The post caught the attention of fellow lawyers and translators alike, resulting in many interesting exchanges and debates. Some in my comments section, others via private message or email. I’m always open to such exchanges and grateful…
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