Tag: legal translation

Translating Across Legal Systems Part 1: Beyond the Basics

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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January 1, 2019 5

Legal Translation and Plain Language Part 2: Demystifying Plain Language

  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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December 4, 2018 1