Help about Legal translation Thread poster: manuela83
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Hi everyone!
I'm writing my thesis on legal translation from English into Italian but I was wondering if you could suggest me some books to read about this topic, 'cause I really don't know how to start this work
Every advice is welcome
Thanxa lot.
| | | | Marco Ramón 
Mexico
Local time: 22:05
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
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Moderator of this forum
is the word that comes to mind when I heard "legal translation". I honestly believe that lawyers "compose" twisted paragraphs only to justify the need to use lawyers to decipher. Thankfully there is a trend to simplify:
http://essayinfo.com/articles/a09.php
Is one of the many writings on the topic.
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I have found "Legal Translation Explained", by Enrique Alcarez and Brian Hughes to be an excellent introduction to legal translation. It's available from St Jerome Publishing.
| | | | | Narrow your focus | Nov 15, 2007 |
This is a very broad field. Italian law differs from US law (which in turn differs from law in other English-speaking countries). For that matter, Italian law differs from Swiss law and it is likely that there are terms used differently in Italy and in the Italian-language versions of Swiss law.
So I recommend looking at some specific area of law that interests you (e.g., probate, criminal law, bankruptcy, civil procedure).
You can then look at what you can find about tran... See more This is a very broad field. Italian law differs from US law (which in turn differs from law in other English-speaking countries). For that matter, Italian law differs from Swiss law and it is likely that there are terms used differently in Italy and in the Italian-language versions of Swiss law.
So I recommend looking at some specific area of law that interests you (e.g., probate, criminal law, bankruptcy, civil procedure).
You can then look at what you can find about translating in that field. A good law library may have texts about comparative law. Such a textbook would tell you how Italian bankruptcy law differs from American bankruptcy law (or whatever field you chose). You can then decide how to address these differences in translation.
In American schools, it is common to have a thesis advisor with whom you discuss your thesis prior to writing it. If you have access to such a person, you might discuss this and any other ideas that other people suggest with him/her. ▲ Collapse
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Steven Capsuto
United States
Local time: 00:05
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
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| A very good resource | Nov 15, 2007 |
Kim Metzger wrote:
I have found "Legal Translation Explained", by Enrique Alcarez and Brian Hughes to be an excellent introduction to legal translation. It's available from St Jerome Publishing.
That's exactly the book I was going to recommend. If I remember correctly, most of the examples they give involve English, Spanish, and French, but a lot of the general principles would apply to Italian as well.
| | | | | Legal Translation Explained | Nov 15, 2007 |
Yes, Steven
It's an outstanding book, indeed, with an introduction to the Anglo-American and British legal systems and a thorough discussion of linguistic considerations. English terms are glossed in Spanish, French and German.
| | | | Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 00:05
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
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| Haiyang Ai (X)
United States
Local time: 23:05
English to Chinese
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| | Marcelo Silveyra
United States
Local time: 21:05
Member (2007)
German to English
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Marco Ramón wrote:
I honestly believe that lawyers "compose" twisted paragraphs only to justify the need to use lawyers to decipher.
I have a bunch of friends (and a family member) who studied law at the UANL, ITESM, UNAM, and Ibero and can definitely tell you, after sharing some of their misery, that many lawyers would much rather not have to write twisted paragraphs. Although Mexican law is one ugly hellhole to deal with sometimes, law in general gets more and more complicated as more and more cases bring in more and more details and the need for more specificity. IMO, it's inevitable - at least up to a certain extent and depending on the nature of the language being used.
But back to the topic at hand - Manuela, my first recommendation would be to follow Paul's advice. The more you focus on a narrow, specialized subject, the more you will be able to go into it in detail and write a good thesis. In fact, this is probably the first suggestion that springs up worldwide when anyone is writing a thesis. Also, and I'm not saying Kim's help isn't great, because it is - make sure you expand your bibliography. Maybe talking to someone who currently studies law (if you happen to know anyone who does) could give you some extra ideas. Then it's simply the standard thesis procedures: read, make notes, use references (i.e. quotes) throughout your work, start with an outline first (I've never actually done that, but that's just me), etc.
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If you are translating English into Italian, the de Franchis legal dictionaries from English to Italian and vice versa are superb encyclopaedic works. Dizionario Giuridico.
Margaret
| | | | Andrea Piu
Italy
Local time: 06:05
English to Italian
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