About legal translation in a nutshell

By Csaba Szenes | Published 12/11/2009 | Legal/Patent Translation | Reco Contact the author "uic#lin#! htt$!//%%%&$roz&co /doc/2'00 endation!

Author:
(ungary )nglish to (ungarian translator Beca e a e ber! 21 *ar 200+&

Csaba Szenes

See this author,s Pro-&co $ro.ile /bout legal translation in a nutshell Tal#ing about legal translations0 the ost i $ortant 1uestion is your language $air& 23n y case it %ould be ostly )nglish or 4er an to (ungarian&5 /lthough 3 ha6e a degree in la% %hich 3 got in (ungary0 %hene6er 3 a#e a translation o. a legal te7t0 3 also .ace the di..iculties 3 a going to %rite about& )6ery ti e you are doing a legal translation0 you ha6e to ta#e into account that your are ediating bet%een t%o di..erent legal syste s& The e7tent o. the di..erence bet%een those syste s can be 1uite 6arious& 8hile the Continental legal syste %as built u$ u$on the Ro an and Canon la%0 the /nglo9Sa7on %orld has a totally di..erent tradition& :ou do not ;ust ha6e to be a%are o. the actual regulation0 o. the current legal syste 0 but you ay also need to #no% the history o. the la% so that you can .ully understand the gi6en te7t you are trying to trans.er into your target language& 3n so e cases your tas# could be unbelie6ably easy %hen you ha6e to translate a docu ent o. a syste that has so ething in co on %ith that o. your country& 3.0 .or e7a $le0 the odel o. the legal syste o. your target language<s country %as that o. the source language<s country0 then it<s al ost a ca#e9%al# to trans.er the source docu ent to a 6ery si ilar one in the target language& 3n a case li#e that you ha6e to deal %ith si ilar ideas0 si ilar legal institutions and you can hardly .ind any e7$ression0 or %ord that could hold you u$& 3t does not ean o. course0 that in this case you could do the translation li#e an auto at0 but it eans that you can do it %ithout strain& The biggest challenge is0 %hen you need to translate a legal ter about a legal entity/idea that does not e7ist in the target language0 so you should use all your creati6ity to scu..le through the tas#& 8hen you are loo#ing .or an ade1uate ter in the target language0 be care.ul not to choose a ter 0 that already e7ists and used .or a 1uite di..erent institution/idea0 so that you can a6oid any istranslation and that %ay any isunderstanding and aybe also an enor ous .inancial da age& Though in ost cases you can rely on the .act that your translation %ill be $roo.read and this %ay e6ery ista#e you ade in the translation %ill be noticed and corrected0 you cannot shi.t the res$onsibility .or your o%n ;ob= >o not .orget0 $lease0 that e6ery single isunderstanding and/or istranslation in a legal docu ent can $otentially lead to hea6y .inancial da age= :ou ha6e to %or# %ith due diligence and ne6er e6er .orget to $ay attention to the details& 3 do not %ant to say that legal translation is the $innacle o. this $ro.ession0 but 3 should say that in this .ield $recise %or# is

o. the greatest i $ortance& The e7act ethod o. the translation can 6ary according to the ty$e o. the te7t 2i&e&! contract0 ;udge ent0 %ill0 certi.icate0 etc&50 but you can ne6er neglect the #no%ledge o. the legal bac#ground 2both in the source and in the target language5 in order to a6oid the $it.alls in the gi6en translation& *oreo6er0 3 should re ind you that so eti es e6en your legal #no%ledge could be slight to hel$ you0 .or e7a $le0 in the case o. a contract %here you can also .ace %ith ter s o. an absolutely di..erent .ield %hen you ha6e to translate the regulations dealing %ith the sub;ect o. the contract& Should you thin# about legal translation %ithout ha6ing a degree in la%0 your .irst ste$ should be to #no% the basics o. the legal syste o. the country you li6e in& 3 %ish you a lot o. success.ul legal translation or rather a lot o. %ell9$aying clients regardless o. the .ield you are %or#ing in= Csaba Szenes

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