Training for legal translators. Part IIIb. How to get better.
This is Part IIIb of a series on training for legal translators. See the first post here. This post looks at looks at how to get better...
Training for legal translators. Part IIIa. How to get better.
This is Part IIIa of a series on training for legal translators. See the first post here. This post looks at looks at how to get better...
Free inhouse seminar in BCN: How to translate contracts into English
Do you translate contracts into English? I’m looking for a law firm or company in Barcelona to give a pilot seminar on translating contracts...
Training for legal translators. Part II. Where to start.
This second part in a series on training for legal translators looks at what you need to study first. See the first post here....
Training for legal translators. Part I. Introduction.
What should you study to become a legal translator? And when you are one, what should you do to become a better one? I...
“Shall”, “must” or something else for obligation in legislation and legislation-type documents?
I normally use “must” to express obligation when translating legislation and legislation-type documents. In this post I explain why and look at some grey...
What terms should stick out like sore thumbs in a legal translation?
There is no avoiding it. Some terms should stick out like sore thumbs in legal translations. What type of terms? Non-equivalent terms. Readers should...
How to translate some key Spanish notary terms into English
Civil-law notary terms can be tricky to translate into English. This is because the notary systems in civil- and common-law countries differ. Civil-law notaries...
The most important distinction: form versus content
The most important distinction: form versus content To translate well, you must be able to distinguish between form and content. When you first try...
How to translate the start of a Spanish contract into English
Translating the introductory clauses of Spanish contracts into English can be confusing — a bit like trying to fit square pegs into round holes,...
eBook on translating contracts — beta version
I’ve just finished the self-edited, beta version of an ebook on translating contracts into English. The book provides a systematic approach for translating contracts...
Daños doesn’t equal damages and the difference between damage and damages
Most of the time, daños means “damage”, in singular. What, then, is “damages” in Spanish? Usually something like indemnizaciones por daños y perjuicios, literally,...
Slides, handout and thoughts on my METM16 workshop on translating contracts
This is a follow-up post to the workshop on translating contracts into English I did at the METM16 conference in Tarragona. You can download...
Using models for translating contracts (quick tip 9)
Translating a document requires knowing what it looks like in the target language, especially in a format-heavy genre like contracts. And knowing what the...
A heavy-duty resource for legal translators: A thematic lexicon by Rebecca Jowers
Anyone who’s looked up legal terms on ProZ term search in the Spanish-to-English combination will probably be familiar with Rebecca Jowers. You’re likely to...
Lexacom Skype course
A few weeks back, I did one of David Hutchins’s courses for legal translators. David is a solicitor who gives law courses of all...
Quick tip for translating contracts (8): use only useful legalese (and when to use “hereby”)
While most contract drafting guides suggest we avoid legalese, they do usually see a point to what you could call “useful legalese”. Hereby Take...
Resources for translating contracts (6): Some tips for improving Spanish-to-English legal translation
This straight-to-the-point paper by Daniel Kaplan has some useful tips for translating contracts. 1. False friends Kaplan points out a couple of false friends...
Quick tip for translating contracts (7): Mainly call contracts agreements
When translating a contract, it can be surprisingly difficult to work out what to call it in English. You’d think that would be easy...
Quick tip for translating contracts (6): don’t use word–numeral doublets
Just about any contract drafting or legal style guide you pick up will tell you to avoid using word–numeral doublets: E.g., instead of: He...
Quick tip for translating contracts (5): build a clause library
Firstly, what is a clause library? Basically just a place (e.g., an Excel file) where you can store your preferred translations for typical clauses...
Quick tip for translating contracts (4): distinguish between formulaic language and contract information
Distinguishing between formulaic language and contract information is, I believe, the key to translating contracts and other formal legal documents. The only thing that...
Resources for translating contracts (5): Legal Writing in Plain English
Bryan Garner’s Legal Writing in Plain English has some excellent tips for legal writing and writing general. It’s not about any one type of...
Pulling my head out of the sand and why so much on contracts lately
I’ve been talking about translating contracts a lot lately on this blog. You’d be surprised to know there’s actually a reason for it. Earlier...
Learn legalese and then forget it
In his book, Legal Writing in Plain English, Bryan A. Garner says law students should learn legalese and then learn not use it: When...
