Changed the way you translate me: What I got out of my MA
Last week I was in London for my 8th and last module of the MA in legal translation that I’m doing at City University....
Don’t throw your skopos out with the neologisms
To cut an academic story short… Legal translation was once very literal. It had a highly linguistic focus, and legal translators were shy to...
Beware of your dictionary, especially if it’s a legal one
According to this article by De Groot and Van Laer, most of the legal dictionaries that you’re likely to pick up may not be...
A blog brimming with resources for legal translators
Here’s a blog on legal translation that’s worth following: From Words to Deeds: translation & the law. It’s updated regularly, and there are a lot...
A civil law dictionary and my dissertation topic
I just bought a new dictionary: Louisiana Civil Law Dictionary by Gregory W. Rome and Stephan Kinsella. So, what would a Spanish to UK-English...
Sworn translation, rubber stamps and funny hospital reports
I need a sworn translation My first experience with sworn translation happened over 15 years ago. I needed a hospital report to be translated...
Hammered into austerity
Now it’s getting depressing. Every day, it seems, the Spanish government announces new austerity measures that promise to reduce our standard of living or...
Budget or democratic deficit?
That lame third promise What most surprised me about Spain’s last general elections was one of the three promises that the PSOE candidate for...
Shall I or shall I not apply the ABC rule in my legal translations?
I recently stumbled across this interesting blog post that talks about, among other things, how shall is used in Australian contracts. According to something called...
Spain’s first constitution turns 200 hundred today
Today marks the bicentenary of the enacting of Spain’s first, and the world’s third fourth, modern constitution, known as la Pepa because it was passed...
Code of good practices for banks in Spain to stem home repossessions
Last Friday (09/03), the Spanish government announced a code of good practices for the banking sector to stem the tide of home repossessions (which...
Dissertation dilemma
Decisions, decisions… There comes a time in your life as a student on City University’s MA in Legal Translation when you have to make...
Juries in Spain and the President of Valencia’s new suits
Trial by jury In the common law world, trial by jury is closely associated with the notion of receiving a fair trial. Despite its...
The Judiciary of Spain’s website in English
Well, some of it’s in English anyway: Poder Judicial España — Justice at your service And here’s a useful article written by a Spanish...
Only halfway there?
It felt like the MA finish line was close, but it turns out that the race is only half run. I started my master’s...
Postscript to my post on the Spanish media’s support of Contador
At the end of a discussion on Spain’s reaction to the Nadal skit on French TV on the radio programme La Ventana (La Cadena...
Contador: guilty until proven innocent for the CAS but always innocent in the Spanish media
I can understand why cycling fans, especially Spanish cycling fans, defend the innocence of cyclist Alberto Contador, who was yesterday banned for two years...
Spanish Constitution founding father talks about the royals
Here’s an interesting interview with Gregorio Peces-Barba, one of the authors of the Spanish Constitution, who seems to have a bit of a blind...
Dahl’s Law Dictionary — a legal dictionary with a unique approach
I could have called this post “the review that made me buy a legal dictionary” because that’s exactly what the following words made me...
Resources on civil proceedings in Spain vs. England & juicio oral vs. juicio verbal
Civil cases in Spain The other day I stumbled across a good resource for legal translators here. It explains civil procedure in Spain and...
Spain’s housing repossession nightmare and dación en pago — Part 2
(…continued from Spain’s housing repossession nightmare and dación en pago — Part 1.) Landmark case In November 2010, a judge in Navarre found “that...
How long does half a master’s cost?
In my first year as a part-time student on City University’s MA in legal translation, I spent a total of 487 hours on the...
Spain’s home repossession nightmare and dación en pago — Part 1
The financial crisis—the one that seemed like old news a long time ago but is still here, at least in Spain, has triggered a...
Official translations of Spanish legislation and translating in a vacuum
As reported here, the Spanish Ministry of Justice has made English and French translations of some Spanish legislation available on this page. While this...
