Heading to ATA67 and looking for legal-focused sessions? We’ve put together a quick guide to the legal sessions taking place Thursday through Saturday.
Below, you’ll find the session title, time, speaker(s), room, track, and presenting language so you can easily plan your conference schedule.
👉 For full session descriptions, speaker information, and the complete ATA67 agenda, visit the official conference agenda.
📄 Save the schedule! Download our ATA67 Legal Sessions & LawD Happy Hour Agenda for a quick reference during the conference.
Note that the below schedule is subject to change and should be verified on the official conference website.
Thursday, October 29
🕐 1:30–2:30 p.m.
(003) Terminology Changes in Legal Language: A Comprehensive Overview for Spanish-to-English Translators and Interpreters
Legal terminology is constantly in flux and translators and interpreters must work hard to keep up as it evolves. New terms are constantly being created, while other “standard” ones take on new meanings. In this session, we’ll survey the most common legal terminology shifts, providing examples in both English and Spanish to document changes implemented in legislative reforms or resulting from inconsistent legislative drafting, as well as those that are socially-induced or prompted by scientific and technological advances. We’ll discuss strategies for monitoring terminology changes, while showing that AI may not always be the best choice for this purpose.
👤 Speaker: Rebecca Jowers
📍 Room: Waterfront AB – Atrium Level
📚 Track: Translation
🗣️ Presenting language: English
(004) PQMEs: What Interpreters Need to Know
Attendees will receive an overview of the Panel Qualified Medical Evaluator (PQME) process, including its definition and the legal and medical framework behind it. By the end of the session, attendees will be able to answer the following questions: What is a PQME? Who can interpret during a PQME evaluation? Do interpreters need certifications to interpret PQMEs? What are the main challenges of interpreting in this setting? The session will also address what interpreters need to know in advance, including preparation strategies and typical vocabulary used during sight translation. Ethical considerations related to PQME interpreting will also be discussed.
👤 Speaker: Adriana Guevara
📍 Room: Seacliff C – Bay Level
📚 Track: Interpreting
🗣️ Presenting language: English
(009) Behind the Press Conference: Developing Public Policy
While lawmakers are the faces of government, they are supported behind the scenes by policy analysts busily planning, consulting, researching, writing, and rewriting. These unsung public servants follow a policy cycle to interpret legislation and craft policies and practice. This session provides an overview of the policy cycle, the role of policy within governance, terminology, and resources for information and education. It is intended for people of all levels of experience who are simply interested in governance, or those who are considering pivoting to government work or adding it to their portfolio, whether as translators or policy analysts.
👤 Speaker: Patricia Struyk
📍 Room: Marina Room – Bay Level
📚 Track: Translation
🗣️ Presenting language: English
(019) The Deceptive Simplicity
In specialized translation, the most dangerous terms are often the simplest. A word that appears straightforward in the source language may conceal a conceptual distinction that has no direct counterpart in the target language. Even experienced translators encounter terms whose apparent simplicity masks complexity rooted in legal, financial, or cultural systems. This session examines the phenomenon of “deceptive simplicity”: how seemingly transparent terms encode distinctions that matter. Attendees will develop practical frameworks for identifying these cases and strategies for conveying such distinctions to target-language readers without reducing complex concepts to false equivalence.
👤 Speaker: Silvana Debonis
📍 Room: Waterfront E – Atrium Level
📚 Track: Translation
🗣️ Presenting language: English
🕝 2:40–3:40 p.m.
(028) Navigating Legal Language: Challenges in French-to-English Legal Translation for Non-Specialist Translators
French-to-English translators without formal legal training may encounter legal language incidentally in the course of their work or consider legal translation to broaden their practice. This session will equip translators with the tools to navigate entry into this specialized field. Using actual documents, attendees will learn strategies for handling jurisdiction-specific terminology that lacks direct counterparts in the target legal system and how to identify potential pitfalls, including legal jargon, false friends, and Latin expressions. Finally, the session will introduce reference sources and research tools to help translators master the legal concepts in their source documents and successfully craft accurate translations.
👤 Speaker: Edward Errante
📍 Room: Marina Room – Bay Level
📚 Track: Translation
🗣️ Presenting language: English
🕓 4:15–5:15 p.m.
(029) Analysis of a Traffic Stop: Expert Witness Case Study
Using a Canva presentation, the speaker will walk attendees through her participation as an expert witness in the area of forensic linguistics for the criminal case of John Doe in the Alameda County Superior Court. John Doe is a speaker of Mam, a Mayan language from Guatemala. His DUI investigation was conducted in Spanish, a language in which he is not proficient. The session covers transcription and translation and linguistic analysis of body-worn camera footage, expert witness testimony, a Racial Justice Act Motion arguing discrimination based on denial of language access, and the judge’s ruling. A Q&A and guided conversation will be scheduled during the final 15 minutes.
👤 Speaker: Katy Van Sant
📍 Room: Seacliff A – Bay Level
📚 Track: Interpreting
🗣️ Presenting language: English
(036) Swindling and Money Laundering Procedures in France
This session offers attendees a practical, structured understanding of French criminal procedure, namely swindling and money laundering cases. Attendees will gain clarity on how financial crime cases progress in France, from police/judicial investigation to trial, judgment, and appeals. Particular attention will be given to key procedural roles, stages, and decision points that often create confusion for translators or interpreters working with legal materials. Knowledge of French is not mandatory.
👤 Speaker: Grace Shalhoub
📍 Room: Garden A – Atrium Level
📚 Track: Translation
🗣️ Presenting language: English
(038) Bridging the Gap between Common Law and Civil Law Contracts
Translating common law contracts for civil law audiences requires more than linguistic accuracy. It involves navigating concepts rooted in different legal systems. The growing incorporation of common law drafting conventions into civil law contractual practice has led to the emergence of hybrid texts that call for refined comparative skills. Designed for experienced legal translators, this session examines selected common law concepts and clauses and explores functional equivalents in Spanish-speaking jurisdictions (Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay). Attendees will reflect on strategies for addressing structural and terminological challenges in these transnational instruments and share their experiences on the subject.
👤 Speaker: Maria Eugenia Garcia
📍 Room: Garden B – Atrium Level
📚 Track: Translation
🗣️ Presenting language: Spanish
Friday, October 30
🕐 1:30–2:30 p.m.
(052) Translating LGBTIQ+ Legal and Health-related Terminology: Corpus-Based Strategies for English, Spanish, and Catalan
This session explores the complexities of translating legal and health-related terminology related to LGBTIQ+ rights across Catalan, English, and Spanish. Aimed at advanced translation students and professional linguists, we’ll analyze how terminological density and globalized vocabulary create specific challenges in legal texts. Attendees will examine data from tools like Sketch Engine and the Legal Translation and Interpreting corpus to identify inconsistent translation solutions for polysemic terms (i.e., resolution). We’ll evaluate generative AI and traditional resources, offering practical strategies to enhance translation competence and ensure terminological precision in sensitive legal contexts.
👤 Speaker: Albert Morales Moreno
📍 Room: Waterfront AB – Atrium Level
📚 Track: Translation
🗣️ Presenting language: English, Spanish
🕓 4:15–5:15 p.m.
(073) Objection! Now What? Navigating Courtroom Objections as an Interpreter
In courtroom proceedings, objections–ranging from “hearsay” and “leading” to “relevance” and “speculation”–serve as pivotal procedural tools. For court interpreters, these interruptions present unique challenges that require swift judgment, contextual understanding, and role clarity. At the witness stand, however, the interpreter must navigate real-time exchanges involving judges, attorneys, and witnesses, often under pressure to pause, resume, or withhold interpreting based on courtroom protocol. The session will examine the decision-making process interpreters face in these moments and invite attendees to think judiciously about their intervention while fostering dialogue on a frequently overlooked but critical aspect of court interpreting.
👤 Speaker: Carola Lehmacher
📍 Room: Seacliff B – Bay Level
📚 Track: Interpreting
🗣️ Presenting language: English
(075) Navigating U.S. Immigration Proceedings: A Guide for Language Professionals
Understanding U.S. immigration agencies and proceedings is essential for legal interpreters and translators. This session provides a comprehensive overview of the four primary agencies: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). Attendees will learn each agency’s distinct responsibilities, how they interact within the immigration system, and pathways through which individuals enter removal proceedings. The session examines three critical scenarios: unauthorized border crossings, asylum applications, and ICE detainers following arrests. Language professionals will better recognize procedural context and navigate specialized immigration law terminology..
👤 Speaker: Dr. Nattalia Paterson
📍 Room: Seacliff D – Bay Level
📚 Track: Interpreting
🗣️ Presenting language: English
(077) Translating Corporate Law Across Legal Systems: Strategies for Accurate Legal Equivalence
This session explores the translation of corporate law documents between Common Law jurisdictions, particularly the United States, and Civil Law systems in Latin America and Spain. Designed for intermediate and advanced legal translators, it examines how structural differences between legal systems affect terminology, document function, and translation strategy. Using examples from incorporation documents such as articles of incorporation, bylaws, and operating agreements, the session demonstrates how functional equivalence can resolve terminological variation and prevent legal misinterpretation. Attendees will learn practical methods for analyzing corporate concepts across jurisdictions and producing translations that are both legally accurate and terminologically consistent.
👤 Speaker: Dr. Mary Ann Monteagudo
📍 Room: Bayview A – Bay Level
📚 Track: Translation
🗣️ Presenting language: Spanish
(083) What I Wish I Had Known When I First Became a Court Interpreter: Confessions and Lessons Learned
The journey into court interpreting can feel overwhelming–full of legal protocols, fast-paced proceedings, and unexpected challenges. This session offers a candid, practical, and sometimes humorous look at lessons learned the hard way. From navigating court dynamics and handling ethical dilemmas to preparing for assignments and managing difficult interactions with clients and colleagues. Through real examples and personal anecdotes, this session will offer information to avoid common missteps, understand the ethical responsibilities of court interpreters, and develop strategies to navigate complex legal settings with confidence.
👤 Speaker: Gloria Hughes
📍 Room: Marina Room – Bay Level
📚 Track: Interpreting
🗣️ Presenting language: English, Spanish
(085) Beyond Literal Accuracy: High-Risk Structural Differences between English and Spanish in Legal Translation
Accuracy in legal translation goes beyond terminology. Structural differences between English and Spanish–such as nominalization density, modifier scope, embedded conditionals, and modal verb interpreting–can subtly alter legal meaning and risk allocation. This session examines high-risk syntactic patterns that frequently generate ambiguity or unintended consequences in legal texts. Attendees will learn a practical framework for identifying structural mismatches and evaluating their potential legal impact. Through carefully selected examples, attendees will strengthen their analytical decision-making when handling complex documents. Designed for experienced legal translators, this session provides immediately applicable tools for managing structural risk in professional practice.
👤 Speaker: Andres Miguel Valdez Balli
📍 Room: Waterfront CD – Atrium Level
📚 Track: Translation
🗣️ Presenting language: English
Saturday, October 31
🕥 10:30–11:30 a.m.
(109) Utilizing AI in Legal Translation Training: A Practical Framework for Arabic Legal Documents
As AI transforms the linguistic landscape, specialized legal translation demands a hybrid approach. This session presents a practical framework for integrating machine translation post-editing (MTPE) into translator training using Arabic marriage and divorce certificates as a case study. By analyzing regional terminological variations (Gulf, Levant, Maghreb), the session demonstrates how to move beyond “rough” AI output to achieve forensic-level accuracy. Attendees will explore AI-assisted glossary construction and critical error-detection strategies. This data-driven pedagogy aims to bridge the gap between academic training and the high-stakes requirements of the modern legal job market.
👤 Speaker: Prof. Hadeer Aboelnagah
📍 Room: Garden A – Atrium Level
📚 Track: Translation
🗣️ Presenting language: English, Arabic
🕐 1:30–2:30 p.m.
(118) Oceans Apart: Criminal Court Interpreting in Australia and the U.S.
What does “informant” mean in a criminal proceeding? That depends on whether you’re in the U.S. or Australia. Two court interpreters from these respective countries are partnering to share the similarities, differences, and daily challenges interpreters face in their criminal court interpreting environment. From procedures to terminology, interpreters in these jurisdictions may be surprised by the differences in each other’s work. Through discussions of terms such as “informant” and “tipstaff,” or “committal” and “arraignment,” interpreters cannot assume they understand English words from another continent. Human curiosity and diligence have never been more important in today’s hyperconnected world.
👤 Speakers: Jennifer Ho & Ai Bo
📍 Room: Seacliff D – Bay Level
📚 Track: Interpreting
🗣️ Presenting language: English
(123) What AI Gets Wrong About Legal Spanish (And How You Can Charge More for Getting It Right)
Artificial intelligence doesn’t know what it doesn’t know. When asked to translate legal concepts that exist only within a specific jurisdiction (Mexico’s Amparo, the Corredor Público, or the civil law notion of fe pública), AI doesn’t flag the gap. It generates a confident, fluent, and potentially catastrophic mistranslation. This session goes beyond terminology comparison to examine the deeper challenge: legal concepts that have no equivalent outside their originating legal system, and the very real consequences of getting them wrong. Attendees will leave with a practical framework to identify these untranslatable concepts and validate AI output.
👤 Speaker: Nancy Verastegui
📍 Room: Waterfront CD – Atrium Level
📚 Track: Translation
🗣️ Presenting language: English, Spanish
🕓 4:15–5:15 p.m.
(142) The Human Factor: Why Federal Courts Do Not Use AI in Daily Interpreting Practice and Why It Matters
This session examines why federal courts in the United States do not currently use AI tools in live courtroom interpreting. Designed for legal interpreters, trainers, and professionals with intermediate to advanced experience, the session analyzes constitutional, ethical, and procedural factors shaping this position, including due process, confidentiality, evidentiary integrity, and the Court Interpreters Act. The session highlights risks associated with automated interpreting, such as bias, inaccuracies, and accountability concerns, and proposes a principled framework for evaluating future technology use. Attendees will gain practical insight into how AI may affect professional standards, training, and the role of human interpreters.
👤 Speaker: Dr. Ángel Ruiz Blanco
📍 Room: Seacliff A – Bay Level
📚 Track: Interpreting
🗣️ Presenting language: Spanish
📅 Plan Your ATA67 Schedule
With so many great sessions happening at the same time, planning ahead can help you make the most of your conference experience.
Check the full ATA67 agenda for complete session descriptions, speaker details, and the most up-to-date conference information.
We hope this guide helps you find the legal sessions that are right for you.
See you in San Francisco!
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