Part 2—Derecho de obligaciones By Rebecca Jowers A lawyer friend from the US once asked me, “Derecho de obligaciones, that’s the same as Derecho de contratos, right?” Well, although closely related, no, Derecho de obligaciones is a specific and rather extensive area of civil law, and Spanish law school students must generally complete the course […]
Legal Translation
ATA64 Session Recap: Presentations by Distinguished Speaker, Professor Yi Song
By Elizabeth (Liz) Herron-Sweet – Law Division Administrator The Law Division was very pleased to welcome Professor Yi Song of Georgetown Law School as our Distinguished Speaker at ATA64 in Miami. Professor Song presented two sessions, “Legal Translation and Interpretation in International Litigation” and “Legal Translation in Cross-Border Transactions.” Translation and Interpreting in International […]
Things Legal Translators Need to Know: What’s in the Código Civil? (Part 1)
Part I—Derecho de la persona and Derecho de familia By Rebecca Jowers I’m a firm believer that legal translators and interpreters need to learn loads of law to be able to do our jobs properly. And if we have a firm grasp of the core concepts and terminology of the Civil Code, that’s half the […]
T&I for Indigenous Communities in Commercial Projects in Mexico
By Carlos Romero Mexican agrarian law provides that when indigenous communities[1] take part in a court proceeding, the agrarian court must assign, free of charge, a translator and interpreter who understands their culture and speaks their language so that they can explain the scope and consequences of said court proceeding.[2] Without a doubt, it is […]
Plain language for clear and accessible legal translations
By Rebecca Porwit The plain language movement gained traction in the 20th century with a push to simplify legal and government documents. In 1979, the Plain English Campaign was founded in London to combat “gobbledegook, jargon and legalese.” This was also the year Richard Wydick’s Plain English for Lawyers was published. But why is clear […]
