Continuities or discontinuities in Greek legal language 1974-2014
In the field of Greek-English legal translation, the legal translator often has to deal with older, purist Greek texts. In legal translation, the translator must be keenly aware of the shift from purist to demotic Greek.Continue Reading..
Peter M. Tiersma’s seminal book ‘Legal Language’ discusses the historical development of legal English as a special “sublanguage”, and analyses many of the key features of legal language which can be of use to anyone involved in legal translation.
Α conference on legal translation, the teaching of legal translation, and legal interpreting and how this can guarantee equality under the law has recently been announced. The conference will take place in Tampere, Finland in May 2016. See the initial announcement about the conference below.Continue Reading..
As we’ve said this week already, the verb ‘shall’ is often used in English legal documents and legal translators working into English need to be able to use the verb correctly. Many people have suggested getting rid of it altogether. This article examines the continuing need for ‘shall’.
Click to access Banishing-Shall-from-Business-Contracts-ACLA.pdf
In legal translations, the legal translator needs to be able to correctly employ deontic modality because the verb ‘shall’ and other modal verbs are frequently found in legal documents in English. This short paper examines some more aspects of the verb ‘shall’.
https://www.academia.edu/1630620/The_Special_Use_of_Shall_in_Legal_Texts
The verb ‘shall’ and other modal verbs are frequently found in legal documents in English. In legal translations, the legal translator needs to be able to correctly employ deontic modality. Read this interesting paper on the functions of modal verbs in European and British Legal Documents.Continue Reading..
The last two posts have raised the issue of Ottoman land-holdings in Greece and the relevant Greek legal terminology involved which GR-EN legal translators may not be aware about because of the Turkish roots of the words.
In yesterday’s post, the article referred to set out some thoughts about the nature of legal translation in the Greek-English combination and some of the difficulties translators face. One of the issues raised was that other languages have often influenced English legal language.
The same is true of Greek legal language to a certain extent.
Below is an interesting article written by Mata Salogianni, examining some aspects of legal translation in the Greek-English combination.Continue Reading..
An interesting overview of how English developed into the complicated language it is today can be found at:
http://www.vox.com/2015/3/3/8053521/25-maps-that-explain-english.
Maps 4 and 5 are particularly interesting and explain the origins of key legal words like law, judge and justice.
