| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Legal language Thread poster: Julian Wood
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Hi, Julian - since you're interested in learning about legal translation, I'd like to recommend a good book on the subject:
Legal Translation Explained, Enrique Alcaraz and Brian Hughes.
It's available from St. Jerome Publishing
"The scope of the book makes it useful not only for would-be translators, but also as a reference source to anyone with a background in any of the languages used in the book, who would find the explanations and glossed terminology an aid to becom... See more Hi, Julian - since you're interested in learning about legal translation, I'd like to recommend a good book on the subject:
Legal Translation Explained, Enrique Alcaraz and Brian Hughes.
It's available from St. Jerome Publishing
"The scope of the book makes it useful not only for would-be translators, but also as a reference source to anyone with a background in any of the languages used in the book, who would find the explanations and glossed terminology an aid to becoming familiar with the English legal system and vocabulary. It could also serve as a basic introductory text to anyone with an interest in legal English.
Focusing on the problems of translating English legal language, Alcaraz and Hughes offer a wide-ranging view of one of the most demanding and vital areas of contemporary translation practice. Individual chapters deal with legal English as a linguistic system, special concepts in the translation of legal English, the genres of legal translation, and offer a series of practical problems together with discussions of proposed solutions, as well as insight into the pragmatic ways translators go about finding solutions.
The numerous examples and discussions of specific terms make the book useful both as a manual in the translation class and as an invaluable reference work for students, teachers, self-learners and professional translators."
http://www.stjerome.co.uk/page.php?id=230&doctype=Translation%20Practices%20Explained��ion=3
[Edited at 2007-03-31 00:28] ▲ Collapse
| | | | RobinB 
United States
Local time: 19:15
German to English
| Specialise in what you enjoy and are good at | Mar 30, 2007 |
Julian Wood wrote:the whole thread has reminded me that legal work is perhaps interesting or even lucrative, but that means it requires the right people, and has a host of demands which is why it may command a higher fee- but one does not get somehing for nothing.
At least what you enjoy part of the time. You'll always get more than your fair share of texts that are so tedious and badly written that you'll feel like starting a company called "Turgid Translations - we translate 'em like you write 'em"
But certainly at some point in the first couple of years of translating professionally, you should decide on what your main area of specialisation is going to be. It may be something you've been involved in in a previous life, or something you have an aptitude for. At any rate, it must also be an area for which you expect demand to outstrip supply for at least the next 10 years.
You'll then have to invest a lot of time and money in gaining the required subject area knowledge (in both/all languages and professional cultures), and then learning to bridge the gap between them. Plus finding one or more mentors to help you (even if all you get back is a load of red ink). And to make your day: I'd say that legal translation is like financial translation. It takes 5 to 7 years for somebody to achieve a level of competence where they can be let loose on the clients with a minimum of supervision, and 95%+ of translators never make it.
But: nothing ventured, .....
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RobinB wrote:
I'd say that legal translation is like financial translation. It takes 5 to 7 years for somebody to achieve a level of competence where they can be let loose on the clients with a minimum of supervision, and 95%+ of translators never make it.
That plus ongoing training afterwards ... couldn't agree more
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