LEGAL ENGLISH AND ITS TRANSLATION INTO SPANISH

In the translation of legal texts, the translator must resort to Comparative Law, since he/she will
invariably be confronted with two very different legal systems, in which the absence of equivalences
often occurs, so that the differences between the legal system of the source language and the legal
system of the target language must be known.

Comparative Law intervenes as an indispensable working tool in

translation, since every legal translation must go through a stage
where the texts must be compared.
 
The translation of legal texts is not a purely linguistic operation, not
only words are translated, but also a technical-conceptual,
sociological and cultural translation.
 
Lack of equivalence is one of the most important concepts in legal
translation. Finding the functional equivalent of a translation has
become one of the most complex and essential tasks when
translating, since a translator who does not have a legal specialty
will hardly know the precise terminology to be used.
LEGAL LANGUAGE AND ITS SPECIALIZATIONS.

 
Legal English is the type of English as used in legal writing. In general, a
legal language is a formalized language based on logic rules which differs
from the ordinary natural language in vocabulary, morphology, syntax,
and semantics, as well as other linguistic features, aimed to
achieve consistency, validity, completeness and soundness, while keeping
the benefits of a human-like

A specialized use of certain terms and linguistic patterns governs the teaching of legal
language. Thus, "we study legal language as a kind of second language, a specialized use of
vocabulary, phrases, and syntax that helps us to communicate more easily with each other"

Legal English has particular relevance when applied to legal writing and the drafting of
written material, including:
 legal documents: contracts, licences, etc.
 court pleadings: summonses, briefs, judgments, etc.
 laws: Acts of Parliament and subordinate legislation, case reports
 legal correspondence
Lexically, legal English occupies a unique position among specialized languages.
While in most such languages new terms appear every day to reflect developments in
the field (as is the case, for example, in financial language), the conservatism of legal
English means that, in general, traditional forms are maintained to avoid
misinterpretation.

Law is a linguistic system in which the way sentences are

constructed has its own logic.
SYNTAX IN THE TRANSLATION OF LEGAL TEXTS AND DOCUMENTS
The way in which texts are written and the style used in them are quite peculiar.
Contract clauses, for example, often contain very long sentences, full of
subordinate and linked sentences that make them quite difficult to read.

syntax is define as “the arrangement of words and

phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.”

Sentence structure has two aspects:

• complexity (including length) and

• organization (word order).

The more ideas a sentence contains (complexity), the greater the temptation to depart from the way
sentences are normally organized in order to make it clear how the ideas relate to each other
LONG AND COMPLEX SENTENCES

• Sometimes we come across 15-line clauses in the same sentence. They are so long that you
don't know when they end. Finding their meaning requires a great effort of concentration.

• The legal language comprises of a very large number of long compound and complex sentences.
There are multiple sentences too. However, one noticeable thing is the little or minimal presence of
the simple sentences. The simple sentences appear either in the beginning of the text or at the end of
it.
 
• Contract clauses, for example, often contain very long sentences, full of subordinate and juxtaposed
sentences that make reading them very difficult.

CAPITAL LETTERS

 The use of capital letters in some words is another characteristic of his particular style.
The purpose of this custom is to identify certain terms of special relevance in the
contract.
Example

Lease contract

Section 1. Improvements by Tenant. Tenant may have prepared plans and specifications for
the construction of improvements, and, if so, such plans and specifications are attached hereto
as Exhibit "B" and incorporated herein by reference. Tenant shall obtain all certificates, permits,
licenses and other authorizations of governmental bodies or authorities which are necessary to
permit the construction of the improvements on the demised premises and shall keep the same
in full force and effect at Tenant's cost..

Nothing herein shall alter the intent of the parties that Tenant shall be fully and completely
responsible for all aspects pertaining to the construction of the improvements of the demised
premises and for the payment of all costs associated therewith. Landlord shall be under no duty
to investigate or verify Tenant's compliance with the provision herein. Moreover, neither Tenant
nor any third party may construe the permission granted Tenant hereunder to create any
responsibility on the part of the Landlord to pay for any improvements, alterations or repairs
occasioned by the Tenant. The Tenant shall keep the property free and clear of all liens and,
should the Tenant fail to do so, or to have any liens removed from the property within fourteen
(14) days of notification to do so by the Landlord , in addition to all other remedies available to
the Landlord , the Tenant shall indemnify and hold the Landlord harmless for all costs and
expenses, including attorney's fees, occasioned by the Landlord in having said lien removed
from the property; and, such costs and expenses shall be billed to the Tenant monthly and shall
be payable by the Tenant with that month's regular monthly rental as additional reimburseable
expenses to the Landlord by the Tenant.
THE PASSIVE VOICE

The passive voice relies on a be verb (most commonly was, were, and been) plus a past-tense
verb (technically past participle). All the following are in the passive voice (be verb and past-tense
verb in italics):

 Mistakes were made.
 The contract was signed.
 The DNA has been collected.
Courts and attorneys generally prefer active sentences to passive sentences in legal writing.
Nonetheless, there are certain situations in which passive sentences are useful.

Examples
• In active sentences, the subject is doing the action. Take the sentence, “The court denied the
motion.” The court is the subject, and it is doing the denying.

• In passive sentences, however, the subject is inferred. A passive version of our example would
be, “The motion was denied.” The court is still the subject, but the reader only knows that from
the context, not the words.
Nonetheless, passive sentences are indispensable in legal writing when you wish to
obscure the subject of a sentence.
A classic example is Reagan’s quote, “Mistakes were made.”
 
 If you are appealing a bad evidentiary ruling, you might say, “Judge Gunther
admitted the hearsay evidence over trial counsel’s objection.”
 
 Yet, if you are appearing before Judge Gunther on a motion to reconsider his
erroneous ruling, it may be advantageous to be less aggressive in your phrasing. A
passive version of the same allegation would be, “The hearsay evidence was
admitted over trial counsel’s objection.” Using the passive voice decreases the
likelihood that Judge Gunther will feel personally attacked.
 
 
LEGAL ENGLISH KEY FEATURES

Legalese, is a term associated with a traditional style of legal writing that is part of this specialized
discourse of lawyers: communication that "lay readers cannot readily comprehend". This term
describes legal writing which may be messy, wordy, indirect, and may include unnecessary
technical words or phrases. Historically, legalese is language a lawyer might use in drafting a
contract or a pleading but would not use in ordinary conversation
 
Archaisms
 
They are words that no one - except lawyers - uses in everyday life anymore. For this reason,
it is very difficult to get their true meaning right. Dictionaries are not going to help you much
with them.

• know all men by thes e pres ents It means Let all men know (Know all men) by these
documents here presented ( by these presents).

It usually goes on. to make a claim or assertion having some legal precedent and format.
Examples of such documents would include a will, a power of attorney or a contract.

• to wit.- "for example," "such as," or the colon.

• wherefore premis es cons idered.- For all these reasons; for the reason or reasons mentioned
above

• witnes s eth.- “He now witnesseth several things” — equivalent to “He now witnesses
several things.”

• mas ter and s ervant.- in documents related to labor matters we can also find the
expression master and servant to refer, not to master and servant, but simply to employer
and employee.
Common words with a special meaning.

In legal English, there are many commonly used words that have a different meaning
here than usual, which often leads to many errors and problems of interpretation. Let
us look at some examples of these common words that are used with a different
meaning than usual:

• Action, understood as "judicial process".

• Serve, as "to notify".
• Instrument, as "legal document".
• “Award” In the context of court rulings, a judge
may “award damages” (condenado al pago de
daños y perjuicios)
• “Entertain” as “to give judicial consideration
False cognates
False friends, also called false cognates, are terms that can give rise to a lot
of confusion because, although they are terms belonging to two different
languages, they are very similar in their written form or pronunciation, but
their meaning is considerably different.

Some of the most common false friends of legal English in relation to Spanish are the following:

Ac t Ley Private corporation Sociedad anonima

Ac t of God, Caso fortuito Remedy Recurso
Agent Mandatario Salary Sueld

Alienation Enajenación Securities Titulos valor

Artic le s of As s ociation, Estatutos sociales Sentence Condena

Assault Agresión Statute Ley

Case law Jurisprudencia Satutes or limitation Plazos de prescripción

Damages Indemnización, daños y perjuicios Title Propiedad

Condition precedent Condicion suspensive To challenge a jury Recusar o impugner al jurado

Condition subsequent Condicion resolutoria Probate a Will Legalizar un testamento

Expert witness Perito Warrant Orden (de arresto, de allanamiento)

J uris prude nc e, Teoría del Derecho Writ Mandato, orden judicial (Writ of
amparo - recurso de amparo; Court
Magis trate Juez lego o voluntario writ .- mandato judicial; Writ of
admission - auto de admission)
Latin and French expressions

Lawyers use foreign words, especially Latin words, when writing legal texts of every kind,
from statutes to emails. Legal English also contains some French words, especially in the
area of EU law. While Latin words are more common than French words in Legal English, this
was not always the case.

Per se
In itself, intrinsically, of an inherent nature.

A Priori
Based on hypothesis or theory, rather than experience.
English legal terms are full of Latin Derived by logic, with no observed facts.
words and phrases. Several of these
terms are so common, we use them Bona Fide
today without any problem or Unquestionable, in good faith
confusion.
Pro Rata
Proportionally, in equal parts.

versus (vs)
“against” or “in contrast to”: .
 EXPRESIÓN DEFINICIÓN EN INGLES ESPAÑOL SIGNIFICADO
Aberratio ictus The accidental harm to a Error accidental Este término se utiliza cuando el sujeto
person dirige su acción contra el objeto que se
proponía, pero ésta recae sobre un objeto
distinto.
Ab initio From the start/from the Desde el principio Término jurídico utilizado para designar
beginning. una acción que comienza.
Actus reus A guilty deed or act Acto criminal Acción hecha por alguien que está en
contra de las leyes del país o región de
que él o ella está dentro
Ad damnmum A formal and specific claim El daño Se refiere a una suma específica en
by a plaintiff for damages. una demanda civil que se supone para
reflejar la pérdida sufrida por el
demandante como resultado de las
acciones del acusado.
Ad hoc For this specific purpose Con fines En la designación de algún cargo
específicos como juez, abogado penal, abogado
civil para representar un caso en
específico.
Ad infinitum Forever; without limit; Indefinidamente En forma indefinida o inacabable.
indefinitely
Ad litem For the suit. A los efectos del Se refiere a alguien elegido por un
juicio o de un tribunal de justicia para hacer algo por
proceso judicial otra persona cuando esa persona no
puede hacerlo por sí misma.
Alibi A defense to a criminal Coartada Argumento de defensa mediante el
charge to the effect that cual el acusado prueba no haber
the accused was estado presente en el lugar del delito
elsewhere than at the en el momento en que se cometió.
scene of the alleged crime.
Not everyone knows that, even though it is distant, the Common Law contains a strong
influence of French law. After the conquest of the French in the 12th century, French was
the official language in those lands for more than two hundred years. As a result, legal
English retains many terms and expressions of French origin, such as the following

• ac tion s ur le c as (acción derivada de un ilícito civil o extracontractual)

• alibi (coartada)
• e s toppe l (puede referirse a un impedimento legal o a las consecuencias de la
doctrina de los actos propios)
• forc e m aje ur (fuerza mayor)
• plaintiff (demandante)
• s ous pe in de (bajo pena de)
• v oir dire (procedimientos para la selección de jurados)
Doublets and triplets in English legal language

• One of the linguistic peculiarities of English legal language is the use of doublets and
triplets. Doublets are two synonyms used together while triplets are three synonyms
used together.

• Doublets (expressions composed of two words) and triplets (composed of three words)
are characteristic expressions of legal English, consolidated over time by their
continued use, and which serve to emphasize the solemn and archaic character of the
language of jurists. They are formed by two (doublets) or three (triplets) words that are
traditionally repeated in the same order to reinforce a certain idea.

• Most commonly, the terms of which they are composed do not have different meanings,
but simply form redundant expressions as a whole
 DOUBLETS ÑOL
Able and willing Capacidad y voluntad

According to my faithful knowledge and understanding Según a su leal saber y entender

Act and deed En representación de
Acts and things Jurisdicción y ejecución
Agree and covenant Comprometerse
Agree and guarantee Garantía
Agreed and accepted Leído y aprobado
Agreed and declared Acordado y firmado
Aid and abet Incitar/inducir
Aid and comfort Brindar ayuda y consuelo
Acknowledge and confess Confesar
All and singular Todos y cada uno
All and sundry Todo El Mundo
Alter or change Modificar
ANNOY OR MOLEST Molestar

ANNULLED AND SET ASIDE Desestimar

ANSWERABLE AND ACCOUNTABLE Responsable
ANY AND ALL Cualquier
APPROPRIATEAND PROPER Adecuado
 Triplets
Alienate, transfer, and convey Enajenar
Assign, transfer and set over Ceder
Build, erect or construct Construir
Business, enterprise or undertaking Empresa/compañía/consorcio
Cancel, annul, and set aside Anular
Changes, variations and modifications Modificaciones
Convey, transfer and set over Ceder
Document, paper or writing Documento escrito
Documents, instruments and writings Documentos escritos
Form, manner, and method Forma/modo/método
Free and clear of and without Libre de todo (gravamen/impuestos)
Give, devise, and bequeath Testar/dejar en herencia
Hold, possess, and enjoy Posesión y disfrute de…
Make, publish, and declare Declaro y otorgo…
Name, constitute, and appoint Otorgo poder a …
Name, place and stead En nombre y representación de…
Transition words

Legal writing uses some words that serve as links between two sentences expressing
different ideas, which are characteristic of legal English.
 
The most frequent transition words in legal texts are the so-called adverbial connectors, which
either introduce a condition or relate some clauses to others. Within this type of connectors,
these are some of the most common ones:

• Notwithstanding
• without prejudice to, 
• subject to y 
• provided that.
Synonymy and polysemy

• Synonymy is defined as the relationship of identity or similarity of meanings between words,

that is, there is a total or partial synonymy between terms that is determined by the concept they
represent or by the context in which they are located

As Elena Macías Otón (2016) points out, the causes of the use of synonyms may be due to
several reasons: stylistic (textual cohesion), dialectal (geographical, chronological and social
variation), functional (use based on the parameters of channel, theme, functional tenor and tone),
sociolinguistic (contacts between languages) or cognitive (conceptualization according to
different schools of thought)". Although it can often be thought that the use of synonyms derives
in binominal expressions to another

• Polysemy occurs when a single lexical unit acquires, with use, a diversity of meanings,
normally, related to each other. Polysemic terms share the same signifier but differ in
meaning, although their etymology is identical
General law

Término Attorney one who is legally appointed to transact business on another's

behalf
Equivalencia Abogado Persona legalmente autorizada para asesorar y defender los
derechos e intereses de otra persona en materia jurídica y
representarla en un pleito.

Explicación En los Estados Unidos el término hace referencia al “abogado”. Por su parte, en
el Reino Unido el término utilizado para referirse a los abogados es “solicitors”

Synonym

Lawyer Equivalencia Abogado (a) Persona legalmente autorizada para

asesorar y defender los derechos e
intereses de otra persona en materia
jurídica y representarla en un pleito.

Advocate Equivalencia Defensor / abogado Persona que apoya o recomienda

públicamente una causa o política en
particular.

Barrister Equivalencia Abogado Abogado que tiene una licencia para

litigar en todos los tribunales
superiores.

Counselor Equivalencia Consejero /asesor Brindar la información jurídica a quien

necesite de ello para la resolución de
asuntos que tienen que ver con la
aplicación de las leyes, normativas y
reglamentos en cualquier materia del
Derecho.
Criminal Law

Termino Crime De acuerdo con The law dictionary (Dictionary) A crime is an act
committed or omitted, in violation of a public law, either forbidding
or commanding it; a breach or violation of s ome public right or duty
due to a whole community, considered as a community. In its social
aggregate capacity, as distinguished from a civil injury.

Equivalencia Delito El artículo 7 del Código Penal Mexicano lo define como: el acto u
omisión que sancionan las leyes penales.

Explicación Es te término s e utiliza en derecho penal para referirse a aquellas conductas

(intencionales o por omis ión) cometidas por los infractores de la ley y que tienen
consecuencias jurídicas que pueden ser desde la imposición de una sanción económica
has ta la pérdida de la libertad de una ley, de un contrato o de su propio actuar.

synonym

Felony Equivalencia Delito mayor / crimen / Crimen que por lo general involucra
felonía violencia, considerado más grave que
un delito menor, y generalmente con
prisión por más de un año o con pena
de muerte.

Mis demeanors Equivalencia Delito menor / faltas Acción mala o inaceptable considerada
un delito pero que no es muy grave y
por lo tanto puede o no ser objeto de
una sanción corporal
(encarcelamiento).

Offence Equivalencia Ofensa/ falta /agravio Es un acto perjudicial no sólo para

alguna persona, sino también para una
comunidad, sociedad o estado. Tales
actos están prohibidos y castigados
por la ley.
Infraction Equivalencia Infracción / violación Es una violación de la ley que es menos
grave que un delito menor, o es una
violación de las reglas que se supone
que debe seguir. (ej. infracción de
tránsito).