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Abstract:

As with any type of translation, legal translation consists of transforming documents from one source language into a different target language. But there are some peculiarities about this type of translation. Legal translation stands at the crossroads of three areas of inquiry—legal theory, language theory and translation theory—that are fundamentally indeterminate, largely because of their reliance on natural language (Joseph 1995: 14). Laws are interdisciplinary, as they regulate most areas of human activity. Legal translators must have a profound knowledge of concepts and terminology not just related to law, but also related to the area to which it is being applied. At the same time, legal translators have to rely on technological tools in a translation environment that are not really made to measure for the challenges posed by legal documents. In this article, we will touch upon some of the challenges of legal translators and legal specialists in the 21st century. Technology is redefining the legal field and is inevitable as a support for the legal specialist and the legal translator. A couple of initiatives to strengthen the technological tools available for legal translators will be discussed.