These are just a few of the books, blogs, dictionaries and short articles that have helped me progress in legal translation. I haven’t included law text books, which undoubtedly have a place too.
1. Books
A systematic approach to translating contracts in English – Rob Lunn
A manual of style for contract drafting – Ken Adams
Clarity for Lawyers – Mark Adler and Daphne Perry
Legal Translation – Deborah Cao
Legal Translation Outsourced – Juliette R. Scott
Legal writing in plain English – Bryan Garner
Plain English for Lawyers – Richard Wydick Sample contracts – from filings w/ SEC
2. Short articles
Some tips for improving Spanish to English legal translations – Daniel Kaplan
Should translations be literal? – Rob Lunn
The Case for Plain-Language Contracts – Shawn Burton
Translating contracts, with link to 2004 ITI Bulletin article – Ken Adams
Translating English-Language Contracts: A Q&A with Ruth Gamez and Fernando Cuñado – Ken Adams
What exactly is legal translation? – Juliette Scott, Words to Deeds blog
3. Blogs
Juliette Scott / Words to Deeds
Law, Language and Translation at the European Court of Justice – Karen McAuliffe
Lola Gamboa (in Spanish)
Margaret Marks – Transblawg (including on ‘shall’)
Ruth Gamez and Fernando Cuñado – Traducción Júridica (in Spanish)
4. Spanish dictionaries and books
Spanish Law for Notaries: An Overview of the Spanish Legal System and a Practical Guide to Spanish Documents and Transactions – Javier Perez-Manglano
Spanish-English Dictionary Of Law And Business – Thomas West
Diccionario de términos jurídicos – Enrique Alcaraz Varó & Brian Hughes
Diccionario jurídico – Juan Manuel Fernández Martinez
5. French dictionaries and books
Council of Europe French-English Legal Dictionary
Vocabulaire juridique – Gérard Cornu
6. Law text books
There are many texts books out there for the laws of England and Wales and each publisher has their own version. They can be dense, dull and difficult to read. The books below are the ones I’d recommend to anyone studying law for a GDL or to become a better translator. Pick up the latest version, or browse eBay for a second hand copy.
Introduction to the English Legal System (by Martin Partington) – A good place to start.
Contract Law (by Catherine Elliott and Frances Quinn) – Excellent summaries of key cases and an all-round good read.
Casebook on Contract Law (by Jill Poole) – For anyone who would like to delve deeper into contract case law.
Modern Land Law (by Martin Dixon) – Great examples and well explained.
Principles of Equity and Trusts (by Alistair Hudson) for a lighter read of what is understandably one of the trickier areas for out-of-English translators to work on. Combine your reading with the excellent YouTube mini-series by Marcus Cleaver.
