Legal Terminology Translated from English to Norwegian

The legal system of nations differs from each other. Laws and regulations of a country are determined and devised considering the cultural beliefs of its residents and are hence personalized according to that country. Legal terminology is broad and complicated with specific terms that present in one language not being present in another language; in such states, the person doing the legal translation has to come up with an equivalent to explain the system and meaning of the legal term, without altering the primary purpose of the legal document.

In some instances, a crime may be defined differently in the legal systems of different countries. While translating a legal document containing this crime, the person doing the legal translation must pay attention to the original interpretation of the crime. Error in translation could lead to a different decision that could go wrong.

Even numerous organizations need legal documents translation service. This is often a very complicated job. Even minor mistakes in the translation can result in potential claims and legal exposure, consuming time and money and putting hard-won business reputations at risk.

A quick look at some well-renowned bilingual law dictionaries reveals different approaches employed for translation of the same legal terms. This is also the situation with the two widely used English and Norwegian law dictionaries. Therefore, it is of particular concern to investigate how legal matter intersects with language description in them.

Because of the two national languages and the fact that both are widely used, as well as the fact that Norwegian grammar needs in-depth knowledge of the language, any English Norwegian translation for legal terminology must be performed by the only expert, professional translator.

Legal terminology is usually precise and technical. When providing translation in the legal department, a translator must be qualified to translate theories that have no direct translation, and that may need a different set of terms to represent the situation accurately. To get quality translations, a company should only work with certified translators that are experienced in the legal field of the target country.

Different Legal Rules

Legal terminology varies from country to country, which is why it is so essential for the legal translation to be accurate for the target language. For instance, in the United States, all criminal cases have the option for a jury trial. In Norwegian, this is not the case, and instead, the proof is granted in a set of closed discussions before a decision is made. In those cases, translating the term “trial” can confuse since in the nation there will be no term trial.  Any translated legal record must present a complete knowledge of the legal practice for which it is designed. Otherwise, the document may not be acceptable to the court reading it.

There are two kinds of legal translations. Those that are normal translations practicing the legal language, such as estate purchase contracts to be translated from English to Norwegian, rental contracts, etc. that are not to be practiced in court, generally for informative purposes only. These are classed as technical or specialized translations due to the particular type of content. If the content needs to be given to a court, state, or any official body, then the legal translation required would likely be a sworn or certified translation, and a registered, official translator must do the translation from English to Norwegian.

Legal Differences Can Impact English Norwegian Translation

Legal English is directly influenced by the Anglo-American legal system, based principally on common law. It differs much from the continental law, which is useful in most of the European countries. Hence, most legal concepts of the Anglo-American legal system are specific to this system and have no equivalents in continental law systems.  The translator has to look for partial functional equivalents or use other translation strategies. The analysis of the term translations is directed at revealing which strategies the Norwegian terminologists apply for translation of a selected group of English legal terms. The selected group includes three types of terms: 1) the terms defining abstract concepts; 2) the terms defining legal professions; 3) the court names.

Differences in legal translation can even happen in countries that speak the same language. Two lawyers that speak English fluently but practice in different countries will provide the same type of document using different legal language. The problem is that in different countries the laws are different and similar words are used to refer to different things. When you hire translators that are not fully aware of the nuances of the law you face problems with wrong cognates terms that sound similar but have extremely different meanings.

Make sure that you get the best in translations for law firms and companies operating in the legal services so that you can best represent your client.