On Legal Translation-from A Practical Perspective

As a fast developing branch of translation study, legal translation has been drawn close scrutiny ever since the important role it has played in our increasing globalized world has been realized and the increasing large amount of legal texts that have been translated every year. More and more translators have realized that the study of legal translation will become an important research topic and started to it.Most of previous studies are only focused on practical translating skills for individual words and sentences, and the comprehensive and systematic study is hardly found. This thesis analyzes the relationship between law and language and special features of legal language, trying to figure out that exact translation in legal translation practice is possible. With its nature as one of the craft branches, despite the difficulties due to the obstacles generated from cultural or syntactical features of legal language, can be translated exactly. What is more significant and of more practical sense in legal translation study is that the production of a practical methodology and process for legal translation. This thesis holds the idea that with a semantic reference scheme in mind all legal texts can be translated exactly with necessary adjustment means. Due to its features, legal translation not only demands translators' translation skills but also their profound knowledge of the law.A successful cultural transplant through translation is bound to change the language of the importing culture. Looking through the legislation process, legal translation has played an extraordinary role, both in the systemization of Chinese legal system and in the creation and enlargement of Chinese vocabulary. Exploring the effect of legal translation might give us some inspiration on the development of legal concepts and the enlargement of Chinese vocabulary as well as the current legal practice. This thesis is only a stimulant to future research and much more remains to be done in the summarization work of legal translation.