Teaching Specialized Translation. Legal Language

Abstract

Why do we need to teach translation? Scholars keep asking this question and they are trying to givemethodical answers according to their point of view and perspective, such as: translation is an ancient practicethat cannot be neglected since it contributes to acknowledge and discover the other one, the dissemination ofknowledge, sciences, cultures and human civilizations in their entirety. Thus, teaching translation cannot escapethis complexity of objectives that are clear at first sight, but vague and lacking in precision. On the other hand,we are talking about teaching translation as a professional discipline or as a practice that is indispensable forthe dissemination of knowledge and skills, for communication in different linguistic universes, governed bythe universal diversity of intercultural channels. In the case of legal translation, we are dealing with botha professional and an institutional necessity, which has led to a great demand for professional translators in thelegal field. The legal text is part of the technical texts, but it is characterized by its terminology gathering boththe general language and the language purely used in the field of the law; a specific form for each of the varioustypes of texts; and finally, a context subjected to laws and regulations.