Ukrainian-English Translation of Legal Terms: A Case Study of Insignificant Cases and Small Claims’
Summary: 1. Introduction. – 2. Translation of Legal Terminology within the European Union-Ukraine Approximation Process. – 3. Translation of the Ukrainian Term ‘Maloznachna Sprava’ in English within the Scope of Simplified Civil Procedure. – 3.1. Small Claim – ‘Maloznachna Sprava’ Correlation: Concept Analysis. – 3.2. Term Translation: Options and Choices. – 4. Concluding Remarks
Abstract
AJEE Collection of Articles on Small Claims
The article is devoted to the problem of translating legal terms from Ukrainian into English on the basis of a case study of a newly-coined term in Ukrainian legislation – ‘maloznachna sprava’. The relevance of the topic of legal translation from English into Ukrainian and vice versa has become especially acute in light of the Ukraine-EU approximation agreement. The author emphasises the necessity to perform concept analysis between the terms in the EU and Ukraine simplified procedures and comes to the conclusion that despite having surface similarity to the EU term ‘small claim’, the Ukrainian term ‘maloznachna sprava’ is, in fact, a much wider concept. A range of translations of legal neologisms are described in the article, and the need to use a literal translation of the term is substantiated. As a result of the analysis of possible translation options and the ECtHR translation precedent, it is recommended that the term ‘maloznachna sprava’ should be translated as ‘insignificant case’ within the sphere of Ukrainian civil procedure
About Authors
baklazhenko.yuliia@lll.kpi.ua
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9035-7737
Yuliia Baklazhenko is a Сandidate of Science (Pedagogy), MA (Translation), associated professor at the Department of Theory, Practice and Translation of National Technical University of Ukraine ‘Igor Sikorskyi Kyiv Polylechnic Institute’, managing editor of AJEE, member of the Association of Ukrainian Editors. Dr. Baklazhenko conducts scholar research connected with English for Specific Purposes instruction at tertiary schools, the scope of her scientific interests include legal translation and transediting.
References
Biel L, ‘Competencies for EU Legal Translation’ (Presentation given at the Conference ‘EU Translated: Towards Better Quality Legal Translations for Better Implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement’ 2019) < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvfPGUio454&list=PLbiaVfW3NyKCmyNQKkf96oQCz1L2Yud5U&index=5> accessed 12 February 2021.
Catford JC, A Linguistic Theory of Translation (OUP 1965).
Čavoški A, ‘Interaction of law and language in the EU: Challenges of translating in multilingual environment’ (2017) 27 The Journal of Specialised Translation 58. <https://www.jostrans.org/issue27/art_cavoski.pdf> accessed 12 February 2021.
Civil Procedure Code of Ukraine (with amendments of 2020) [2004] Vidomosti of the Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy 40-41 <https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1618-15#Text> accessed 9 February 2021.
Defrancq B, ‘Principles of EU Legal English and Terminology’ (Presentation given at the Conference ‘EU Translated: Towards Better Quality Legal Translations for Better Implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement’ 2019) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxPpqzZBwzw&t=141s> accessed 13 February 2021.
Easterbrook H, ‘The Most Insignificant Justice: Further Evidence’ (1983) 50 The University of Chicago Law Review 481 <https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/234129303.pdf> accessed 9 February 2021.
ISO 860:2007(en) ‘Terminology work — Harmonization of concepts and terms’ <https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:860:ed-3:v1:en) accessed 9 February 2021.
Izarova I, Prytyka Y, ‘Simplified lawsuit of civil proceedings in Ukraine: The challenges of the first year of application in judicial practice’ (2019) 145 Problems of Legality 51.
Jarabik B, ‘Status of the A4U Project and the AA/DCFTA Implementation in December 2018’ (2018) 18 A4U Reviews-Comments-Briefs <https://eu-ua.org/sites/default/files/inline/files/a4u_reviews-comments-briefs_n18_status_of_the_a4u_project_and_the_aa-dcfta_impl._in_dec._2018_.pdf> accessed 25 January 2021.
Karaban VI, Translation of English Scientific and Technical Literature [Pereklad anhliiskoi naukovoi I tehnichnoi literatury] (4th edn, Nova Knyha 2004).
Kateryna Makarivna Moldavska v Ukraine (App No 43464/18) ECtHR, 14 May 2019 <http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-193900> accessed 9 February 2021.
Koller W, ‘Grundprobleme der Übersetzungstheorie. Unter besonderer Berücksichtigung schwedisch-deutscher Übersetzungsfälle’ (1972) 9 Stockholmer germanistische Forschungen 181.
Ladmiral JR, ‘La traduction comme linguistique d`invention’ in W Pockl (ed), Europaische Mehrsprachigkeit. Festschrift zum 70. Geburtstag von Mario Wandruszka (Tubingen Niemeyer 1981).
Mac Aodha M, ‘Legal translation –an impossible task?’ (2014) 201 (1–4) Semiotica 207.
Pym A, Exploring Translation Theories (Routledge 2010).
Regulation (EU) 2015/2421 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2015 amending Regulation (EC) No 861/2007 establishing a European Small Claims Procedure and Regulation (EC) No 1896/2006 creating a European order for payment procedure <https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32015R2421&from=EN> accessed 9 February 2021.
Reiss K,Vermeer HJ, Towards a General Theory of Translational Action: Skopos Theory Explained (C Nord tr, Routledge 2014).
Stern L, Book review of Translation Issues in Language and Law by F Olsen, A Lorz D Stein (eds) (2009) 17 (1) The International Journal of Speech, Language and the Law 161.
Vizerington J, ‘Translation Difficulties. Information Exchange between English-speaking World and Ukraine’ (Europeiska Pravda, 11 March 2015) <https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/experts/2015/03/11/7031726/> accessed 25 January 2021.
Reviews for article
Add a Review
Баклаженко Юлія
Національний університет України
«Київський політехнічний інститут Ігоря Сікорського»,
Київ, Україна
Анотація Стаття присвячена проблемі перекладу юридичних термінів з української мови на англійську на основі тематичного дослідження нового терміну в українському законодавстві - «малозначна справа». Актуальність теми юридичного перекладу з англійської на українську та навпаки стала особливо гострою у світлі Угоди про асоціацію України та ЄС. Автор наголошує на необхідності проведення аналізу понять, що є спрощеними процедурами в ЄС та в Україні, і приходить до висновку, що, незважаючи на поверхневу схожість із терміном «дрібні позови», український термін «малозначна справа» насправді є набагато ширшим. У статті описано низку перекладу юридичних неологізмів, обґрунтовано необхідність використання буквального перекладу цього терміну. В результаті аналізу можливих варіантів перекладу та прецедентної практики ЄСПЛ рекомендовано перекласти термін «малозначна справа» як «незначна справа» у сфері цивільного судочинства України.
Ключові слова: юридичний переклад, українсько-англійський переклад, дрібні позови, незначна справа.
How to cite it?
- Yu Baklazhenko ‘Ukrainian-English Translation of Legal Terms: A Case Study of Insignificant Cases and Small Claims’ 2021 1(9) Access to Justice in Eastern Europe 232–242. DOI: 10.33327/AJEE-18-4.1-n000055
