METM26 presentation

Crossing the line: a toolkit for venturing into legal translation

Edward Errante, Nantes, France

Translators without formal legal training may encounter legal language in the course of their work, whether incidentally in routine jobs or in explicitly legal assignments. However, tasks that initially appear manageable often conceal unsuspected difficulties and heightened risk. This presentation will provide non-specialist translators with a set of tools for recognizing these challenges and responding to them effectively.

This session will first introduce a practical framework for evaluating a text’s “legal intensity” and its associated risk. Participants will learn how increasing legal load and legal complexity correlate with greater risk of mistranslation and liability, which will equip them to make an informed decision on whether to accept the assignment, decline it, or seek collaboration.

Using real-world examples drawn from authentic documents primarily in French and English, the talk will identify common red flags, including dense legal jargon, jurisdiction-specific terminology, false friends, and Latin expressions that create potential pitfalls for translators. Particular focus will be placed on “shape shifters”: seemingly ordinary terms—such as “equitable” and “consideration”—that acquire technical meanings in legal contexts and must be correctly identified to ensure accuracy.

Special attention will be given to cross-jurisdictional translation, especially between the Common Law and Civil Law traditions, where institutional and doctrinal differences often preclude direct lexical equivalents. Translators must therefore adopt a functional approach and identify appropriate conceptual counterparts.

Participants will also be introduced to key reference sources and actionable research tools that they can apply to ensure full understanding of the legal concepts in their source documents, equipping them to successfully craft accurate and clear translations.

Attendees will leave the session with a toolkit enabling them to make informed decisions about legal assignments, spot hidden hazards in seemingly straightforward texts, and apply effective research techniques for navigating unfamiliar legal concepts with confidence.

About the presenter

Edward Errante earned his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and practiced in San Francisco before joining Université de Paris as a lecturer in U.S. and English law, where he taught for over 30 years. Since 2002, he has also worked as a freelance legal and financial translator (FR>EN, ES>EN).