Facets of Legal Translation Performance

Abstract

In Chapter 2, the performance of legal translation is analysed, seen as a negotiation and informed, inter alia, by comparative law, genre theory and functionalism, from four perspectives: language/discourse; legal systems; genre; and textual purpose. These comprise the underpinnings of the author’s multidimensional model of the legal translation practitioner’s textual agency, seen as a set of dynamic and non-linear interactions. Each facet is discussed individually to provide the background for the model which is presented at the end of the chapter. Levels of (c)overtness are also highlighted as a way of assisting clients in expressing their requirements, and emphasis is placed on the relevance and importance of differentiating translation status when work is commissioned.