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by monzo

The translation of international law: the lexical and legal implications of the translator’s choices

Maria Meladaki

In most cases, international law conventions are drafted in one (or more) official languages, and then are translated to the official language of the state that has ratified the convention. The translated texts of international law conventions reflect the legal consequences that the states shall respect by ratifying an international legal instrument.
The present paper compares the translations, from English into Greek, of the Council of Europe convention entitled “Convention of the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine: Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine” (Oviedo Convention). One translation served for the integration of the convention into Greece’s legal order and the other served for the integration of the convention into Cyprus’s legal order.
The paper analyses the translation choices made in each of the above-mentioned translations, taking into consideration the already formed structural and terminological differences in the legal discourse of the two states. In addition, the paper indicates how terminological choices during the translation process of such documents could have a strong impact on future internal legislation on the same matter. Moreover, the paper analyses translation choices that could lead to a different meaning and therefore, to different legal consequences than the ones intended when drafting the original text. The legal translator of international law should be properly trained, in a multidisciplinary level, and given access to all crucial resources to form into the translated text the true meaning of each convention, so that all beneficiaries from it, in a global level, can have access to the international protection it entails.

Keywords: legal translation, international law, legal order, bioethics, accessibility.

by monzo

Multilingualism and the role of translation and interpreting in Kosovo (1999-2021)

Arben Shala

Translation has been widely used as an intermedium to implement and promote linguistic policies in Kosovo throughout the period of international administration and the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo (PISG) (1999–2008), as well as in the years after Kosovo’s declaration of independence (2008). The presentation discusses translation and interpreting activity in Kosovo in terms of the legal framework governing multilingualism in administration and legal proceedings, the difficulties and challenges inherent in implementing linguistic rights, and the impact of multilingualism on fostering trust in administration, particularly in the security sector.
Kosovo’s population, which was largely bilingual or even trilingual in the 1970s (Vickers, 1998, p. 171), is now almost monolingual; as a result, the language gap between Albanians, the Serbian minority, and other ethnic groups has continuously increased, while English has become the dominant ethnically neutral medium of communication. Thus, translation and interpreting contribute to the alleviation of ethnic tensions and the development of trust in local institutions. The latter encountered quality challenges, partly as a result of international organisations absorbing all skilled interpreters and translators, and partly due to a lack of translators and interpreters with experience in legal texts and terminology. Following the reduction in size and revision of the mandates of the missions (UNMIK and EULEX), the local government and judiciary institutions have steadily increased their language staffing.
The analysis of documents revealed that despite repeated funding and staffing constraints, recommendations made by experts from international and independent organisations and institutions (OSCE, IOM, OIK, etc.) have been appropriately addressed or have been or are currently being implemented at the local and central levels. Substantial efforts, however, are required to implement multilingualism, particularly in monoethnic municipalities (with either an Albanian or Serbian majority), to improve the quality of translations and to increase the number of translators and interpreters.

Keywords: multilingualism, linguistic rights, translation quality, trust, neutral language.

by monzo

Règims lingüístics de la UE i conseqüències per a llengües amb dèficit de reconeixement: dret, tecnologia

Antoni Torras i Estruch

A partir d’un monitoratge pràctic i crític a l’entorn de la interacció entre llengües, i entre els seus «representants» en el context de les institucions de la UE, es vol presentar de manera estructurada la dinàmica entre el Dret de la UE, per una banda, tenint en compte la seva actuació en àmbits centralment o tangencial lingüístics (dimensió lingüística de disposicions del mercat interior, com ara etiquetatge), en intersecció amb una sèrie d’esforços per aconseguir (o per impedir) que la llengua catalana o d’altres llengües amb topalls esdevingui llengua oficial i de treball de la UE.

Des d’una perspectiva comparada però centrats en la llengua catalana, ponderarem les interaccions entre representants de comunitats lingüístiques (plenament representades o no a la UE, o oficialment bandejades) en funció de les conseqüències que se’n desprenen pel que fa a determinades decisions, ja sigui a nivell de dret primari, de dret secundari, o també a nivell d’iniciatives de caire programàtic o de projectes pilot (sense atribució competencial o sense fonament jurídic). En relació amb tot això, encara hi afegirem un element més especulatiu, que és una succinta projecció d’escenaris en funció de tries «tecnològiques» (de projecció en el món digital) per les quals aposti la UE, en tant que nivell d’administració secundari, geogràficament llunyà per a molts ciutadans. Recordem que es tracta d’una administració desterritorialitzada i sense atribucions competencials en política lingüística, però que compta amb la primacia del dret comunitari. Ens interrogarem, finalment, com aquestes tries, o omissions, afectaran les altres dinàmiques: drets dels ciutadans (catalanoparlants), perspectives de futur i de viabilitat de l’actual mosaic lingüístic de la Unió Europea i, en darrer terme, com això repercutirà en la legitimació última de la integració europea com a projecte de pau i de prosperitat domèstiques.

Paraules clau: Unió Europea, Dret de la UE, Tecnologies de la parla, Oficialitat, Administració Pública.

by monzo

Exploring the application of ally theory in community interpreting in Aotearoa New Zealand from a Latin American service-user perspective

Agustina Marianacci

«Community interpreters hold a powerful position within any interpreted event due to their linguistic and multicultural knowledge (Mason & Ren, 2013). However, interpreters’ power is often unacknowledged as a result of non-engagement and invisibility ideals in professional interpreting, as well as cultural and linguistic hegemonies which hide systemic injustices (Coyne & Hill, 2016). Unlike restrictive conduit views of the interpreting role, the ally model of interpreting recognises interpreters’ power and contextualises decision-making within historic oppression and inequality (Baker-Shenk, 1991). This enables interpreters to act in ways that promote social justice, empower interpreting service users, and offer equality of access (Witter-Merithew, 1999). However, the ally model has mostly been studied from within the field of signed languages, in relation to the deaf community (Baker-Shenk, 1986; Hsieh et al., 2013). Additionally, interpreting guidelines have remained mostly in the hands of the practitioners (Rudvin, 2007), as there is limited research from the service users’ point of view (Edwards et al., 2005).

This presentation will focus on a research project on allyship and social justice in spoken-language interpreting from a service-user perspective. The research was conducted with the Latin American community in Aotearoa New Zealand, employing a horizontal methodology developed by Latin American and European transdisciplinary researchers (Kaltmeier & Corona Berkin, 2012). The findings highlighted users’ appreciation for interpreters’ humane qualities, even over linguistic proficiency. Professional practice was seen to require empathy, flexibility, self-reflection, and a middle ground that avoids over-intrusions and unnecessarily rigid behaviour. This approach to practice was seen to promote an understanding of situated needs and challenges and, consequently, to enable a consideration for social justice and critical perspectives. While the findings suggest that there is room for the incorporation of the ally model in spoken-language interpreting, they also reinforce the need to complement discussions about role models with the development of professional responsibility and a focus on the consequences of interpreters’ actions, similar to other caring and practice professions (Dean & Pollard, 2018; Drugan & Tipton, 2017).

Keywords: allyship, social justice, interpreting service users, community interpreting, interpreter power