Translating the civil code of Louisiana into French and Spanish: A jurilinguistic exercise

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-13-2023

Abstract

This chapter explores the Louisiana Civil Code Translation Project at the Louisiana State University Center of Civil Law Studies. This project is part of a recent trend in Louisiana, in which academic legal translation has been shifting from into-English translations to translations into foreign languages, with the purpose of showcasing Louisiana law and making it available to readers whose native language is not English. While the translation into French has already seen the light even in print, after many years of drafting and discussing the translation, the ongoing Spanish translation has prepared the floor for further discussion of the French text. Hopefully, a trilingual version will appear in print soon. Meanwhile, the project leaders share their views on the style of civil legislation in Louisiana and the translation approach adopted, which transpires in certain translation strategies chosen. This chapter showing the behind the scenes of a civil code translation project reveals that a sound approach to legal translation requires a jurilinguistic foundation with insights on legal terminology, comparative law, and legal history.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Research Handbook on Jurilinguistics

First Page

470

Last Page

484

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