The textual fit of translated EU law: a corpus-based study of deontic modality

Biel, Łucja

doi:10.1080/13556509.2014.909675

Cited by 42 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…All of these unanswered questions pose a challenge and encourage the exploration of the topic of deontic modality (which has been a topic of a very vivid academic discussion in Europe (Biel, 2014;Gęborys, 2012;Rydzewska-Siemiątkowska, 2016;Vanden Bulcke, 2013)) in the framework of the linguistic confrontation of English (and other languages) with Polish.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An approach to the translation of deontic modality in legal texts. The case of the Polish and English versions of the “Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union”

Jaskot

Wiltos

2017

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An approach to the translation of deontic modality in legal texts. The case of the Polish and English versions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European UnionThe co-existence of twenty-four legal languages in the European Union is guaranteed by the basic principles of EU language policy, stated in its founding treaty. Indeed, every EU citizen has the right to communicate with the EU in the official language of their choice, and to receive a reply in the same language. Such a situation is reflected in legal multilingualism, which presents challenges for both linguists and translators.One of these challenges is the translation of deontic modality. This article focuses on how deontic modality is expressed in the Polish and English versions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The form and usage of modal forms which express deontic possibility (i.e. permission) and deontic necessity (i.e. obligation) are highlighted, as well as the similarities and differences between the two parallel texts. The differences between the modal forms in the two versions of the text have consequences regarding the degree of both the subject’s and addressee’s commitment to norms and regulations.This article aspires to contribute to the study of deontic modal language, which is considered to be one of the central linguistic phenomena most in need of explanation. Tłumaczenie modalności deontycznej w tekstach prawnych na przykładzie polsko- i anglojęzycznej wersji Karty praw podstawowych Unii EuropejskiejWspółistnienie dwudziestu czterech języków oficjalnych Unii Europejskiej gwarantowane jest przez podstawowe zasady przyjętej przez nią polityki językowej, których podstawy zawarte są w traktatach założycielskich. W ich wyniku każdy obywatel UE ma prawo nie tylko do komunikowania się z organami UE w wybranym przez siebie języku urzędowym oraz do otrzymania odpowiedzi w tymże języku, ale również do tego, aby całe prawo Unii Europejskiej tworzone było we wszystkich 24 językach urzędowych. Wspomniane założenia stanowią jednak ogromne wyzwanie zarówno dla tłumaczy, jak i lingwistów.Teksty prawne składające się na system prawa Unii Europejskiej, sporządzone w 24 językach urzędowych UE, zawierają w sobie wypowiedzi, których immanentną cechą jest modalność. Jednakowe wyrażenie wspomnianego elementu modalnego wydaje się jednak szczególnie trudne w procesie redagowania wielojęzycznych tekstów prawnych.Niniejszy artykuł poświęcony jest zagadnieniu sposobu wyrażania modalności deontycznej w polskiej i angielskiej wersji Karty Praw Podstawowych Unii Europejskiej. Przeprowadzone badanie pozwoliło na wyodrębnienie poszczególnych form językowych będących nośnikiem odpowiednio możliwości (dozwolenie) oraz konieczności (nakaz i zakaz) deontycznej. Wykazane zostały ponadto zaobserwowane różnice i podobieństwa pomiędzy dwoma równoległymi wersjami językowymi wspomnianego dokumentu. Na uwagę zasługują zwłaszcza te ostatnie ze względu na ich potencjalne konsekwencje wynikające z różnego stopnia zobowiązania się zarówno podmiotu, jak i adresata dokumentu do przestrzegania wynikających z niego norm.Celem artykułu jest przyczynienie się do rozszerzenia badań nad środkami wyrażania modalności deontycznej, stanowiącymi jedno z głównych zagadnień lingwistycznych wymagających głębszej analizy i opisu.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An approach to the translation of deontic modality in legal texts. The case of the Polish and English versions of the “Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union”

Jaskot

Wiltos

2017

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“…From the perspective of translation, the differing ways in which languages express obligation present a challenge. Biel (2014) has traced the differences in legislative Polish and EU legislation translated into Polish. She has found that the translations show a strong reliance on source language patterns of modality, which may, to some extent, reflect the different structure of texts, but can also at least partially be attributed to interference and power relations between the majority and minority cultures within the EU context.…”

Section: Translating Modality In Legal Textsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Statutory texts create a system of various types of legal rules: they permit, empower and oblige (Ministry of Justice 2016). One of the ways these rules are expressed in statutory texts -as in other texts -is deontic modality (Biel 2014). Different languages have different ways of expressing obligation, which makes the task of translators challenging at times.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Obligation in Legal Finnish and Swedish through English Translations: A Corpus-Assisted Approach

Nurmi¹,

Kivilehto

2019

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Even though deontic modality is one central feature of statutory texts, codifying obligation, the descriptions of obligation in Finnish legal texts are still few. This corpus-assisted study of Finnish statutory texts has an innovative approach in using English translations as a starting point for identifying the linguistic forms obligation takes in Finnish statutory texts. Beyond describing Finnish deontic modality, we look at ways it has been translated into legally valid Swedish statutes, paying special attention on existing instructions for translators. The results show that, in addition to explicitly modal expressions, Finnish statutory texts express obligation frequently using the present indicative. In Swedish, there is a range of options, but there, too, the use of the present indicative is common. Based on this study, using English translations to identify such cases for further study is a viable option. The results of the study can be applied in translator training as well as in the work of legal translators.

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“…Particularly in translation studies, corpus methods have developed manifold applications [3,32,33], and they are gaining momentum in interpreting studies [50,53], also in sign language interpreting [61]. Legal translation scholars have explored legal language (mostly, terminology and phraseology) with the assistance of corpus tools [5,14,24,25,41], and a large number of empirical studies attest to its efficiency in institutional legal settings [see [4,40] ]. If we turn our attention to the field of legal studies, the applications of corpus methods for legal practice and adjudication have been known in the field for a long time [30] but its popularity had been marginal [27].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Jurilinguistics: Ways Forward Beyond Law, Translation, and Discourse

Nebot

Moreno-Rivero

2020

Int J Semiot Law

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This is the guest editors' introductory paper to the special issue "Situating jurilinguistics across cultures using translation and discourse approaches." The introduction showcases the interdisciplinary vocation of jurilinguistics from its conception almost forty years ago. It is argued that jurilinguistics has achieved its current maturity by diversifying the disciplinary lenses of the originally contributing disciplines of legal translation and legal studies while keeping faithful to its original principles-facing practical problems with a rigorous outlook, venturing into any new domains that may prove enlightening, and combining professional and academic perspectives. The authors highlight how the series of conferences "Jurilinguistics: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Language and Law" have been instrumental in enhancing the scope of jurilinguistics. Finally, the articles gathered in this special issue are presented and their contributions in advancing the knowledge available for practitioners and scholars meeting at the interface between law and language are underscored.

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The textual fit of translated EU law: a corpus-based study of deontic modality

Cited by 42 publications

References 33 publications

An approach to the translation of deontic modality in legal texts. The case of the Polish and English versions of the “Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union”

An approach to the translation of deontic modality in legal texts. The case of the Polish and English versions of the “Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union”

Identifying Obligation in Legal Finnish and Swedish through English Translations: A Corpus-Assisted Approach

Jurilinguistics: Ways Forward Beyond Law, Translation, and Discourse

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