Law, Language and Translation

The book addresses crucial questions posited by law and language, from theoretical concepts to reporting crimes, international treaties and conflicts. The focus is on what goes wrong in communication between different languages, cultures and systems. Intentional ambiguity and ideological bias are also impacting factors within the translational and communicative polysystem. Language filters and cultural constraints may, conversely, lead to erroneous interpretations, and mistakes,' may occur at various levels of understanding.§The book is divided into four parts. The first introduces theoretical concepts of interpretation and meaning in law and linguistics, i.e. validity in interpretation, hermeneutics and the constitutional application of subsumption.' The second part highlights applicative norms and lexica, with examples of comparative lexicography and multilingual dictionaries, for example, obstruction of justice in the Frost-Nixon debate. The third part is on criminal practice and multilingual definitions and outlines a case study (cattle-stealing), with reference to historic roots and media reporting in Anglophone post-colonial contexts (USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sudan, India). The fourth part focuses on international treaties in translations, as instruments of peace negotiations and war conflicts. This conclusive part is significant in framing the dynamics of legitimacy in colonial expansion and ruling through negotiations, treaties, and other legal instruments. Sections include the Spanish and British conquest of the New World, slavery and abolition, the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, and the definition of genocide in the Rwanda massacre.§The work extends the frontiers of interdisciplinary law and language to a dynamic trans-disciplinary and cross-cultural approach covering international legal English, international relations, post-colonial studies and translation. It is a dynamic tool providing a theoretical basis and critical insights, enhancing linguistic competence and cross-cultural awareness in the world of globalization.§It targets scholars, academics and professionals in the area of legal theory and practice, linguistic mediators, translators, media analysts and international commentators.