Ten questions for an English-speaking legal translator
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Ten questions for an English-speaking legal translator
Brief interview with one of our more adventurous legal translators.

Our interviewee was almost caught out by the pandemic in the Himalayas but returned safely from his Everest Base Camp trek before the lockdown. He has been working at Translator L&F for over 30 years and living in Spain for close to 37. Although he lived in the USA until the age of 28, his mother, wife and daughters are Spanish, so while he only translates into English, he is bicultural and completely fluent in Spanish.

1. Which language /culture is your favourite? Why?

Impossible to choose, nor would I want to. Like Amin Maalouf, in his work In the Name of Identity, I exist at the intersection of different cultures and languages and cannot raise any one of them to the status of most important or favourite.

2. For how long have you been a professional translator? What did you do before then?

I have been translating for nearly 35 years. Before then, in Spain, I taught English.

3. Have you always done legal translations or have you translated other types of texts?

I also do financial and business translations and, many moons ago, I translated a history book and history essays for specialised journals. I also recently translated a book about a Himalayan expedition.

4. Is there some specific terminology or type of document that you find especially
difficult to translate? Why?

I find judgments of higher courts to be quite challenging. The writing is often extremely baroque and the references to case-law precedents and works by legal thinkers tend to be quite messy to translate. As for specific terminology, the language of bond markets can be rather esoteric at times and the constant but at times inconsistent use of English in the original Spanish documents tends to be more confusing than helpful at times.

5. How and why did you decide to become a legal translator?

It grew on me or I grew into the role. Working at Translator L&F, where I was guided and mentored along by top-notch legal translators, in combination with my personal interest in the law, writing and researching, soon made legal translation a natural fit for me.

6. For you, what is the most important thing when taking on a legal translation?

A good breakfast. OK, only joking. The most important thing is getting a handle on what the original is saying as a whole and finding comparable texts in the target language.

7. Can you name a term that has made your job particularly difficult?

Legal documents that contains references to different types of guarantees: garantía, fianza, aval… There are, of course, different terms in English for similar concepts and arrangements: guarantee, collateral, performance bond, endorsement guarantee, security interest, surety bond… But there is no neat match-up between them. Each term has a specific meaning in its respective language and jurisdiction. I think it is essential to include the original along with the translation so the reader/user of the translation knows what the actual term is in the jurisdiction of reference. So I sometimes find myself referring, for example, to “aval guarantees”. This is just one illustrative example of the problems posed as much by differences between different legal systems as by differences between languages.

8. Do you combine your work as translator with some other activity?

Translating has been my only professional activity for well over 30 years now. When not working I enjoy reading, travelling (before the pandemic anyway), museum hopping, biking, mountaineering and a long eclectic etcetera.

9. How long have you been working at Translator L&F? What is it that you most
value in working with Translator L&F?

I started at Translator L&F around 33 years ago. From the very first, what I most valued about the firm was the highly self-demanding attitude I saw in the translators. Be it professional pride or satisfaction in seeing a job well done, the people responsible for TL&F really cared about the quality of the work they delivered. A striving for excellence was an essential part of the culture well before these things became buzzwords and empty marketing slogans. I could name many other things I value in the company, but I think they all basically spring from that attitude. TL&F brings together a good number of very impressively qualified, experienced and motivated translators. Some of them have fascinating life stories, interests and talents. And the interaction with them is constantly enriching, stimulating and downright enjoyable.

10. What book have you read most recently? Do you have a favourite book or author?

In Spanish, Los días perfectos by Jacobo Bergareche, and, in English, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Both highly recommendable. No, I have no favourite book or author. For me, that would be like trying to pluck a favourite constellation out of the sky.

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