Article published in:
Corpus-Based Research in Legal and Institutional Translation
Edited by Fernando Prieto Ramos
[Translation Spaces 8:1] 2019
► pp. 144–166

Procuração/power of attorney

A corpus-based translation-oriented analysis

| University of Minho
| University of Vigo
This paper presents a contrastive legal and corpus-based linguistic and terminological analysis to translate a common legal instrument on a global scale, the power of attorney in English or procuração in Portuguese. This usually takes the shape of a written document, granted before a notary public as required by law, allowing one person to appoint another person to act on his/her behalf. Civil law and common law systems differ considerably with respect to requirements, formalities and range of powers permitted. In cross-border transactions, a translation is required to certify the authority given to third parties who do not speak the language. Bearing this in mind, a comparable corpus of authentic Portuguese and British texts (from England and Wales, and Northern Ireland) pertaining to this legal genre (12 procurações and 24 PoA) is analysed to identify its characteristics at functional, situational, thematic, lexical and grammatical levels.
Keywords: legal translation, corpus linguistics, legal terminology, terminology, power of attorney, Portuguese, English
Published online: 26 June 2019
https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.00016.afo
Corpora

Corpora

The British English 2006 Corpus (BE06)
Compiled by Paul Baker. Accessed June 5, 2018. http://​www​.helsinki​.fi​/varieng​/CoRD​/corpora​/BE06/
The CETEMPúblico Corpus
Provided by Linguateca (2000). Accessed June 5, 2018. http://​www​.linguateca​.pt​/CETEMPublico/

References

Afonso, Tereza Passos e Sousa Marques
2016 “Tradução jurídica à luz da linguística de corpus [Legal Translation from the Perspective of Corpus Linguistics].” Master’s Thesis, University of Minho.Google Scholar
Alcaraz Varó, Enrique, and Brian Hughes
2014 Legal Translation Explained. New York: Routledge. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Andrade, Manuel Domingues de
2003 Teoria Geral da Relação Jurídica [General Theory of the Legal Relationship]. 9th ed. Vol. II. Coimbra: Almedina.Google Scholar
Anthony, Laurence
2017 “AntFile Converter.” Accessed April 16, 2018. http://​www​.laurenceanthony​.net​/software​/antfileconverter/
[ p. 163 ]
2018 “AntConc.” Accessed April 16, 2018. http://​www​.laurenceanthony​.net​/software​/antconc/
Arndt, Tamara, Silvia Cerrella Bauer, Mark Childress, Klaus Fleischmann, Beate Früh, Regine Hellerich, Maryline Hernandez, et al.
2014 “Projekt- Und Prozessmanagement [Project and Process Management].” Terminologiearbeit: Best Practices 2.0, edited by Petra Drewer, Donatella Pulitano, and Klaus-Dirk Schmitz. Köln: Deutscher Terminologie-Tag e. V.Google Scholar
Barbosa, Neyara
2017 “Fraseologismos Bilíngues Em Documentação De Tradução Juramentada [Bilingual Phraseology in Certified Translation].” Master’s Thesis, University of Brasilia. Accessed February 3, 2019. http://​repositorio​.unb​.br​/handle​/10482​/24521
Barreto Menezes Cordeiro, António
2017 Direito Inglês Dos Contratos I – Formação, Conteúdos, Vícios [English Contract Law I – Formation, Content, Vices]. Lisbon: AAFDL Editora.Google Scholar
Bastos, Maria do Céu
2018 “Terminology for Translators: A Termbase in the Domain of Company Law.” PhD Dissertation, University of Vigo.Google Scholar
Bauer, Silvia Cerrella
2017 “Making the Case for Terminology Management [SDL Webminar].” Accessed June 15, 2018. http://​www​.sdl​.com​/video​/making​-the​-business​-case​-for​-terminology​-management​/116604/
Biel, Łucja
2008 “Legal Terminology in Translation Practice: Dictionaries, Googling or Discussion Forums?” SKASE. Journal of Translation and Interpretation 3 (1): 22–38. Accessed April 16, 2018. http://​www​.skase​.sk​/Volumes​/JTI03​/pdf​_doc​/BielLucja​.pdf
Borja Albi, Anabel
2000 El texto jurídico inglés y su traducción al español [The English Legal Text and Its Translation into Spanish]. Barcelona: Editorial Ariel.Google Scholar
2005 “¿Es posible traducir realidades jurídicas? Restricciones y prioridades en la traducción de documentos de sucesiones británicos al español [Is it Possible to Translate Legal Realities? Restrictions and Priorities in the Translation of British Probate Documents into Spanish].” La traducción y la interpretación en las relaciones jurídicas internacionales, edited by Anabel Borja Albi, Esther Monzó Nebot, and Laura Santamaría i Guinot, 65–89. Castelló de la Plana: Publicacions de la Universitat Jaume I.Google Scholar
Borja Albi, Anabel, and Amparo Hurtado Albir
1999 “La traducción jurídica [Legal Translation].” Enseñar a traducir. Metodología en la formación de traductores e intérpretes, edited by Amparo Hurtado Albir, 154–160. Madrid: Edelsa.Google Scholar
Cao, Deborah
2007 Translating Law. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Ciapuscio, Guiomar
2003 Textos especializados y terminología [Specialized Texts and Terminology]. Barcelona: Intitut Universitari de Lingüística Aplicada.Google Scholar
Ciapuscio, Guiomar, and Inés Kuguel
2002 “Hacia una tipología del discurso especializado: aspectos teóricos y aplicados [Towards a Typology of Specialized Discourse: Theoretical and Applied Aspects].” Entre la terminología, el texto y la traducción, edited by Joaquín García Palacios, and María Teresa Fuentes, 37–73. Salamanca: Almar. Accessed February 3, 2019. https://​goo​.gl​/BwdD85
De Groot, Gerard-René
1999 “Das Übersetzen Juristischer Terminologie [Translating Legal Terminology].” Recht und Übersetzen, edited by Gerard-René De Groot, and Reiner Schulze, 27–35. Baden-Baden: Nomos.Google Scholar
2006 “Legal Translation.” Elgar Encyclopedia of Comparative Law, edited by Jan M. Smits, 423–33. Cheltenham and Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
De Groot, Gerard-René, and Conrad J. P. van Laer
2006 “The Dubious Quality of Legal Dictionaries.” International Journal of Legal Information 34 (1): 65–86. Accessed November 14, 2018. http://​scholarship​.law​.cornell​.edu​/ijli​/vol34​/iss1​/6/
[ p. 164 ]
Elena, Pilar
2006 “Tipología textual y secuencial para la traducción [Textual and Sequential Typology for Translation].” Estudios Filológicos Alemanes: Revista del Grupo de Investigación Filología Alemana [German Philological Studies: Journal of the German Philology Research Group] 10.Google Scholar
2008 “La organización textual aplicada a la didáctica de la traducción. [Textual Organization Applied to Translation Didactics]”. Quaderns, Revista de Traducció 15: 153–167. https://​goo​.gl​/wybaPp
Engberg, Jan
2013 “Why Translators are not Lawyers. On Differences and Similarities of Interest and Knowledge.” Translating the Law. Theoretical and Methodological Issues, edited by Icíar Alonso Araguás, Jesús Baigorri Jalón, and Helen J. L. Campbell, 23–32. Granada: Comares/Interlingua.Google Scholar
2015 “Comparative Law for Translation.” Legal Translation in Context: Professional Issues and Prospects, edited by Anabel Borja Albi, and Fernando Prieto Ramos, 9–26. Bern: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Fiola, Marco A.
2012 “Translator Education: For a Praxeological Approach.” Rivista Internazionale di Tecnica della Traduzione 14: 1–12. Accessed February 3, 2019. https://​www​.openstarts​.units​.it​/handle​/10077​/9773
Galdia, Marcus
2017 Lectures on Legal Linguistics. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Gémar, Jean-Claude
2015 “De la traduction juridique à la jurilinguistique : la quête de l’équivalence [From Legal Translation to Jurilinguistics: The Quest for Equivalence].” META 60 (3): 476–93. Accessed June 16, 2018. http://​www​.erudit​.org​/revue​/meta​/2015​/v60​/n3​/1036139ar​.html​?vue​=resume​&mode​=restriction
Gornostay, Tatiana, Signe Rirdance, Andrejs Vasiļjevs, and Roberts Rozis
2010 “Bridging the Gap – EuroTermBank Terminology Delivered to Users’ Environment.” 14th Annual Conference of the European Association for Machine Translation, edited by François Yvon, and Viggo Hansen. Accessed June 12, 2018. http://​www​.mt​-archive​.info​/EAMT​-2010​-TOC​.htm
Heinemann, Wolfgang, and Dieter Viehweger
1991 Textlinguistik: Eine Einführung [Text Linguistics: An Introduction]. 3rd ed. Reprint, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Heylen, Kris, and Frieda Steurs
2014 “Translating Legal and Administrative Language: How to Deal with Legal Terms and their Flexible Meaning Potential.” Turjuman 23 (2): 96–146.Google Scholar
Holl, Iris
2011 Textología contrastiva, derecho comparado y traducción jurídica. Las sentencias de divorcio alemanas y españolas [Contrastive Textology, Comparative Law and Legal Translation: German and Spanish Divorce Decrees]. Vol. 29. Berlin: Frank & Timme GmbH.Google Scholar
2012 “Análisis de una sentencia de divorcio alemana” [Analysis of a German Divorce Decree]. Puente entre dos mundos: últimas tendencias en la investigación traductológica alemán-español, edited by Silvia Roiss and Belén Santana, 190–200. Salamanca: Ediciones de la Universidad de Salamanca. Accessed November 12, 2018. https://​goo​.gl​/7E5efV
Holl, Iris, and Pilar Elena
2015 “Análisis textual y jurídico comparado para la traducción: el caso de las capitulaciones matrimoniales alemanas y españolas [Textual and Comparative Legal Analysis for Translation: The Case of German and Spanish Marital Property Agreements].” META 60 (3): 494–517. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Lextek
n.d. “Lektek – Onix Text Retrieval Toolkit.” Accessed June 5, 2018. http://​www​.lextek​.com​/manuals​/onix​/stopwords1​.html
Linguateca
2006 “Listas de Palavras Frequentes Em Português [Stopword List in Portuguese].” Accessed June 5, 2018. http://​www​.linguateca​.pt​/chave​/stopwords/
Mattila, Heikki
2006 Comparative Legal Linguistics. Hampshire & Burlington: Ashgate.Google Scholar
[ p. 165 ]
Mello, Maria Chaves
2008 Dicionário Jurídico [Legal Dictionary]. 4th ed. Lisbon: Dinalivro.Google Scholar
Monzó Nebot, Esther
2005 “Cómo traducir derecho sin ser jurista: nuevas fuentes y métodos documentales para la traducción jurídica. [How to Translate the Law without being a Jurist: New Sources and Documentary Methods for Legal Translation].” La Biblioteca de Babel: Documentarse para traducir, edited by Dora Sales Salvador, 123–146. Granada: Comares.Google Scholar
Moraes, Naomi
2007 “Uma Análise Qualitativa de Marcadores Culturais em Dois Corpora Paralelos de Traduções Jurídicas de Direito Privado de Português para Inglês e de Inglês para Português [A Qualitative Analysis of the Translation of Referential (Extra-linguistic) and Stylistic Cultural Markers in two Parallel Corpora of Portuguese-English and English-Portuguese Translations of Private Law Documents].” PhD Thesis, University of Brasilia. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Mota, Helena
2013 “Algumas notas sobre a lei aplicável à representação voluntária no contrato internacional. Uma perspectiva comparada luso-espanhola [Notes on the Law Applicable to Agency. A Portuguese and Spanish Law Comparative View].” Revista Electrónica de Direito, 1, Porto. Accessed January 20, 2019. https://​www​.cije​.up​.pt​/en​/download​-file​/1169​&usg​=AOvVaw0Cq0pkJxOcdnhiiiGAZfrc
Nord, Christiane
1997 Translating as a Purposeful Activity. Manchester: St. Jerome.Google Scholar
Prieto Ramos, Fernando
2009 “Interdisciplinariedad y ubicación macrotextual en traducción jurídica [Interdisciplinarity and Macro-contextualization in Legal Translation].” Translation Journal 13 (4). Accessed January 22, 2018. https://​archive​-ouverte​.unige​.ch​/unige:5078
2011 “Developing legal translation competence: An integrative process-oriented approach.” Comparative Legilinguistics – International Journal for Legal Communication 5: 7–21. Accessed January 22, 2018. https://​archive​-ouverte​.unige​.ch​/unige:16166
2014 “Parameters for Problem-Solving in Legal Translation: Implications for Legal Lexicography and Institutional Terminology Management.” The Ashgate Handbook of Legal Translation, edited by Le Cheng, King Kui Sin, and Anne Wagner, 121–34. Farnham: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Rodriguez, Bruna
2016 “Género Textual Procuração: Tradução Comentada Alemão-Português [The Power of Attorney as Textual Genre: Commented Translation from German into Portuguese].” Master’s Thesis, University of Aveiro.Google Scholar
Šarčević, Susan
1988 “Terminological Incongruency in Legal Dictionaries for Translation.” BudaLEX’88 Proceedings. Papers from the 3rd International EURALEX Congress, edited by Tamás Magay, and Judith Zigány, 439–46. Budapest. Accessed November 16, 2017. http://​euralex​.org​/wp​-content​/themes​/euralex​/proceedings​/Euralex1988​/057​_Susan​Sarcevic​(Rijeka)​​-Terminological​Incongruency​in​Legal​Dictionaries​for​Translation​.pdf
1997 New Approach to Legal Translation. The Hague: Kluwer Law International.Google Scholar
[ p. 166 ]
2000 “Legal Translation and Translation Theory: A Receiver-Oriented Approach.” La traduction juridique: Histoire, théorie(s) et pratique / Legal Translation: History, Theory/ies, Practice. (Proceedings, Geneva 17–19 February 2000), 329–347. Bern/Geneva: ASTTI/ETI.. Accessed on February 3, 2019. http://​www​.tradulex​.com​/Actes2000​/sarcevic​.pdf
van Laer, Conrad J. P.
2014 “Bilingual Legal Dictionaries. Comparison without Precision?” Legal Lexicography. A Comparative Perspective, edited by Máirtín Mac Aodha, 75–88. Farnham and Burlington: Ashgate.Google Scholar