The author analyses specialized translation in the field of law. As he points out, the legal translator determines his/her strategy in light of the constraints imposed by the type of text (legislation, judgment, contract or other), the concepts to be translated, the purpose of the text and the conditions of reception. Special emphasis is placed on the role of culture and the incongruence of legal concepts of different legal systems, both of which make it impossible to achieve total or even near equivalence in legal translation. A systematic approach to legal translation must take account of the particular translation setting. A distinction is made between translations across national systems and languages, translations within bilingual or multilingual countries with one, two or mixed legal systems, and those in international organizations or at regional level.