Legal and Administrative Terminology

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    Legal and Administrative Terminology

    and Translation Problems

    par le Dr. Alexander LANE

    Juriste, traducteur et terminologue, auteur de nombreux travaux

    dans le domaine de la jurilinguistique, le Dr. LANE est le

    prsident de l'Institut international de terminologie juridique etadministrative, dont le secrtariat permanent est Berlin.

    SOMMAIRE

    La terminologie juridique et administrative constitue la langue technique utilise parl'Administration, la Justice et le monde des juristes, par opposition la langue commune dontelle se distingue en outre par certaines caractristiques d'ordre syntaxique et stylistique, outre sanomenclature particulire. L'crit est sa source principale, qu'il s'agisse de documents caractre officiel (lois, traits, dcisions de justice...) ou non (contrats, testaments, opinions...).

    Cette spcificit de la terminologie juridique et administrative pose nombre de problmes autraducteur, notamment quant la comprhension et l'interprtation du texte; de plus, lepassage d'un systme un autre prsente des difficults singulires tant sur le plan conceptuel,qu'illustre particulirement la traduction des lois en pays bilingue, d'accords internationaux etde documents tels les actes notaris, que sur le plan de la forme. Afin d'aider le traducteur danssa tche et de lui fournir les outils ncessaires qui lui font tant dfaut dans ce domaine, deuxorganismes ont t crs, l'un en Europe, et l'autre au Canada, qui ont pour principale fonction,le premier d'tablir, sous les auspices du Conseil de l'Europe, un glossaire europen de droit etde terminologie administrative par couple de langues (allemand-franais, anglais-franais,allemand-espagnol...), le second, de crer un centre international d'tudes terminologiquesaffili INFOTERM.

    I. GENERAL

    1. Definition

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    Legal and Administrative Terminology (abbreviated as LAT in the following) may be defined as

    the technical language employed by the legislators, administrative authorities, the courts andmembers of the legal professions. It is characterized by the special terms and expressions peculiar

    to this particular field, and it also exhibits a number of special syntactic, stylistic and idiomatic

    features.

    2. Sources of LAT

    The technical language of the legal and administrative sector is found primarily in written texts,

    which may be classified as follows:

    official texts, whose wording is prescriptive and must therefore also be used by

    translators, i.e. laws, statutory instruments, texts of ratified international agreements;

    other documents issued by authorities and courts, whose contents are legally binding but

    whose wording is not prescriptive, i.e. judgments and other decisions handed down bycourts, decisions taken by administrative authorities, official announcements, letters, etc.;

    non-official texts, i.e. documents drawn up by members of the legal profession inperformance of their functions (e.g. documents authenticated by a notary public, such ascontracts, wills and powers of attorney; written applications and submissions by lawyers;

    legal literature; written opinions on legal or administrative matters; sometimes also

    private correspondence if it is used for the purpose of providing evidence in a legaldispute, etc.).

    3. Defining the scope of LAT

    Not every text that is generated in connection with legislative, judicial or administrative activityor in connection with the practicing of the legal profession automatically contains LAT. Since

    law and administration cover all aspects of human life, a number of problems arise when we tryto distinguish LAT from the terminologies of other technical language or even from thevocabulary of standard language. By standard language is meant the totality of words and

    expressions that should be known to all users of a particular language. It covers the vocabulary of

    all the subjects taught at an ordinary school and permits the speaker of the language to read a

    daily newspaper or follow radio and television programs without any particular problems.Standard language is the base on which the various technical languages are built up. While

    standard language can exist without specialized technical language, the reverse is not true

    technical language presupposes the existence of standard language. Colleges that train translatorsand interpreters are therefore quite right in insisting that their students should acquire a perfect

    command of standard language, for without it a specialized text cannot be appropriately

    translated into another language.

    As in all areas of language, it is not possible to draw a clear dividing line between technicallanguage and standard language. If only because of the mass media, many terms used in technical

    language have become part of a person's everyday vocabulary, whereas on the other hand some

    expressions used in standard language have acquired a specific meaning in a particular subjectarea and have thus become termini technici in that area. This process can frequently be observedin the case of LAT as well.

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    In actual legal practice, it is a problem not only to distinguish LAT from standard language but

    also to distinguish between it and the large number of other technical languages. For example, incourt cases of all kinds, witnesses give evidence and experts deliver opinions covering a wide

    range of subjects. These statements either relate to situations in everyday life in which case the

    text contains only standard language or they relate to a specialized subject such as medicine,

    construction, automotive engineering, etc. in which case they are technical texts in therespective discipline. Such texts, which usually form part of the documentation of the case before

    the court do not come under the heading of LAT.

    4. Characteristics of LAT

    The critical observer is struck by the following peculiarities of LAT which occur not just in

    English, French, German and Spanish (the languages which are compared here) but also in mostother languages:

    The first thing that stands out is the wealth of archaic words, expressions, phrases and linguistic

    forms, also the Latin tags, and a certain clumsiness in the manner of expressing ideas. For reasonsof space, it is not possible in this essay to deal with these in detail. Nevertheless, I should like totake a closer look at some features. The archaic nature of legal language, which very clearly and

    definitely distinguishes it from other technical languages, has something to do with the fact that

    the legal sources from which it stems are usually extremely old. For example, the system ofCommon law goes back as far as the 13 th century, the Code civilcontains expressions and phrasesdating from the 17th and 18th centuries, and the situation is similar in the case of Spains CdigoCivil and the German Brgerliches Gesetzbuch (Civil Code). However, the material that thelawmakers have adopted from earlier times becomes mixed with more recent and even modern

    language which finds its way into the text as a result of amendments and revisions of the laws.

    Because of this mixture of the old and the new the text sometimes lacks stylistic homogeneity;

    therefore we find that it is also necessary to consider the stylistic aspects of LAT.

    Naturally, there are some people who are capable of maintaining a beautiful style when

    producing LAT texts. But, nowadays in particular, anyone engaged in such activity is forced to

    work against the clock and must be content with merely expressing what needs to be said, while

    the niceties of linguistic form have to take second place. The efforts which have been made, forexample, by legislative bodies, to rectify defective language in draft legislation by enlisting the

    aid of linguistic associations and recognized stylists have so far met with little success. It often

    happens that the pure linguist, who is not familiar with the subject matter in question, hasdifficulty in finding better ways of phrasing concepts without running the risk of altering the

    sense. Another factor that contributes to the lack of stylistic beauty and homogeneity is that the

    texts of parliamentary bills or official communications are drafted jointly by several persons oragencies, and the texts of agreements or treaties come about through the process of negotiation;

    in all these cases, the main purpose of the participants is to agree on the content of the texts,

    whereas they have little time to spare on linguistic form.

    II. TRANSLATION PROBLEMS

    5. Understanding the text

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    The problems faced by translators of LAT texts commence with the actual understanding of the

    text. If the translator is not a trained lawyer, he may not necessarily be able to comprehend themeaning of a text. Therefore, the ability to understand the legal content of a text depends on the

    amount of preparatory training that the translator has received. The ideal translator is one who is

    an expert in the law of the source language country as well as in the law of the target language

    country. Translators with such skills are found in international organizations, such as theEuropean Court (Court of Justice of the European Communities) in Luxembourg. However, the

    need for translations of legal texts is in practice so great that suitable translators have to be

    trained for this purpose. It is obvious that the goal of a translator in taking such training isdifferent from that of a person studying to enter the legal profession (i.e. to become a lawyer,

    judge, etc.). The fledgling lawyer must learn how to handle the law and how to make legal

    decisions. In contrast, a person being trained to become a translator of legal texts has much moremodest goals. He must be able to understand the institutions and mechanisms of the law so that

    he can grasp the meaning of the texts set before him and translate them properly into the target

    language. Consequently, he must have a knowledge of the legal terminology and of the

    specialized dictionaries and reference works that are used in his two working languages. Thisknowledge is usually acquired by taking a course of study at a school for interpreters and

    translators. In addition, however, it is advisable to study law, although it is not necessary to take

    an exam qualifying the student for entry into the legal profession.

    6. Interpretation of the text

    There are various problems that hamper clear understanding of a text. These include, forexample, terms, expressions, formulations, abbreviations, etc. with which the translator is

    unfamiliar, and also a lack of clarity in the source text. The translator must overcome his

    terminological difficulties by making use of his stock in trade, namely dictionaries as well asunilingual and multilingual reference works. Sometimes it also helps to consult with a recognized

    expert on the subject. It is more difficult to deal with the problem of a text whose meaning is notclear. The lack of clarity may arise because the translator cannot understand a text if it is phrasedin such a way that only a trained lawyer can comprehend its meaning. Here again, the only

    solution is to consult with a legal expert. Under no circumstances is the translator permitted to

    place his own interpretation on the text, and it is absolutely forbidden for him to attempt to

    interpret the legal content. If various translations are possible, then the translator must point thisout in a translators note .

    7. Differences between legal systems

    The translator faces a very special set of problems when he is called upon to translate the

    terminology describing concepts that are unknown in the target language or that do not exist inexactly the same form in that language. About 15 years ago, the Internationales Institut frRechts- und Verwaltungssprache (International Institute for Legal and AdministrativeTerminology) (see Section 11 herein for a description of the Institute) decided to study this

    fundamental problem. The result was that the Institute developed a method for coping with this

    difficulty, and this will be briefly explained in the following:

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    A terminological comparison between one language and the other is based on concepts and terms

    (Ferdinand de Saussure :Les signifis et les signifiants). According to the definition given in theGerman standard DIN 2330, a concept is a unit of thought which combines within itself the

    properties and relationships of things (material and immaterial objects, situations and

    circumstances, events, actions, procedures, etc.). The properties and the relationships are called

    the characteristics of the concept. In the sphere of language a concept is identified by a termwhich may consist of a single word or of a group of words or even of letters or graphical

    symbols. When it is necessary to translate a term from one language into a term in another

    language, it is the task of comparative terminology to go back to the concepts associated with theterms in question and examine whether they do actually correspond. A comparison of the

    concepts may reveal that their characteristics match up completely, the concepts are identical, in

    which case the mathematical symbol = is used to express this state of equivalence. If theconcepts are only more or less equivalent, then the symbol is used. If there is no

    corresponding concept in the other language, then the symbol is employed.

    Let us consider an example from the law of procedure

    the concept E appeal (DBerufung; F appel; S apelacin).

    Conceptual characteristics

    A. Legal proceedings aimed at bringing about a complete or partial annulment or amendmentof a judgment delivered by a court.

    B. The effect of an appeal once it has been duly lodged is to

    a. postpone the coming into force of the judgment (suspensive effect), orb. have the case sent to a higher court for a decision (devolutionary effect).

    C. An appeal is directed against the actual findings and the legal conclusions of judgment.

    D. To be valid, an appeal must adhere to certain formal requirements (it must be submitted inwriting to the proper court within a specified period of time: judex a quo orjudex adquem).

    E. The entire case is tried again, both from the factual and the legal standpoint, in the court

    of appeal.

    Once we have determined these characteristics of the concept in the sphere of application of the

    law in the source language country, we must check to see whether the same characteristics can

    also be assigned to the terms Berufung, appel or apelacin . It should be noted in thisconnection that the characteristics of a concept are not all equally important. Some are essentialfor determining the overall characteristics of the concept (essentialia) while the others are notessential (accidentalia). If all the essentialia match up and only a few of the accidentalia differfrom each other, then we can consider using the symbol = . If most of the essentialia areidentical and some of the accidentalia are also the same, then the two concepts are similar ( ).

    If the essential characteristics do not coincide, then the source language concept and the target

    language concept are not equivalent ( ).

    However, not every problem is solved by classifying the concepts according to theircharacteristics. In particular, the decision denoted by the symbol is merely negative. If we

    tell the translator that the concept NN in the source language does not exist in the target

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    language, we must also tell him what word he should use instead, we must at least suggest a

    translation. This provides the comparative terminologist with the opportunity not only to beanalytical and descriptive but also prescriptive. Admittedly, he cannot force a translator to adopt

    his suggestion; instead, he can only hope that the translator will find it acceptable.

    The following are some examples for the language combination German/English which are takenfrom the volumes of the Europaglossar der Rechts- und Verwaltungssprache (EuropeanGlossary of Legal and Administrative Terminology) published by theInternationales Institut frRechts- und Verwaltungssprache.

    " = "

    Satzung f.(vom Gemeinderat erlassenes Ortsrecht;in England bedrfen Satzungen in derRegel der ministeriellen Genehmigung; inDeutschland brauchen sie nur in

    besonderen Fllen genehmigt zu werden.)

    by(e) - law

    (a local law enacted by the council, in

    England normally requiring confirmation

    by the appropriate minister; German by(e)- laws must be confirmed only in certain

    specific cases.)(Term 37 from Volume 14 Local Government German and English)

    " "

    Firmenname m. (nach englischem Rechtder Narre, unter dem ein Geschftbetrieben wird. In einem Register derFirmennamen mu jede Person, Firma(s.d.) oder Gesellschaft mit beschrnkterHaftung (s.d.) eingefragen werden, dieeine Niederlassung (s.d.) im VK hat undGeschfte unter einem Namen betrelbt,

    der nicht mit ihrem wirklichenNachnamen oder dem Nachnamen Oderkrperschaftlichen Namen aller Teilhaberidentisch ist, oder der nioht aus demkrperschaftlichen Namen derGesellschaft ohne jeden Zusatz (auerden wirklichen Vornamen oder derenAnfangsbuchstaben zustzlich zumNachnamen) besteht.In der SRD wird der Narre, unter dem einGeschft betrieben wird, als Firma (s.

    d.) bezeichnet.Wird das Geschft in kaufmnnischerForm betrieben, dann mu die Firma in das bei den Amtsgerichten gefhrteHandelsreglster eingetragen werden.)(1, 4, 6, 8 ff. 17 ff. HGB, 4 GmbHG, 125 FGG)

    business name (in the United Kingdom,

    the narre under which a business is carried

    on. Every person, firm or limitedcompany (qq.v.) having a place of

    business (q.v.) in the UK and carrying on

    business under a business narre whichdoes not consist of the true surname of the

    person, of true surnames or corporate

    narres of ail the partners, or the corporatenarre of the company without any addition

    (other than the true Christian narres or

    initiais thereof in the case of surnames)

    must be registered in the register ofbusiness narres.

    In the FRG the narre, under which abusiness is carried on, is called Firma

    (q.v.).

    When the business is carried on in acommercial form, the Firma is to be

    registered in the commercial register kept

    by the local courts.) (Registration ofBusiness Narres Act 1916; Companies

    Act 1947 S. 123, Sched. IX, Pt. II)

    (Term 136 from Volume 13 Law of Establishment German and English)

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    " "

    v.f : Haftpflichtdeckung f. (DieseVersicherungsart ist nicht auf dieDeckung von Unfllen auf ffentlichenWegen beschrnkt (gesetzliche

    Mindesthaftpflicht), sondern gilt auch frsolche, die sich an anderen Ortenereignen. Ihr Haupfzweck ist es, denVersicherungsnehmer gegenHaftpflichtansprche bei Tod oderKrperverletzung und bei Sachschdendritter Personen abzusichern.) (Term 67from volume 27 Motor Insurance .)

    Third Party), cover (This type ofpolicy is not confined to touer for

    accidents on public roads ( Act Only ),

    but applies also to those occurring

    elsewhere. Its main function is to coverthe policyholder against his liability for

    the death of or bodily injury to other

    persons and for damage to third partyproperty.)

    8. Translations of laws and of the texts of international agreements

    In countries which have more than one official language, and which therefore have to publishtheir legislation in at least two and possibly more languages, the preparation of the various

    versions acquires a special importance. The task in this case is not so much one of translating,

    pure and simple, but instead it involves the problem of how to draw up legal texts of identicalcontent in more than one language. The problem becomes even more complex when the different

    languages are in addition associated with different systems of law, as is the case for example with

    English (Common law) and French (Code civil) in Canada.

    In keeping with international practice, the fundamental procedure followed when drawing uplegislation in more than one language is first to draft the law in one of the languages and then to

    have the Governments official translation service prepare the version in the other language(s).

    Both, or where more than two languages are concerned, all the texts are working texts as regardstheir formulation and factual content, and their wording is worked on by the various organs and

    persons involved in the legislative process; through discussions in Parliament, in the various

    Government Departments and in other bodies an attempt is made to find solutions which best suit

    the prevailing political circumstances. The translator is only one of the persons involved in thisprocess. He is responsible for nothing more than the linguistic form and not for the shaping of the

    contents of the legislation. The procedure followed at the international organizations is in

    principle similar. If there are institutional differences in the spheres of application of the officiallanguages, the creators of multilingual legislation must consider whether they should pass a law

    to replace the different institutions by uniform ones, thereby creating a standard terminology, or

    whether they should maintain the status quo. In the latter case the legislators will have no choice

    but to depart from the fundamental rule of achieving philological agreement between the twotexts if they wish to ensure that, despite the different institutions, the law is the same for all

    subjects, regardless of what language they speak.

    Like the domestic legislation of a bi or multilingual country, the multilingual texts ofinternational agreements are also the result of negotiations regarding content and form.

    Conference interpreters and conference translators are brought in to provide assistance in this

    process. What form the final version of the agreement takes depends on the willingness of the

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    negotiating parties to compromise. Sometimes the parties are unable to agree on either the

    language or the content of certain clauses, but they do not wish this to stand in the way of theagreement being signed, so they agree to disagree on such points. Thus, in both languages the

    texts deviate from each other not only linguistically but also factually at these points. This is a

    fact that is often overlooked when the texts of international agreements are used as translation

    aids. In this connection, attention should be drawn to another circumstance with which thetranslator is often insufficiently familiar. In keeping with the custom commonly adopted in the

    English-speaking world, the agreements usually contain a list of definitions, and they create their

    own terminology for the scope of application of the given agreement; such terminology cannot,however, be used outside the area of application of the agreement.

    Pure translations of international agreements that were concluded in other languages are common

    in international practice, particularly in the case of the worldwide agreements concluded by the

    UN. They are drawn up and signed in the official languages of the UN. When these agreementsare incorporated into the legislation of member countries with other official languages, or of

    countries that join the UN at a later date and that also use other official languages, a translation is

    included with the official text of the agreement, and in many countries the translation is at thesame time printed in their Law Gazette. Since only the agreements themselves become domestic

    law through the act of ratification, the text of the attached translations is not prescriptive.

    9. Translations of documents

    Unless a translator decides to concentrate exclusively on scientific and technical texts, the

    translation of documents or deeds (G : Urkunden; F: documents, actes notaris or actes sousseing priv; S: actas notariales, escrituras, documentos, certificados) will play an important rolein his professional life. (Examples that can be quoted here are: private agreements of all kinds,

    wills, marriage, birth and death certificates, etc., legal decisions of all kinds, documents relating

    to court and administrative proceedings, decisions reached by administrative bodies, etc.). As faras European practice is concerned, the following fundamental principles have been adopted for

    the translation of deeds and documents:

    The translator must first cope with the format of the document. The primary characteristic is the

    external form, the size of the paper, the quality of the paper; is it a handwritten or typed text, or isit a mixture of a printed form filled in by hand or with a typewriter? In addition, there are other

    elements to be considered, e.g. the use of text stamps, seals, and accessories such as document

    ties in the national colours, also special protective covers, etc. These external features aredistinctive for the individual languages and subject fields. However, for the physical presentation

    of his translation the translator usually has nothing more than his typewriter and this permits only

    a limited choice of typeface and layout. The work of the translator commences with the problemof trying to reproduce these external features. With his typewriter, he must attempt to create a

    document that resembles the original. In many cases this is an absolute requirement because

    many legal systems assign particular importance to these purely formal elements.

    The external form of a document also includes a variety of errors such as the omission of letters,words or parts of sentences, dates, place names, numbers, the mixing up of letters and words,

    grammatical errors of all kinds, and illegible passages caused by poor handwriting or external

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    wear and tear to the document. The study of the errors in a document is of great importance not

    only to the translator but also to all users of the document. Above all else, the question must beasked: Should the translation be better than the original? In the case of literary translations the

    answer must definitely be yes . On the other hand, where the translation of documents is

    concerned, it is of paramount importance to be absolutely true to the original. The translator may

    make an improvement, not forgetting to point this fact out in a footnote, only in those relativelyrare cases when it is clear from the document itself that, for example, a word has been left out or

    a careless slip has been made. As regards the omission or incorrect quoting of figures and names,

    it is usually not permissible to make any correction, although the translator is obliged to draw thereaders attention to such points in a footnote.

    The origin of the document and the use to which the translation is to be put are further important

    factors. Is it a French text from France or Haiti, from Quebec, Belgium or a francophone African

    country, or an English document from the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand,etc., a Spanish text from Spain or South America, a German document from the Federal Republic

    of Germany, Austria or Switzerland? There are different institutions and names in the various

    language zones. The translator must bear this in mind not only when analyzing the originaldocument but when considering the use to which his translation is to be put.

    The reproduction of names in documents brings the translator up against the general problem of

    how to spell (i.e. transliterate) them. If the source language uses Roman letters, then it is

    customary to retain the original spelling, even when the letters in the original are modified by

    diacritical symbols (, , , , ,t, q, q, be put in by hand. As far as documents in most

    western languages are concerned, narres that are spelled in Roman letters in the source languageare not ned, narres that are spelled in Roman letters in the source language are not usually

    phoneticized in the target language. (Turkish is an exception to this rule: A ed = Hachette). In the

    case of languages which use non-Roman characters (Russian, Arabic, Chinese, etc.), the

    transliteration is based largely on the pronunciation, but the method of transliteration varies fromcountry to country. The translator must therefore be aware, for example, that a Chinese name is

    transliterated differently in a document written in French, English, German or Spanish.

    Names of streets are not translated but left in their original form because this makes it possiblefor the post office, for example, to locate the addresses.

    In many cases it is quite impossible to translate the narres of authorities, because there is no

    equivalent institution in the country of the target language. The solution to this problem is to give

    the narre in exactly the form that is used in the source language and to provide an explanation, orperhaps even a suggested translation, in brackets after the narre. The same applies to

    abbreviations, unless various versions of them exist in other languages, as is the case with theacronyms of many international organizations (UN = VN = ONU; NATO = OTAN, etc.). Figuresand dates should be given in the same way that they appear in the source language, i.e. Roman

    numerals for Roman numerals and Arabic for Arabic. Care is required with regard to the

    sequence in which the numbers are presented in dates because this varies from language tolanguage, and if the original form is adopted unchanged it can cause errors.

    III. INSTITUTIONS

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    10. In the following, we will examine two institutions which have made it their business to study

    the development of LAT, namely the Internationales Institut fr Rechts- undVerwaltungssprache (11) and the LEAT Centre (12).

    11. TheInternationales Institut fr Rechts- und Verwaltungssprache dates back to 1963 when an

    international study group was formed in Berlin by representatives of various Governmentministries in the Federal Republic of Germany, France and the Benelux countries. The desire inestablishing this group was to create suitable training aids for the personnel of national

    administrative bodies whose job requires them to conduct negotiations in other languages in

    foreign countries. In 1967 this study group acquired the status of an International Institute.

    Legally, the Institute is an international organization with non-official status (non governmentalorganization), and under German law it is treated as an unincorporated association. The head

    office of the Institute is located in Berlin1. The membership of the Institute is made up of experts

    from various European countries (Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg).These experts are either high-ranking ministerial officials from specialist ministries (e.g.

    ministries of economics, foreign ministries, ministries of domestic affairs, etc.) or they are

    professors or members of the legal profession.

    The Institute is run by a Board of Directors consisting of a President, several Vice-Presidents andthe Head of the Permanent Secretariat. The Vice-Presidents are at the same time the Heads of the

    five national sections (German, British, French, Italian, Spanish) of the Institute.

    According to the constitution of the Institute, its aim is to promote the study and research into

    legal and administrative terminology as well as the associated legal and administrative systems.In this way it seeks to help persons who are engaged in the work of international authorities and

    agencies to achieve their international goals and thus to contribute towards peaceful

    understanding between nations.

    The main activity of the Institute is to publish the Europaglossar der Rechts- und

    Verwaltungssprache (European Glossary of Legal and Administrative Terminology). This

    glossary is available in single volumes, each of which deals with one particular subject in one

    pair of languages (e.g. Budgeting and Auditing: German/English; Marriage Law:German/French; Motor Vehicle Insurance German/English; or French Legal Terms in European

    Treaties: English/French). Each volume contains a bilingual introduction to the various aspects of

    the subject in both countries (e.g. a brief description is given of German and French budgetingand auditing procedures) as well as systematically arranged presentation of technical terms and

    phrases with definitions and terminological comments; the volumes are rounded off by

    alphabetically arranged subject indexes.

    The individual volumes of the Glossary are prepared by Joint Committees that meet for one weekat a time in various places throughout Europe. The various experts provide their services free of

    charge, but their travel expenses are reimbursed out of the Institute's funds. At the present time

    the Institute has about 100 experts as members.

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    1 The address of the Permanent Secretariat is 1 000 Berlin 12, Knesebeckstrasse 8-9, Federal

    Republic of Germany.

    The European Glossary differs from the usual alphabetically arranged dictionaries in that it issystematically arranged and thus permits concentrated study of the terminology of a particularsubject area without, however, dispensing with the convenience of an alphabetical headword

    index2.

    12. LEAT Centre

    In May 1975, at the invitation of the International Information Centre for Terminology

    (INFOTERM), a world congress on the subject of international cooperation in the area of

    terminology was held in Vienna. The congress decided to set up a worldwide network forterminological studies (TermNet). In connection with the congress a world centre for legal,

    economic and administrative terminology was created under the acronym of LEAT. It is the taskof LEAT to collect from all over the world and in all languages a full range of information on

    terminological dictionaries and reference works, on terminology courses and terminologyprojects, as well as on any other literature dealing with this special field of terminology. LEAT is

    affiliated with INFOTERM, Vienna, within the framework of the UNISIT Programme of the

    UNITED NATIONS. It is located in Ottawa, Canada.

    2 The Institute has so far published the following volumes

    1. Office Terminology and procedure

    Telephone and Telegraph

    Services/German and French

    *15. Legal Terms in English Law of Contract /

    English and French

    2. Conference Terminology / German and

    French

    16. Public Utilities / German and French

    3. Salaries and Emoluments of Public

    Officials / German and French

    17. Regional Policy / German and Italian

    4. Administrative law and Procedure in

    Administrative Courts / German and

    French

    18. Regional Policy / German and English

    5. Civil Service Organization and Titles of

    Officials Authorities / German andFrench

    *19. Marriage and Divorce / German and French

    6. Local Government / German and

    French

    20. Local Government / German and Italian

    7. Budgeting / German and French 21. Law of Establishment / German and French

    8. Civil Service Law / German and French 22. Civil Service Organization / German and

    Italian

    9. Regional Policy / German and French 23. Education / German and French

    11

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    10. Contracting in Relation to Public

    Authorities / German and French

    24. Office Terminology and Procedure

    Telephone and Telegraph Services /

    German and Italian

    11. Youth / German and French 25. Conference Terminology / German and

    Italian

    *12. Selected French Legal Terms in

    European Treaties / French and English

    26. Budgeting and Auditing / German and

    Italian

    *13. Selected Terms of the Law of

    Establishment / German and English

    27. Motor Vehicle Insurance / German and

    English

    14. Local Government / German and

    English

    28. Budgeting and Auditing / German and

    Spanish

    * Volumes prepared under the Auspices of the Council of Europe.

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