Polish

www.harroptranslations.com

Key aspects and problem areas in the jurilinguistic translation of certain forms of legal contracts in terms of terminology transfer

between two different legal systems: Polish and English.

Joanna J. Rek – HarropTranslator & Interpreter

MA University of Birmingham (UK), DPSI (Law) Chartered Institute of Linguists (UK)

Abstract: The translation of legal terminology used for establishing facts in court cases cannot be performed without regard to legal-cultural concepts and differences between legal systems. The level of equivalence of the terms depends on the extent of relatedness of the legal systems and not on that of the languages involved. Official legal translators would therefore benefit from legal training.

Key aspects and problem areas in the translation of the legal terminology of contracts that originate from the Polish civil law tradition and the English common law culture remain under-explored.

This study analyses this field and is based on five official translations of English contracts that can be accepted for the purpose of evidence in a Polish Court. It first examines relevant theoretical framework and translation practice. Then a chapter on the translation process considers contextual differences between Polish and English law and focuses in detail on terminological issues present in the selected contracts, providing practical examples of how these issues were resolved. On the basis of survey results the paper proposes the most accurate form of legal terminology translation and finally considers whether it is possible for the target language contract to have the same legal effect as the original.

Key Words: jurilinguistic transfer, cultural transfer, legal translation, legal discourse, cultural implications, legal meaning, legal terminology, referencing, legal conventionalities, lexis, syntax, context, legal tradition, contract, agreement, equivalence, function, legal systems, civil law, common law, legal function.

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

CHAPTER 2 LINGUISTIC THEORY for LEGAL TRANSLATION 4

2.1 The theoretical framework 4

2.2 The issue of equivalence in legal translation 7

2.2.1 Functional equivalence 8

2.2.2 Alternative equivalents and translating methods 12

2.3 The translator’s agenda 14

CHAPTER 3 THE TRANSLATING PROCESS 16

3.1 Polish and English Law – contextual differences 16

3.1.1 The function of contracts in two different legal systems 17

3.2 ST Reader, TT Reader and Ideal TT Reader 18

3.3 Subcategories of legal terminology 18

3.3.1 Purely technical terms

19

3.3.2 Semi-technical terms 21

3.3.3 Non-technical terms 26

3.4 Latin terms 30

3.5 Terms of French and Norman origins 31

3.6 Archaic Anglo-Saxon terms 32

3.7 Terminological errors 33

3.8 Terminological vagueness 34

3.9 Names and entities 37

3.9.1 Business entities 37

3.9.2 Names of English institutions and legal acts 39

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CHAPTER 4 SURVEY 40

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS 43

APPENDIX I Contracts and translations 45

APPENDIX II The legal terminology 65

APPENDIX III The survey with results 69

APPENDIX IV Translation of the Polish Court Translator Code 71

Figure 2.1 Near-functional equivalence 8

Figure 2.2 Partial functional equivalence 9

Figure 2.3 Non-equivalence 10

REFERENCES 75

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Legal translation has been described by researchers as a category in its own right

(Garzone, 2000: 395). This is mainly due to the complexity of legal discourse that

combines two extremes: the resourcefulness of the literary language used for the

interpretation of ambiguous meanings and the terminological precision of specialised

translation. The translation of legal terminology requires particular attention because it

‘consists primarily of abstract terms deeply and firmly rooted in the domestic culture and

intellectual tradition’ (Chromá, 2004: 48) and thus entails a transfer between two

different legal systems, each with its own unique system of referencing. An excellent

example of problems relating to the translation of such terms may be found in the official

translations of contracts.

In this study, I will analyse key aspects and problem areas to be considered by a

translator in the translation of the legal terminology of contracts that have their origins in

English common law and are translated into Polish civil law. The study is based on five

official translations of English contracts that can be used for the purpose of evidence in a

Polish Court. Such translations are done by qualified translators who are required to

swear to the accuracy of their work. The official translations were prepared on the

assumption that the target text reader is a legal professional. However, the proposed

translation choices took into consideration the fact that the aforementioned targeted legal

professional comes from a different legal tradition and that there is consequently a

difference in his/her referential classification.

The selected contracts consist of: an Employment Contract, a Cohabitation Agreement, a

Tenancy Agreement, a Guarantee Agreement and an Agreement for the Sale of a Vehicle,

all taken from ‘301 Legal Forms, Letters and Agreements’ (2005) by Lawpack

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Publishing that I translated into Polish language using five bilingual dictionaries of legal

terms and a ‘Lexicon of Law Terms’, all published after 2004, and recent monolingual

material in the form of the Encyclopaedia of [Polish] Law, the Collins English

Dictionary, the Oxford Dictionary of [English] Law (listed in the References) and the

Birmingham University Bank of English Corpora.

The paper consists of five chapters. Chapter 2 will discuss the relevant theoretical

framework and translation practice. It will focus on the issue of equivalence in legal

translation, paying particular attention to functional equivalence and a selection of

alternative translating methods. The chapter will also assess problem areas and the

translator's agenda when dealing with this type of translation. Chapter 3 will analyse the

translating process and will thus consider contextual differences between Polish and

English law, Polish and English legal languages and, associated with them, the function

of contracts in two different legal systems and their target text readers. The chapter will

then focus in detail on terminological issues present in the selected contracts, providing

practical examples of how these issues were resolved in their proposed official

translations. In order to analyse the benefit of legal training for translators when dealing

with terminological issues, the paper is supported by a survey of experienced

professionals working with the language pair Polish/English. The survey results

presented in chapter 4 include proposals, based on their opinions, as to the most accurate

form of terminology translation and analyse whether it is possible for the target text to

have the same legal effect as the original. Chapter 4 also includes a summary of changes

that have influenced official legal translators of contracts working with the

aforementioned language pair. Chapter 5 provides conclusions based on the analysis and

findings presented in the paper.

The four appendices consist of all the aforementioned original contracts and their

proposed official translations into Polish, the terminology of all the translated legal

documents, the survey questions with results and the Code of Practice of the Polish

Society of Sworn and Specialised Translators (TEPIS) that I translated into English.

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The reference abbreviations used throughout this study are as follows: ST1 (source text

1) = Employment Contract in English common law; ST2 = Co-habitation Agreement in

English common law; ST3 = Tenancy Agreement in English common law; ST4 =

Guarantee Agreement in English common law; ST5 = Agreement for the sale of a vehicle

in English common law; § 1 = paragraph one; § 2 = paragraph two, etc.; TT1 (target text

1) = Employment Contract translated into Polish civil law; TT2 = Co-habitation

Agreement translated into Polish civil law; TT3 = Tenancy Agreement translated into

Polish civil law; TT4 = Guarantee Agreement translated into Polish civil law and TT5 =

Agreement for the sale of a vehicle translated into Polish civil law; SL (source language)

= English; TL (target language) = Polish and BT (back translation) = from Polish into

English language. My personal comments are added in square brackets.

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CHAPTER 2 LINGUISTIC THEORY FOR LEGAL TRANSLATION

Different languages divide semantic space in different ways and this theoretically

excludes any possibility of finding full equivalence of Polish and English terms.

Additionally, the legal translations analysed here cannot be carried out in isolation from

the legal cultural concepts and differences of legal systems. Theory helps to open up a

series of possibilities and alternatives to make legal translation a practical possibility.

The theoretical framework to be discussed here looks at the researched views of scholars

on translation methods used for the transfer of legal language, the translator’s stance

when selecting a relevant method and the issue of equivalence of the main component of

the legal language - the terminology.

2.1 The theoretical framework

Sinclair proposes that the advantage of a theoretical framework is that it offers a quick

route to sophisticated observation and insight (2005: 13). From the epistemological

perspective legal translation stands at the crossroads of legal theory, language theory and

translation theory and therefore the scholarly views presented below combine a selection

of aspects from these disciplines. The most general view is Schleiermacher’s distinction

that refers to foreignization and domestication of the TT:

‘The translator can either leave the writer in peace as much as possible and bring the reader to

him, or he can leave the reader in peace as much as possible and bring the writer to him.’

(Schleiermacher von, 1838: 47, as translated in Wilss, 1982: 33)

‘Bringing the reader’ to the ST would require the TT reader to process the translation in

its original foreign context, while ‘bringing the writer to the reader’ would mean

domesticating the ST in terms of the context familiar to the TT readers and thus making it

easy for it to be assimilated by them. Comparable methods are considered in translation

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theory relating to legal language and terminology. In support of foreignizing strategies,

Koller (1979: 89) insists that full adaptation is not an accepted method of translation in

legal texts as it results in semantic distortion. Nord further maintains that a TT cannot be

regarded as a translation if it is not ‘bound’ to the ST (1988: 31). Eugene Nida proposes

a theory of ‘formal equivalence’ that focuses on ‘gloss translation’, resolving all lexical

and grammatical differences between ST and TT by remaining as close as possible to the

ST:

‘…it is essential that formal equivalence is stated primarily in terms of a comparison of the way in

which the original receptors understood and appreciated the text and the way in which receptors of

the translated text understand and appreciate the translated text.’ (Nida, 1993: 116)

Cesana further supports the foreignisation of legal terminology and proposes the use of

neologisms and loan words to render new legal concepts: ‘it is fidelity to the original

which counts, not the beauty or elegance of the target language’ (Cesana, 1910: 188, as

translated in Šarčević, 2000: 37). This view is also supported by Weisflog (1987: 194)

who advocates formal equivalence, also known as ‘formal correspondence’.

I believe that on occasion, in official translations of contracts authorised for use in a

Polish court of law, direct reference to foreign legal terminology is necessary since a

particular legal concept might be totally unknown in the TT legal tradition and the

translations should stay faithful to the ST. Examples of such terms, e.g. the ‘contracting-

out certificate’ available to certain civil service pensioners in the United Kingdom and

‘common-law wife’, are analysed in section 2.2.1 below. However, the excessive use of

loan words without explanation in the translated document can easily render it

incomprehensible or unclear to a reader, even one with a great degree of legal

background in the TL, such as the judge. For the same reason I do not agree with the use

of neologisms in the aforementioned type of documents as these are invented words

whose precise meaning has often not been fully established in the TL.

TT-oriented methods derive from contrasting views on the translation of legal terms that

also have a large group of scholarly supporters. Another of Nida’s theories proposes the

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method of ‘dynamic equivalence’, that is the aforementioned domestication of the ST

(Hatim and Mason, 1990: 7). Tomášek (1990: 113) proposes that legal translation ‘is a

procedure based on both linguistic and legal comparative approaches’. He supports the

view of that the focus should be the target language, and divides the translation process

into ‘intrasemiotic’ and ‘intersemiotic’ (1991: 147). Intrasemiotic translation is the

transfer of information from the first to the second semantic level of the SL i.e. transfer

from the legal language to the legal metalanguage while intersemiotic translation is the

translation of a legal text from the SL to the TL. In my opinion, the legal translator

should not aim at the full domestication of contracts that may be used in a Polish court of

law for two principal reasons. Firstly, official legal documents should stay faithful to the

ST and it is extremely unlikely that the direct and indirect meanings of legal concepts of

the ST have precisely the same legal meaning when domesticated in the TL legal culture.

Secondly, the judge should know that the document originates from a foreign legal

system and thus determine which law or part of the instrument is to be applied when

interpreting certain legal terminology.

In legal translation, many scholars associate legal equivalence with the extent to which

the same ‘legal effect’ can be produced in the TT while maintaining fidelity to the ST.

This technique, often referred to as a functional equivalence, is described by Newmark as

a procedure that occupies the universal area between the SL and the TL (2005: 83). I

agree with Jean-Claude Gémar who recommends the use of functional equivalence for

the purpose of the official translation of contracts (1995-II: 163 – 166) because it makes

the TT both comprehensible to the target reader and faithful to the original ST.

Functional equivalence is further analysed in section 2.2.1.

Newmark (1981: 47) further suggests that when dealing with legal documents like

contracts that are concurrently valid in the TL, the translator should focus on a

communicative approach that is TT-orientated. Vermeer agrees with the view that legal

criteria should be taken into account when selecting the most appropriate translation

strategy since the meaning of legal texts is determined by the legal context:

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‘For instance, in regard to contracts, the decision whether and to what extend target-language

formulae should be used is determined primarily by the law governing the contract. This fact is

essential because it determines whether the contract will be interpreted according to the source or

the target legal system.’ (Vermeer, 1982: 99, as translated in Šarčević, 2000: 19)

Beaupré also supports the statement and proposes that legal translation should formulate

two ‘equal’ versions of the same instrument, which strive not so much for ‘verbal and

grammatical’ parallelism but:-

‘for linguistic purity within the confines of legal equivalence… Hence the decision-making

process of the legal translator is based primarily on legal considerations.’

(Beaupré, 1987: 179, as translated in Šarčević, 2000: 47)

Examples of the practical application of the above theory in the official translation of

contracts are presented in chapter 3. I agree with de Beaugrande (in Bell, 1991: 23) who

warns that ‘…it is inappropriate to expect that a theoretical model of translation should

solve all the problems a translator encounters. Instead, it should formulate a set of

strategies for approaching problems and for coordinating the different aspects entailed.’

In official translations of contracts that can be used in a court of law, the strategies used

must above all focus on one main principle, which is fidelity to the source text:

‘Legal translators have traditionally been bound by the principle of fidelity. Convinced that the

main goal of legal translation is to reproduce the content of the source text as accurately as

possible, both lawyers and linguists agreed that legal texts had to be translated literally. For the

sake of preserving the letter of the law, the main guideline for legal translation was fidelity to the

source text. Even after legal translators won the right to produce texts in the spirit of the target

language, the general guideline remained fidelity to the source text.’ (Šarčević, 2000:16)

2.2 The issue of equivalence in legal translation

At the heart of the aforementioned theoretical framework lies the equivalence of

terminology that has its origins in different legal traditions. According to de Groot

(1998), the first stage in translating legal concepts involves studying the meaning of the

source-language legal term to be translated. Then, after having compared the legal

systems involved, a term with the same content must be sought in the target-language

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legal system. Equivalence aims to give the lexis and terminology of two languages equal

meaning and corresponding import and significance, and, as can be seen from some of

the research presented above, it also strives to achieve the same legal effect based on

legal interpretation of the source information.

2.2.1 Functional equivalence

The legal functional equivalent already referred to in subsection 2.1 is defined by

Šarčević (1988: 964; 1989: 278-279) as a term in the target legal system designating a

concept or institution, the function of which is the same as that in the ST. Weston further

proposes that ‘the technique of using a functional equivalent may be regarded as the ideal

method of translation’ (1991:23). According to Šarčević (2000: 238-239) functional

equivalence can be categorised into three groups: near-equivalence, partial equivalence

and non-equivalence. The groups are described below and are graphically represented by

figures where the Polish legal concept (P) is marked by a grey circle and the English legal

concept (E) is marked by a blue circle:

a) Near-equivalence occurs when legal concepts in Polish and English share most of

their primary and incidental characteristics or are the same, which is very rare.

Figure 2.1 Near-functional equivalence

One example to illustrate near-functional equivalence is the term ‘contractor’ (ST1). The

word ‘contractor’ translated into Polish is ‘kontrahent’ or ‘wykonawca’. ‘Kontrahent’ or

‘wykonawca’ is ‘one of the parties who undertakes a contract’ (New Dictionary of the

Polish Language, 2003: 353) but of a different kind than the permanent employment

contract. ‘Kontrahent’ often relates to ‘one – off’ contracts with a set deadline and

11

EP

EP


clearly defined purpose i.e. construction of a building, professional advice and etc. The

word has identical connotations in English language: ‘a person who undertakes a contract

especially to provide materials, conduct building operations, etc.’ (Concise Oxford

English Dictionary, 2002: 312) as opposed to an employee who is ‘a person who works

under the direction and control of another (the employer) in return for a wage or salary’

(Dictionary of Law, 2003: 170).

Another example that demonstrates near-functional equivalence is the term ‘annual

bonus’ in ST1 that is translated into Polish literally as ‘premia roczna’. However, it has

to be highlighted that the term ‘premia roczna’ is more often referred to in Poland as

‘trzynastka’ (thirteen [pay]). Since the term ‘trzynastaka’ is unknown in English culture

and the meaning of ‘premia roczna’ is equally clear to a Polish reader I have chosen the

latter as a safer but equally adequate option.

b) Partial equivalence occurs when the Polish and English legal concepts are quite

similar and the differences can be clarified, e.g. by lexical expansion.

Figure 2.2 Partial functional equivalence

One example that illustrates this type of functional equivalence that calls for attention is

the term ‘director’. In Poland a director does not have to be a member of the Board of

Directors in order to hold that title while in the United Kingdom it is a necessary

requirement. The role of the subject of the ST1 is thus that of Financial Director and

member of the Board of Directors. To make the reader fully aware of the differences in

the responsibilities of a Director or to prompt the reader to seek further legal advice and

reassurance that the TT has the same legal effect as the original I have added ‘oraz

członka rady dyrektorów’ (and member of the Board of Directors) in brackets.

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E

P EP


The next example belonging to this group of equivalents is the term ‘contract’ (ST1).

The Polish concept of ‘contract’ (kontrakt or umowa) is much broader than its English

equivalent as it also incorporates the legal notion of the semi-technical term ‘agreement’,

which is discussed further in point 3.3.2. The word ‘contract’ (kontrakt) is also an

example of the etymological equivalents that often belong to the group of partial

functional equivalents. Since in this case the translation was into Polish the term was

translated literally, i.e. ‘umowa’, maintaining its intended English meaning.

Another term ‘Council Tax’ (ST2) is a tax levied on households by local authorities in

the United Kingdom. This tax shares many similarities with Polish ‘podatek miejski’

(Town Tax). Nonetheless, these taxes are calculated slightly differently in Poland and in

the United Kingdom and thus, for the purposes of translation that can be used in a court

of law, after translating the term as ‘podatek miejski’ it is necessary to add (Council Tax)

in brackets for further clarification.

c) Non-equivalence occurs when only few or none of the important aspects of Polish

or English legal concepts coincide or if there is no functional equivalent in the

target legal system for a specific ST concept.

Figure 2.3 Non-equivalence

One example that illustrates this type of functional equivalent is ‘a contracting-out

certificate’ complemented by additional information ‘under the Pension Schemes Act

1993’ (ST1) that refers to an option given to certain Civil Service employees to contract

out of the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme by joining occupational or personal

pension schemes in the United Kingdom. The legal concept of the English ‘contracting-

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EP

E

P EP


out certificate’ does not exist in the Polish legal tradition. For the purpose of the official

translation of contracts the legal meaning of this non-equivalent term is most precisely

conveyed by the use of a descriptive paraphrase with the original in parenthesis:

‘Zaświadczenie o odłączeniu się drogą umowy (contracting-out certificate) ‘Certificate

confirming contracting-out by way of agreement (contracting-out certificate)’. Since the

Act it refers to follows the term, it is the target reader’s responsibility to investigate the

legal implications regarding the certificate.

Another example of a non-equivalent term is ‘severability’ (ST1). The term does not

have a functional equivalent in Polish legal terminology and none of the latest bilingual

or monolingual legal or general dictionaries used in the paper attempts to translate it. The

translator must thus first understand the implications of the term in English law and then

find a corresponding concept in the TL legal terminology. ‘Severability’ is the title of a

contract clause that is intended to condense the meaning of the entire clause and which

defines consequences for the entire contract if part of the contract has become impossible

to fulfil or is no longer required. The term must not be translated as ‘rozdzielność’

(separation, divisibility) since then the clause could be interpreted in many ways in a

Polish context. Rather, it should be replaced by a neutral paraphrase: ‘rozdzielna

interpretacja postanowień umowy’ (separate interpretation of the contract provisions [in

case of annulment]) that has the same legal effect as ‘severability’.

The ST3 term ‘Assured Shorthold Tenancy’ has similar implications. Just as in the case

of ‘severability’ discussed above, the term does not have a functional equivalent in Polish

legal terminology and none of the latest bilingual legal or general dictionaries used for

this paper attempts to translate it. The Assured Shorthold Tenancy provides an

instrument whereby the landlord can be certain of his right to repossess his/her property.

It is based on English Law, i.e. the Housing Act 1988 as amended by the Housing Act

1996, and the legal concept of the Assured Shorthold Tenancy is therefore unknown in

Polish law. The use of the term ‘shorthold tenancy’ could easily be misinterpreted by a

translator unfamiliar with the law as a tenancy agreement for a short period of time. In

order to resolve all possible ambiguities in understanding the entire meaning of the

14


Assured Shorthold Tenancy, the alternative equivalent should contain some clarification.

Thus the paraphrase ‘Umowa Najmu Zabezpieczająca Prawo Własności Właściciela w

Wielkiej Brytanii’ (Tenancy Agreement assuring the ownership rights of the owner /

landlord to his/her property in the United Kingdom) followed by the original English

term in brackets ‘(Assured Shorthold Tenancy)’, is in my opinion, the most appropriate

way since it also indicates to the judge the legal system according to which the term is to

be defined.

Determining the acceptability of functional equivalents is, in my view, the most

important aspect of the process of legal translation and it frequently depends on the

context. Šarčević (2000: 242) suggests that when assessing the acceptability of a

functional equivalent the legal translator should ‘take account of the structure,

classification, scope of application and legal effects of both the functional equivalent and

its source term’. Therefore, when dealing with legal conceptual voids or partial

equivalents a legal background can be very helpful for the translator. The legal topic

must be well researched in order to provide supporting information in the TL.

2.2.2 Alternative equivalents and translating methods

When the use of a functional equivalent is inadvisable because it could lead to

misinterpretation, the translator must select, just like in a case of non-equivalence, an

alternative equivalent, which will serve as a signal to judges to indicate the legal system

in the framework of which the term is to be defined. The choice of an alternative

equivalent can sometimes have a significant effect on the interpretation and application of

the entire TT. Take for example the term ‘common-law wife’ (ST3). The term describes

a female cohabiting with a male as his wife without being married to him. On the basis

of this description, the term is often translated into Polish legal documents as ‘konkubina’

(concubine) (Ożga, 2006: 116). In English common law a ‘common-law wife’ has

certain rights and in certain aspects of the law she is recognised as equivalent to a married

person i.e. for purposes of protection against domestic violence, for some provisions of

the Rent Act or inheritance (Dictionary of Law, 2003: 94). In Polish civil law a

15


‘konkubina’ (concubine) has no legal rights. Therefore, the term ‘konkubina’ does not

render an accurate legal correspondence for official translations of contracts that can be

used in a Polish court of law. In my opinion, in this situation a descriptive paraphrase

with the original in parenthesis, most precisely conveys the legal meaning, and hence has

the same legal effect, indicating to the Judge that the term originates from a foreign legal

framework: ‘współżyjąca jako żona bez ślubu według prawa zwyczajowego w Anglii

(common-law wife)’ (cohabiting without marriage with a woman described in English

Common Law as ‘wife’ (common-law wife)).

An important translating rule to be borne in mind when using an alternative equivalent is

that the legal translator should uphold the principle of language consistency by using the

same equivalent everywhere reference is made to a particular legal concept. Akehurst (in

Šarčević, 2000: 254) points out that English courts presume that a difference of

terminology implies difference in meaning and thus the use of synonyms is objected to.

Polish courts take the same view. For example, the Employment Contract (ST1) defines

its subject i.e. Dr Smith, as an ‘employee’ translated into Polish as ‘pracownik’. The

term ‘employee’ must therefore be used throughout the document on all occasions when

it refers to the subject. Synonyms such as post-holder, job-holder, worker, etc.

(zatrudniony, pracobiorca etc.), would suggest that they refer to another person, as would

any other corresponding Polish synonyms.

Lawyers agree that from their viewpoint the most effective way of translating legal terms

is to use descriptive paraphrases and definitions as these compensate for terminological

incongruency by presenting the legal information in neutral language (Šarčević, 2000:

253). This method, however, requires a certain degree of research, legal training and

relevant background knowledge on the part of the translator. Lawyers (Šarčević, 2000:

255) also recommend retaining the functional equivalent but followed by the borrowing

in parenthesis, with the aim of making it clear that the term derives its meaning from a

foreign legal system and thus must be interpreted with reference to the relevant foreign

law, i.e., taking the terms already analysed in point 2.2.1, ‘Council Tax’ (ST3) should be

translated as ‘Podatek miejski’ (Council Tax) and ‘Housing Act 1988’ (ST3) as ‘Ustawa

16


o Gospodarce Mieszkaniowej 1988 (W Wielkiej Brytanii)’ (Housing Act 1988 (in the

United Kingdom)).

In a situation where a legal text refers to a specific technical term this lexeme can be used

as a borrowing in the TT. Asensio (2003: 56) recommends that borrowings or loan words

‘are necessary when identification is the main concern, as is the case of proper nouns,

degrees, grades, etc.’ I do not agree that this recommendation always ensures the most

precise alternative equivalent since, for example, the title of doctor in ST3, abbreviated as

Dr. in Anglo-Saxon countries, is not always equivalent to the title of doctor in Poland due

to differences in the educational systems. Since it is not the main aspect of the translation

and so there is no more contextual information available, the title has not been altered in

the TT. Otherwise, an alternative with annotation would be necessary in order to draw

the attention of the judges / lawyers to the fact that the term should be interpreted as part

of a foreign system.

Borrowings without explanation and any naturalisations, modified phonologically or

graphologically, derived from them, should be avoided whenever an acceptable

equivalent already exists in the target legal system.

2.3 The Translator’s Agenda

Translators who engage in the official translation of contracts that can be used in courts

of law and who, in Poland, are referred to as ‘sworn’ translators, are subject to legal and

sociological factors that condition the way they translate. In the selection of the

translating method to be followed for the transfer of legal terminology in official

translations, the translator’s stance has a great degree of significance. I disagree with

Venuti’s view that proposes that translators of legal documents are bound by the

conditions of their employment in agencies or clients (2003: 23). In accordance with the

principle of ideal equivalence where the translator remains ‘nobody in particular’ (Belitt,

1978), I endeavour to represent facts in the way they are presented in the ST and not in

any other manner requested by a client or his/her solicitor or based on my ideological

17


preferences, in order to produce a TT of the same legal effect as the original. My

presence might, when necessary, be signalled by those intrusions into the official

translations of contracts that are indicated by the use of square brackets, and aim at

further clarification of conceptual voids in order to ensure accuracy in understanding the

exact meaning of the ST by the target reader. Perhaps the need to certify my own work

enhances my self-awareness in pursuit of terminological precision. There are laws and

codes of ethics written for the monitoring of translation as a profession, regulating the

translator's relations with other translators and with clients. These are imposed by the

government (for instance the Polish Ministry of Justice) or by professional translating

associations such as the Polish Society of Sworn and Specialised Translators (TEPIS)

and, in the United Kingdom, the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIL) and the Institute of

Translation and Interpreting (ITI). The Polish Court Translator Code and Translating

Rules for Translating Official and Legal Documents are quite precise and a translation is

presented in appendix 4. I believe that the TEPIS Code is useful as a reference and

justification for my translation choices presented in this paper. CIL and ITI each have

their own Code of Professional Conduct, although neither refers to legal translation in

particular.

18


CHAPTER 3 THE TRANSLATION PROCESS

‘Meaning is a plural and contingent relation, not an unchanging unified essence, and therefore a

translation cannot be judged according to mathematics-based concepts of semantic equivalence or

one-to-one correspondence.’ (Venuti, 1995: 18)

Venuti’s concept of meaning highlights the complexity of the process of translating legal

terminology between two different legal systems. My translating process and strategy,

for instance, are based on several principles: preserving the information content so that

the TT has the same legal effect as the ST; preserving the communicative function of the

translation, i.e. contracts that can be used in a court of law; determining to whom the text

was addressed in the target culture; taking account of the situational factors of the

particular communication process; and taking account of the legal considerations and

context, e.g. the law governing the document.

The key aspects and problem areas in the translating process of the analysed texts, in

terms of terminology transfer between two different legal systems, are analysed

underneath.

3.1 Polish and English Law – Contextual Differences

‘…law remains first and foremost a national phenomenon. Each national or municipal law…

constitutes an independent legal system with its own terminological apparatus and underlying

conceptual structure, its own rules of classifications, sources of law, methodological approaches,

and socio-economic principles.’ (Šarčević, 2000: 13)

This means that in order to translate the terminology of official contracts written in

different legal traditions accurately it is necessary to understand those traditions since

‘the main challenge of the legal translator is the incongruency of legal systems’

(Šarčević, 2000: 13). Sandrini adds that the translatability of legal texts depends directly

on the relatedness of the legal systems involved in the translation (1999: 17). The Polish

legal system is based on Roman law, i.e. on civil law, and has a civil code, the Civil Code

of Poland. The supreme law in Poland is the Constitution of Poland. The United

19

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Poland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_code


Kingdom does not have a ‘written' constitution and its law is made up of four main parts:

statute law, common law, conventions and works of authority. Common law that consists

of rules based on common customs and on judicial (court) decisions has therefore very

little ‘relatedness’ to Polish civil law that is created by statue.

Polish and English history and tradition have also little in common and thus the

languages of law have been subject to very different influences. English legal terms have

their roots in Latin, French and Norman, Greek, Anglo-Saxon and English traditions.

Polish terminology originates from Latin and mainly from the western subgroup of the

Slavonic languages with some impact from the annexations Poland was subjected to

(Prussian, Austrian and Russian). The vast differences in the histories of Polish and

English law and the associated incongruency of terminology highlight the many

challenges in the official translation of the contracts analysed that are further discussed in

this chapter.

3.1.1 The function of contracts in two different legal systems

Before contracts are translated as official documents that can be used in a court of law, it

should be established how they are defined in the two different legal systems in order to

identify their purpose and consequently its possible impact on the translation. The

function of the translated contracts is the same in both the civil and the common law

frameworks, i.e. formal ‘instruction without option’ (Bell, 1991: 205), influencing future

usage and thus having a regulatory or prescriptive character (Treitel, 2004). The

important consideration for a translator is that contracts are legally binding agreements

that will serve as normative instruments containing rules of conduct concurrently valid in

the TL and that they are interpreted according to the law governing them regardless of the

language in which they are written (Šarčević, 2000: 68). The above should be reflected

in translational choices in terms of terminology transfer, which will indicate to judges the

legal system according to which the term is to be defined. Polish judges do not know

foreign legal systems and would therefore have to seek a relevant expert advice. In the

proposed translations, this system is English common law.

20


3.2 ST Reader, TT Reader and Ideal TT Reader

The linguistic principle maintains that communication is effective only if the text author

achieves interaction with the text reader. According to Sager (1980: 210), legal

translation aims at conveying communication between the subject specialists. A similar

opinion is expressed by Šarčević, who defines legal language with all its terminology as

special-purpose communication between specialists (2000: 19). The official translations

were prepared on the assumption that the TT reader is a legal professional. However, the

proposed translation choices took into consideration the fact that the aforementioned

targeted legal professional comes from a different legal tradition and that there is

consequently a difference in his/her referential classification.

3.3 Subcategories of legal terminology

Greg Myers proposes that ‘the coining and acceptance of a term is a crucial step in

forming a disciplinary concept’ (2005: 187). Legal terms are dynamic in nature and their

meaning alters under the influence of changes in the social and cultural environment and

of the development of human knowledge and new technologies. In legal translation, the

technical accuracy of these subject-field notions is an essential prerequisite of good

justice (Alcaraz and Hughes, 2002: 5). The legal terms analysed in the assignment are

symbolic or representational signs that refer to things or ideas found in the world of

reality, physical or mental and they may be one-word units or compound units. The

concepts can be further divided into three subcategories i.e. purely technical legal terms,

semi-technical terms and non-technical legal terminology (Alcaraz and Hughes, 2002:

16). Purely technical words or phrases are restricted to a specific legal framework. The

second subcategory of semi-technical terms consists of vocabulary and phrases from

everyday language that also have additional meaning relating to their legal context. In

terms of translation techniques the semi-technical lexical items are more likely to belong

to the group of near and partial equivalents, with certain cases of non-equivalence,

already analysed (see 2.2.1). The third group of legal terms consists of non-technical

21


terminology which is the everyday lexis used in legal texts. This section will analyse the

translation process for the three groups of terms and will highlight key aspects and

problem areas in terms of terminology transfer between Polish civil law and English

common law. The analyses are based on the official translations of contracts provided in

appendix 1.

3.3.1 Purely technical terms

Purely technical terms are monosemic, semantically stable and unambiguous and almost

exclusively attached to their legal context. The interpretation of a legal contract largely

depends on the correct translation of these terms. This is because they contain a great

degree of foreign law content. The terms are often highly culture-bound and thus are

easy to distinguish from the rest of the lexical items of any legal text. Alcaraz and

Hughes (2002: 17) refer to this group of legal vocabulary as ‘true terms of art’ that can

only be adapted or left untranslated. In the absence of a functional equivalent in the

target legal system for system-bound source terms, the translator must select an

alternative equivalent as discussed above in points 2.2.1 and 2.2.2 of this paper.

Several of the purely technical terms and the problems they pose for translation have

already been looked at in chapter 2, i.e. Assured Shorthold Tenancy, Common-law Wife

and Contracting-out Certificate. The following examples further highlight the problem

areas in the official translation of contracts that can be used in a Polish court of law in

terms of terminology transfer between two different legal systems.

Tenants in Common

This technical legal phrase has a unique meaning in English common law. English law

explains ‘tenancy in common’ as ‘equitable ownership of land by two or more persons’

(Dictionary of Law, 2003: 493). A ‘tenant’ in Polish and English legal understanding is

one who rents from a landlord. In Polish civil law ‘tenant’ is further divided depending

on the type of rent or lease. One who rents land is ‘dzierżawca’ (tenant) and one who

22


rents a flat or house is ‘lokator, najemca’ (tenant). However, neither of these meanings is

applicable here since the contract refers to ownership and not rental. Bilingual

dictionaries attempt to translate ‘tenants in common’ as ‘współdzierżawcy’ (joint tenants

[of land]) (Ożga, 2006: 725) that, depending on the context, could sometimes be

applicable but would be incorrect in the translation analysed. Taking into consideration

the fact that the translated text is an official translation that can be used in a court of law

and that in the original text the legal phrase has absolutely nothing to do with ‘tenants’ in

the sense of a tenant occupying a property owned by a landlord, I used a non-technical

neutral term accompanied by the original term in brackets to indicate to the judge the

legal system according to which the term is to be defined.

ST2: ‘The Parties agree that they shall hold the beneficial interest in the Home as tenants in

common in equal shares.’ (§6)

TT2: ‘Niniejsze Strony zgodnie oświadczają, iż są współwłaścicielami Domu (tenants in common)

w którym posiadają ten sam udział interesu beneficyjnego.’ (§6)

BT: ‘The Parties agree to announce that they co-own the Home (tenants in common) in which they

have the same share of the beneficial interest.’

Common law

Common law is a general system of law deriving exclusively from common customs and

court decisions in England. Some scholars i.e. Alcaraz and Hughes suggest that the term

may appear untranslated in the TL, either because it is very well known even to

moderately cultivated jurists or because it is extremely complex technically and therefore

it is easier to ‘understand [it] conceptually than to translate [it]' (2002: 155). This could

be a reason why some Polish/English legal dictionaries avoid providing a translation for

the term i.e. Myrczek (2006). Other researchers i.e. Ożga (2006) and Jaślan, J. and

Jaślan, H. (2004) provide a selection of propositions on how to translate ‘common law’

into Polish language. The most popular propositions are: ‘prawo powszechnie

obowiązujące’ (law in common use), ‘prawo zwyczajowe’ (w przeciwieństwie do prawa

zawartego w ustawach) (customary law (in contrary to law outlined in statutes)), ‘prawo

cywilne’ (civil law) and ‘prawo precedensowe’ (case law).

23


A translator with a legal background in both Polish and English law is perhaps more

likely to avoid translating 'common law' into ‘prawo cywilne’ (civil law) without further

clarification, since this could lead to misinterpretation. The main difference that is

usually drawn between the two systems is that common law draws abstract rules from

specific cases, whereas civil law starts with abstract rules, which judges must then apply

to the various cases before them. The contextual differences between Polish and English

law are analysed further in point 3.1 of this paper.

In the TT4 the term was translated as ‘prawo zwyczjowe’ (customary law – thus not a

civil law that is outlined in statute). The translation was followed by the original term

'common law' in brackets for further clarification. This way the term is easy to read and

understand by a Polish legal professional, yet it maintains its precise original meaning.

ST4: ‘This guarantee is subject to common and criminal laws of England…’ (§13)

TT4: ‘Niniejsza gwarancja podlega angielskiemu prawu zwyczajowemu (common law) oraz

cryminalnemu…’ (§13)

BT: ‘This guarantee is subject to English customary law (common law) and [English]

criminal law…’

3.3.2 Semi-technical terms

The semi-technical legal lexis represents perhaps the most problematic group of terms for

a translator between the English and Polish languages, since it can contain terminology

with one or many meanings in the everyday language as well as one or many meanings in

the specialised legal context. The number of semi-technical terms is also constantly

growing, which means that any popular general word might in time acquire a legal

meaning in view of the expansion of the law to meet the developing requirements of

social evolution. The expansion of meaning is not always obvious, especially at its initial

stages. Moreover, semi-technical terms are semantically more complex than the other

two groups of legal terms i.e. technical and non-technical, and their translation is

therefore complicated by their additional and often connotative meaning, the range of

24


partial synonyms and the context. The following section will provide some examples of

such terms present in the translated texts and the way they were translated for the purpose

of legal contracts that can be used in a Polish court of law.

Guarantee

The word ‘guarantee’ and the related English word ‘warranty’ have a number of legal

meanings in both Polish and in English laws. Depending on the context, the English lexis

‘guarantee’ often has to be translated by a Polish term other than its literal translation

‘gwarancja’, i.e. ‘zapewnienie’ (assurance), or additional words have to be added in order

to reflect the original legal ‘guarantee’ sense in the Polish language, e.g. ‘klauzula

gwarancyjna’ (guarantee clause), ‘gwarancja jakości’ (warranty of quality) etc. The most

popular meaning of the term is attached to responsibility for the quality of the product or

services provided, and in this sense it might be used interchangeably with the term

‘warranty’:

ST5: This warranty is expressly in lieu of all other warranties or conditions, expressed, implied or

statutory, including any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for particular purpose.’(§6)

TT5: ‘Niniejsza klauzula gwarancyjna w sposób wyraźny wyłącza stosowanie wszelkich innych

warunków ustanawiających odpowiedzialność z tytułu gwarancji jakości lub postanowień

umownych określonych, dorozumianych lub ustawowych, włączając w to jakąkolwiek

dorozumianą odpowiedzialność z tytułu gwarancji jakości na nadanie się do zbycia albo też

nadanie się do celów szczególnych.’ (§6)

BT: ‘This guarantee clause expressly excludes the use of all other warranties of quality or

conditions, expressed, implied or statutory, including any implied warranty of quality for

merchantability use or fitness for particular purpose.’

The term can also refer to someone’s guarantee of his/her eligibility or authority and in

this case it has to be translated by a different Polish term to reflect the English legal

meaning:

ST4: ‘The Guarantor warrants and represents it has full authority to enter into this guarantee.’ (§11)

TT4: ‘Gwarant zapewnia, że jest w pełni uprawniony do zawarcia niniejszej gwarancji zapłaty.’ (§11)

25


BT: The Guarantor assures that s/he has full authority to enter into this guarantee of payment.’

Another English meaning of the word is the liability for a debt where a third party

(Guarantor) provides financial cover for a legal or natural person who takes a loan from a

creditor. In this case, the word usually has to be complemented by an additional word i.e.

‘gwarancja zapłaty’ (guarantee of repayment) or substituted by another word since its

direct translation would render the TT meaning very imprecise, and in the case analysed,

simply unacceptable:

ST4: ‘The guarantee hereunder shall be unconditional and absolute’ (§7)

TT4: ‘Gwarancja zapłaty wymagana na mocy niniejszej Umowy jest bezwarunkowa i całkowita’ (§7)

BT: ‘The guarantee of repayment required by this Agreement is unconditional and absolute’

Equity

This term has many English legal meanings that can in turn be translated into many

Polish equivalents of a purely technical, semi-technical and general nature. When

approaching the translation of the lexical item ‘equity’ its context has to be analysed first.

The ST2 example refers to general financially viable assets and not to a regulated scheme

of legal principles. This assessment narrows the translation choice to several meanings

i.e. akcja/e zwykłe (ordinary share/s), kapitał własny (own capital), fundusze własne

(own funds), środki własne (own means), część majątku pozostała po spłacie wszystkich

zobowiązań oraz długów (residue), udział w zysku (share of profit), prawo do dywidendy

(right to dividends). This list is not exhaustive.

ST2: ‘Any money in any bank or building society account maintained separately by either Party or any

other individual accumulation of equity shall belong to that Party alone.’ (§8)

TT2: ‘Wszelkie fundusze należące do oddzielnych kont bankowych lub oszczędnościowej kasy

budowlanej lub wszelka inna indywidualna akumulacja środków własnych należą wyłącznie do

Strony, która je oddzielnie posiada.’ (§8)

BT: ‘All funds that belong to the separate bank or building society accounts or any other individual

accumulation of own means shall belong exclusively to that Party that owns them separately.’

26


The example above refers to individual (own) general personal economic assets and

therefore, in this case the general term ‘środki własne’ (own means) is, in my opinion, the

most accurate translation choice.

Agreement

In general terms this semi-technical lexical item means ‘accordance in opinion or feeling’

or ‘consistency’ (Collins English Dictionary, 2007) and thus it can have an array of

Polish equivalents that all mean ‘agreement’: ‘zgoda’, ‘porozumienie’, ‘ugoda’,

‘uzgodnienie’, ‘zobowiązanie’ and ‘układ’. The selection of the correct Polish equivalent

relies firmly on the context. When the situation relates to ST1 collective agreements in

force directly relating to the terms of the employment, the analysis of parallel corpora

shows that there are two equivalents that should be used: ‘uzgodnienie’ or

‘porozumienie’. The term ‘uzgodnienie’ is more appropriate in this case because of its

connotative Polish meaning of ‘result of something’:

ST1: ‘Collective agreement’ (§13)

TT1: ‘Uzgodnienia zbiorowe’ (§13)

BT: ‘Collectively agreed resolutions’

In a second example of the normal meaning of the term ‘agreement’ in English, the

correct Polish equivalent is ‘zgoda’, because in the Polish language it refers to ‘approval’

and thus fits the context of the original message:

ST2: ‘This Agreement shall terminate by written agreement of the Parties’ (§11)

TT2: ‘Niniejsza Umowa zostanie wypowiedziana poprzez pisemną zgodę Stron’ (§11)

BT: ‘This Contract shall terminate by written approval of the Parties’

The legal meaning of ‘agreement’ is a less formal term than ‘contract’ and must therefore

be translated with this connotation in mind in the context of the ST. It has to be

mentioned that the most widely recognised legal translation of the word ‘agreement’ into

Polish is the term ‘porozumienie’, which has a different connotation and often relates to

27


an agreement made between parties with the aim of finishing some conflict, making a

business or political deal etc.

ST2: ‘Cohabitation Agreement’ (§1)

TT2: ‘Umowa wspólnego pożycia’ (§1)

BT: ‘Cohabitation Contract’

ST3: ‘Rental Agreement’ (§1)

TT3: ‘Umowa czynszowa’ (§1)

BT: ‘Rental Contract’

Claim

The general sense of this semi-technical term is the assertion of a right or demand. In

common law ‘claim’ means ‘a demand for a remedy or assertion of a right, especially the

right to take a particular case to court’ (Dictionary of Law, 2003: 83). In Polish civil law

the term has a broader meaning and might relate to situations that can be resolved in court

or outside it. The translator thus has to select a Polish equivalent with the same legal

effect from a selection of words with their different semantic fields depending on the

context, i.e. ‘roszczenie’ (claim/pleas), ‘żądanie’ (demand), ‘uprawnienie’ (right),

‘skarga’ (complain), ‘zażalenie’ (complaint), ‘pretensja’ (claim), ‘utrzymywanie że’

(maintaining that), ‘zapewnienie’ (assurance), ‘oświadczenie’ (declaration/statement) and

‘wierzytelność’ (claim/active debt). In the example below the most appropriate

equivalent is ‘uprawnionej’ (rightfully claiming) because the term ‘claim’ is preceded by

the word ‘rightfully’, which adds particular significance to the term in Polish legal

understanding.

ST3 ‘The Landlord agrees that the Tenant may live in the Property without unreasonable interruption

from the Landlord or any person rightfully claiming under or in trust for the Landlord.’ (§27)

TT3 ‘Właściciel Lokalu zaświadcza, że niniejszy Najemca może zamieszkiwać w niniejszej

Nieruchomości bez nieuzasadnionych przeszkodzeń ze strony Właściciela Lokalu lub

jakiejkolwiek osoby legalnie uprawnionej bądź w powiernictwie Właściciela Lokalu.’ (§27)

BT: ‘The Landlord confirms that the Tenant may live in the Property without unreasonable interruption

from the Landlord or any person acting within legal rights or in trust for the Landlord.’

28


Damages

The word ‘damages’ has direct one-to-one equivalent in the Polish word ‘szkody’. The

legal meaning of the term is, in this context, translated into Polish as ‘odszkodowanie’

(compensation).

ST1: ‘The Employer hereby shall be entitled to apply for an injunction to prevent such disclosure or use

and to seek any other remedy including without limitation the recovery of damages in the case of

such disclosure or use.’ (§16)

TT1: ‘Pracodawca niniejszym upoważniony jest do ubiegania się o nakaz sądowy zabezpieczający

przed niniejszym ujawnianiem lub użycia bądź zabiegania o wszelki inny sposób włączywszy

otrzymanie nieograniczonego odszkodowania w wypadku niniejszego ujawnienia lub nadużycia.’

(§16)

BT: ‘The Employer is entitled to apply for an injunction to prevent such disclosure or use and to seek

any other remedy including unlimited compensation in the case of such disclosure or abuse.’

3.3.3 Non-technical terms

These terms are general words that have maintained their everyday meaning without

acquiring legal import but regularly occur in legal texts. They are usually easier to

understand than to translate because they often are contextually bound. The following

examples of such lexical items will illustrate some key aspects and problem areas in

terms of non-technical terminology translation.

Section

ST1: ‘…section 1(1)(a) Employment Rights Act 1996.’ (§4) [section 1 subsection 1 paragraph a]

TT1: ‘…artykułu 1 paragrafu 1 litery (a) Ustawy o Prawach Pracowniczych 1996.’ (§4)

‘Section’ might be a problematic term. First of all, there is a Polish homophone, in the

word ‘sekcja’, that has the outward appearance of an equivalent but is a ‘false friend’.

‘Sekcja’ indeed means ‘section’ in BT but in Polish relates to ‘a part of something’,

which is relevant to the context and thus it could be very misleading. The correct legal

29


translation into Polish in the case of the ST1 contract is ‘paragraf’. It could also have

been translated as ‘rozdział’ (division) if the contract was very lengthy or ‘artykuł’

(clause), if it was used in other legal documents, acts or statutes. The Polish word

‘paragraf’ could be confused with its English ‘false friend’ ‘paragraph’ that in turn is

another division of Anglo-Saxon legal texts that is of lesser importance than ‘section’.

Symbols marking non-technical terms in Polish and English texts could also be very

misleading. The ‘§’ sign in English refers to ‘section’ and in Polish to ‘paragraf’, which,

as mentioned above, could be confused with the English ‘paragraph’ denoted by the ¶

sign. Polish translators must be able to distinguish between the English legal

nomenclature used to denote textual divisions and sub-divisions, including those

contained in the different styles of contracts analysed here, in order to use the correct

terminology in their translation.

Confidentiality

Another example of an everyday word often used in legal documents that imposes

stylistic and contextual restraints is ‘confidentiality’. The word has a direct one-to-one

equivalent in the Polish ‘poufność’ and this may often be used as an acceptable

equivalent:

ST1: ‘After the termination of this Agreement the Employee shall not disclose or use any of the

Employer’s trade secrets or any other information which is of sufficiently high degree of

confidentiality to amount to a trade secret.’ (§16)

TT1: ‘Po rozwiązaniu niniejszej umowy pracownik nie ujawni lub nadużyje jakichkolwiek tajemnic

działalności gospodarczej pracodawcy lub wszelkiej innej informacji wystarczająco poufnej by

przyczynić się do ustanowienia tajemnicy działalności gospodarczej.’

BT: ‘After the unfastening of this Agreement the Employee shall not disclose or abuse any of the

Employer’s trade secrets or any other information which is sufficiently confidential to amount to

a trade secret.’

Consent

Consent is defined as ‘deliberate or implied affirmation, compliance with a course of

proposed action’ (Dictionary of Law, 2003:106). It is therefore congruent with the

30


general definition of the term that refers to giving permission, approving or agreeing to

do something (Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 2002: 303). Depending on the

context the term must be translated into one of a range of general Polish terms that

regularly occur in legal texts to mean permission or approval.

ST2: ‘This Agreement shall be varied only by written consent of the Parties.’ (§11)

TT2: ‘Niniejsza Umowa zostanie zmieniona wyłącznie poprzez pisemne pozwolenie Stron.’ (§11)

BT: ‘This Agreement will be varied only by written permission of the Parties.’

ST3: ‘consent not to be withheld unreasonably.’ (§18)

TT3: ‘nie należy bez podstawnie odmówić udzielenia pozwolenia.’ (§18)

BT: ‘Giving permission should not be refused without basis.’

Dispute

In English the term has several meanings and mainly refers to debate, argument, quarrel,

calling into question and/or opposition. In Polish it also has a range of meanings but in a

legal context it is usually limited to general connotations: spór (dispute), zakwestionować

(argue, oppose). If the problem causing the dispute is not rectified by the responding

party then it becomes a ‘legal dispute’ to be resolved by the Court, as per the example

below. In this context the non-technical term has only one Polish equivalent i.e. ‘spór

prawny’ (legal dispute).

ST4: ‘This guarantee is subject to English law and the parties agree to submit to the exclusive

jurisdiction of the English courts in connection with any dispute hereunder.’ (§13)

TT4: ‘Niniejsza gwarancja podlega prawu angielskiemu i strony potwierdzają oddanie wszelkich

sporów prawnych powstałych na mocy niniejszej Umowy wyłącznej jurysdykcji angielskich

sądów.’ (§13)

BT: ‘This guarantee is subject to English law and the parties agree to submit to the exclusive

jurisdiction of the English courts in connection with any legal dispute under this Agreement.’

Termination

31


‘Termination’ means ‘bringing something to an end’ and in a general context it is cognate

with the Polish term ‘terminacja’. The English term’s meaning is much broader than that

of the Polish term as it might refer to assassination, abortion, end of employment, etc.

The Polish language has a more specific vocabulary to describe similar concepts. The

literal translation of the word 'termination' is therefore rarely used and as shown below, it

is strictly related to the context of the text or discourse.

In the context of the termination of employment when one party exercises its right to

terminate the contract for any reason, the correct Polish term is the semi-technical

‘wypowiedzenie’ (give notice).

ST1: ‘The Employer may terminate this Agreement’ (§15)

TT1: ‘Pracodawca może wypowiedzieć niniejszą Umowę…’ (§15)

BT: ‘The Employer may give notice to this Agreement…’

However, when the termination refers to the cessation of an agreement or contract when

both parties amicably choose to finish it, the correct Polish non-technical term used

should be the neutral word ‘rozwiązanie’ (lit. unfasten or undo).

ST2: ‘VARIATION OR TERMINATION (of contract)’ (§11)

TT2: ‘ZMIANA LUB ROZWIĄZANIE UMOWY’ (§11)

BT: ‘VARIATION OR UNFASTENING (of contract)’ (§11)

3.4 Latin terms

A significant part of Polish and the English legislation was set down in the Middle Ages

when Latin was the lingua franca throughout Europe for legal professionals and scholars.

This does not mean, however, that Latin terms used in legal contracts always have the

same meaning in each language. This is because they have over the centuries been

subject to their unique national influences. Therefore, according to Šarčević: ‘instead of

serving as a reliable source for alternative equivalents, the use of Latin phrases by

lawyers generally makes the translator’s task more difficult’ (2000: 264). The decision

relating to the translation of the type of terms found in the contracts that can be used in a

32


court of law must be made in accordance with the accepted standard practice in Poland,

i.e. the target legal system. In Poland, official translators are authorised to translate

between certain specific languages. If the English contract includes a term or terms in

Latin, that term or terms should be kept unchanged in the translation. This instruction is

specifically stipulated in the Polish Court Translator Code 2000 that can be viewed at the

TEPIS website at <http://www.tepis.org.pl/biuletyn/40/tepis.htm>, which has been

translated in the appendix 4, and it is as follows:

‘The use of one target language in the entire document’s translation, i.e. the language of the

chosen country or one of the countries within the language zone, with other language inclusions if

this was the original’s author intention;' §26 (1)

This means that the term must firstly be explained by a lawyer from the relevant legal

system. The translator might, if s/he so wishes and if s/he is qualified so to do, add a

definition of what the term means in Common law as an annotation. Otherwise, the

translator must draw the matter to the attention of the client and leave it to him/her to

seek further clarification.

Based on the above information I have translated the Latinisms in the texts analysed as

follows:

ST2: ‘Children the alieni juris.’ (§10)

TT2: ‘Dzieci – alieni juris.’ (1) (§10)

BT: ‘Children - the alieni juris.’

(1) Dotyczy osoby niepełnoletniej oraz nie w pełni uprawnionej (describing the status of a person who is

not of full age and capacity).

ST1: ‘The Employer may terminate this Agreement ex parte.’ (§15)

TT1: ‘Pracodawca może wypowiedzieć niniejszą Umowę ex parte (2).’ (§15)

BT: ‘The Employer may pronounce this Agreement ex parte.’

(2) Latinism odpowiednik angielskiego „bez powiadomienia” (Latin term that refers to English ‘without

notice’).

33

http://www.tepis.org.pl/biuletyn/40/tepis.htm


As shown above I have provided annotations as an extra aid to point the interpreting

lawyers in the right direction although this is not an official requirement.

In the official translations of contracts from English into Polish it is also permissible to

insert the following phrase and thus avoid any responsibility for the Latin words: ‘The

original document contains third-language expressions which have not been translated.’

3.5 Terms of French and Norman origins

The presence of French or Norman terms in English contracts and also in other English

legal texts is due to the Norman invasion of 1066 and the subsequent French influence.

The rules for dealing with these terms in official translations of contracts are essentially

the same as the ones used to resolve the problems involved in translating Latinisms,

already discussed in point 3.4.

Hence, the following translation of the term ‘chose’, which could be confused with the

past tense of ‘choose’:

ST3: ‘and any other chose…’ (§31)

TT3: ‘oraz wszelkiego innego chose(1)…’ (§31)

BT: ‘and any other chose(1)…’

(1) (franc.) przedmiot, rzecz (French for ‘thing’).

3.6 Archaic Anglo-Saxon Terms

The Germanic invaders, who spoke Anglo-Saxon, left their stamp on English history in

the form of many terms and expressions they introduced that have survived in today’s

English legal language. In legal contracts and other English legal texts references are

34


constantly being made to very old texts, such as judicial decisions, wills or venerable

text-book definitions, which are quoted in support of legal arguments about the

continuing validity of rules, doctrine or precedents. Many of these terms belong to the

subcategory of purely technical legal terminology already discussed in point 3.3. This is,

however, not always the case. Some of the terms are examples of everyday vocabulary

also present in English legal texts where their meaning might change depending on the

context. One example of an archaic term of this kind is the word ‘sound’. ‘Unsound’ is

an adjective that in the context of the ST1 means ‘unhealthy’ and thus in TT1 the term

was changed to ‘schorzenie’ (illness).

ST1: ‘…if the Employee become of unsound mind’ (§15)

TT1: ‘…jeżeli Pracownik zachoruje na schorzenie umysłowe’ (§15)

BT: ‘…if the Employee becomes mentally ill’

The term ‘sounding’ in the context of damages means in the ST4 an action brought by an

unpaid creditor for damages rather than simply to recover the debt.

ST4: ‘an action sounding in damages’ (§6)

TT4: ‘postępowanie sądowe w celu odszkodowania’ (§6)

BT: ‘court proceedings in order to receive compensation’

The archaic Anglo-Saxon terms are very problematic for the Polish translator and indeed,

they often are also very difficult for native English speakers to understand. Hence the

Plain English Campaign’s repeated efforts to simplify legal language in the face of

consistent resistance from lawyers who maintain that:

‘…technical accuracy is an essential prerequisite of good justice and that if linguistic precision is

watered down to suit the demands of an uncomprehending majority, legal certainty will all but

disappear.’ (Alcaraz and Hughes, 2002: 5)

3.7 Terminological errors

35


Another problem area in legal translation is posed by obvious or suspected terminological

errors in the legal ST. One example is presented in the Employment Contract that results

in a lack of terminological coherence of the ST1 analysed below. Šarčević proposes

(2000: 118) that:

‘it has become a golden rule of legal translation that translators must refrain from correcting errors

or improving the language of authenticated translations having the force of law.’

In contrast to Šarčević’s view, Asensio (2003: 102) suggests that ‘errors with respect to

facts should be treated with common sense’. By this he understands that on some

occasions they should be translated literally but ‘on the other occasions this would not

contribute anything positive to the translated text and they should be corrected or

improved’ (2003: 63). Thus, errors such as the one described below should, in my

opinion, be corrected when translating official documents.

However, both views are useful depending on the type of error and the individual context

of the authenticated translation. On one occasion in the ST1, I have amended with

annotation a source of potential misunderstanding in the TT in the full realisation that any

terminological ‘correction’ in official legal texts is very unwelcome. In this case ‘the

Contractor’ (ST1) was changed to ‘Pracownik’ (TT1) (the Employee). The word

‘contractor’ (wykonawca) that is ‘a person who undertakes a contract especially to

provide materials, conduct building operations, etc,’ (Concise Oxford English Dictionary,

2002: 312) is explained above in point 2.2.1 of this paper. Since the entire ST clearly

refers to an ‘employee’ employed on a permanent contract in a professional capacity and

also repeatedly uses the term ‘employee’ when referring to the subject of the ST1, I have

broken the aforementioned ‘golden rule’ and replaced ‘kontrahent’ (contractor) with

‘pracownik’ (employee) providing appropriate annotation. In this way, the entire

document becomes coherent in terms of the position set out.

3.8 Terminological vagueness

36


Translation of legal terminology covers two opposite extremes: the importance of

achieving precision in translating technical terms, and the preservation of a number of

indefinite and vague non-technical concepts that regularly occur in legal texts and aim at

increasing their ‘elasticity’. Ambiguity in legal documents, referred to as ‘syntactic

ambiguity’ (Holland & Webb, 2003: 115), is usually deliberate (Lewison, 2004). In the

contracts analysed in this paper, it can be used to reach a compromise or to create

uncertainties that one of the parties might subsequently seek to exploit (Doonan, 1995:

95-96). The problem of translating ambiguity leads in turn to the question of

interpretation. This puts the legal translator into a difficult position since it is generally

emphasised that the translator must avoid interpreting legal uncertainty because this is a

task for legal professionals. Therefore, Germar (1995a: 143) suggests that it is very

important for legal translators to be trained to interpret legal texts. The issue of whether

and how an official translator would benefit from legal training when dealing with

terminological problems in contracts has been analysed in greater detail in a survey

carried out among experienced translators working with the language pair Polish/English.

The survey results are presented in Chapter 4.

The examples of vague terms analysed below refer to certain standards of conduct

relevant to legal practice in England that often have no meaning in Polish legal tradition.

My aim therefore is to point out that they sometimes have to be interpreted by the

translator on the basis of legal research and/or consultation with a lawyer in order to

make the text logical, often preventing misinterpretation by the target reader. When

possible, as in some of the examples presented, the interpretation must be left to a legal

professional.

Reasonable

The word ‘reasonable’ means ‘rozsądny’ in Polish. This is a very common term in

English contracts whereas it is unknown in Polish civil law and would thus require

37


further clarification. This means that a word other than ‘rozsądny’, e.g. justified,

appropriate, rightful etc., will usually have to be used in the official translation:

ST3: ‘reasonable costs reasonably incurred’ (§25)

TT3: ‘stosowne koszta uzasadnione zajściem’ (§25)

BT: appropriate cost justified by the occurrence

In Polish law the parties to the contract would have to agree between themselves what

standards of practice they mutually understand to be ‘reasonable’ and/or ‘unreasonable’

and include the definitions in the agreement. Otherwise, the translator has to make sure

that the judge / lawyer who interprets the official translation knows that the word

‘reasonable’ refers to English legal understanding and must therefore be interpreted in

this light.

The best interest of...

‘In the best interest of’ is a very ambiguous phrase that might mean many things even in

English. In analysing the ST2 example below, the Polish lawyer should seek clarification

as to whether the idea of what is the best for a child in English common law is the same

as in Polish civil law. In this particular context of the Cohabitation Agreement, the view

of the Polish legal tradition, immersed as it is in the Catholic social context, is that it

would be in the best interest of the child not to be born outside a marriage. The phrase

might therefore have a slightly broader meaning than the English meaning that refers to

acting in order to protect the minor in general. After analysing the context of this case, I

left its interpretation to the Polish lawyer and translated the phrase literally.

ST2: 'it is in the Children’s best interest that the legal guardian shall remain in the Home with

them...'

TT2: 'w najlepszym interesie Dzieci leży aby opiekun ustawowy pozostał z nimi w Domu...'

BT: 'it lies in the Children’s best interest that the legal guardian shall remain in the Home with

them...'

In a tenant-like manner

38


The example above refers not only to differences between civil and common legal

systems but also to cultural differences in Poland and in England. In Poland 85 percent

of the population lived for 50 years as tenants in governmental flats and each tenant could

do as s/he wished e.g. redecorate, or have pets or an unlimited number of flat shares etc.

For some, in particular the older Polish generation, this perception of ‘a tenant-like

manner’ still applies. Tenants in England are usually more restricted regarding what they

are expected or allowed to do in their rented properties. Since the contract is based on

English law, I clarified the matter by adding ‘English’ and the foreign tenant would be

probably advised by his/her agent to carry out additional research on this subject.

ST3 ‘Tenant is responsible by virtue of his duty to use the Property in a tenant-like manner’ (§31)

TT3 ‘Lokator jest odpowiedzialny na mocy swego obowiązku do korzystania z nieruchomości w

sposób stosowny dla lokatora [w Anglii]’ (§31)

BT ‘Tenant is responsible by virtue of his duty to use the Property in a [English] tenant-like manner’

Fair

Another term often used in English legal contracts is the word ‘fair’. Its meaning

depending on the context can be ‘rzetelnie’ (honestly / properly) or ‘sprawiedliwie’

(honestly / fair).

Since the use of word ‘fair’ is unknown in Polish legal practice, the author of the ST

would be requested by a legal professional to define precisely what exactly s/he

understood by it.

ST3: ‘…based on fair assessment.’ (§36)

TT3: ‘…w oparciu o uczciwe oszacowanie.’ (§36)

BT: ‘…based on honest assessment.’

Best practice

This phrase does not appear in Polish legal language and its literal translation has no

meaning in Polish civil law. It can however be interpreted in such a way as to represent

the same meaning in Polish legal tradition, retaining the same degree of ambiguity:

39


ST1: ‘represent the company’s best practice’ (§18)

TT1: ‘reprezentują sposób postępowania uznany przez niniejszą spółkę za najwłaściwszy’ (§18)

BT: ‘represent a way of conduct that has been agreed by the company as the most appropriate’

3.9 Names and entities

English business entities and names of institutions and legal acts also come into the

category of legal terminology that might cause problems in translation between two

different legal systems.

3.9.1 Business entities

The legal classification of business entities appears in all corporate contracts.

Differences in common law and civil law result in several degrees of terminological

incongruency between Polish and English business entities, varying from almost identical

concepts to near and partial equivalents and to terms with no comparable counterparts in

the TL.

Over recent decades, the Polish national business infrastructure has been changing from

communist-type state ownership to privately-run enterprise and company law is

consequently subject to ongoing changes. The translator must be aware of all of these

legislative developments as they incur ongoing terminological changes. The examples

given below highlight some key aspects and problem areas in the translation of this group

of legal terms.

Company

It should be emphasised above all that the semantic field of ‘company’ is organised

differently under the English common law and Polish civil law systems. The main

difference is that English law makes a finer distinction - between unlimited and limited

40


companies, companies limited by guarantee and by shares and private and public

companies. By contrast, all Polish companies are limited and are limited only by shares;

however, their breakdown into Spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością (Limited

Liability Company) and Spółka Akcyjna (Public Limited Company / Public Joint – Stock

Company) is not based on the criterion of whether they are private or public. Thus, the

boundaries of the TL and SL concepts will inevitably differ.

Another difference is that the English system specifically divides entities into two types

using two separate terms: ‘individual trader/ partnership’ corresponding to the Polish

‘spółka osobowa’ (partnership company) and ‘company’ – ‘spółka kapitałowa’ (capital

company). This indicates that the Polish term ‘spółka’ does not have an equivalent at the

same level of specificity, i.e. Polish uses a more general term while English has more

specific lexemes for the same subject.

Public Limited Company

ST1, §2 ‘GlobalMedia plc’

TT1, §2 ‘GlobalMedia Publiczna S.A.’

BT: ‘GlobalMedia Public Joint - Stock Company’

The English entity Public Limited Company (plc) shows a relatively high degree of

conceptual similarity to the Polish business entity ‘spółka akcyjna’ abbreviated to ‘S.A.’

[joint-stock company].

Since the main difference between the two entities is that the S.A. does not have to be a

public company while the plc is, I have added. ‘publiczna’ [public] before S.A and this

precisely reflects the meaning of the SL term ‘plc’.

Limited Company

‘Limited’ or ‘Ltd’ companies are private companies limited by shares or guarantees in the

United Kingdom. The entity is highly comparable to the Polish business entity ‘Spółka z

41


ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością’ (Sp. z o.o.), however the Polish Sp. z o.o. is not always

private. Consequently, it can be used as a functional equivalent when word ‘private’ is

added.

ST4: ‘Siemens Ltd’ (§3)

TT4: ‘Siemens Prywatna Sp. z o.o.’ (§3)

BT: ‘Siemens Private Limited Liability Company’

3.9.2 Names of English institutions and legal acts

Names of English institutions and legal acts are usually translated literally to facilitate

their identification (Šarčević, 2000: 259). Official translations of international

institutional terms are available from the terminological departments of the particular

organisations and some professional organisations for legal translators such as TEPIS.

As a rule, a translator ‘should normally use the official or generally accepted translation

of any institutional term’ (Newmark, 2005: 89), even when the translator believes that

s/he can produce a better one.

The original name should be provided in brackets in order to indicate the system the

name originates from and for the purpose of further clarification.

ST5: DVLA (§5)

TT5: Agencji Prawa Jazdy i Licencji Pojazdów (DVLA) (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency –

(DVLA)) (§5)

BT: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency – DVLA.

ST1: Employment Rights Act 1996 (§4)

TT1: Ustawy o Prawach Pracowniczych 1996 (Employment Rights Act 1996) (§4).

BT: Employment Rights Act 1996.

CHAPTER 4 SURVEY

Several scholars, e.g. Germar (1995a: 143) and Rayar (1990: 643), suggest that it is

imperative for legal translators to be legally trained in order to interpret legal texts. Legal

42


as well as linguistic qualifications are required from all Polish legal translators at the

European Court of Justice. The main aim of the survey contained in appendix 3 was

therefore to elicit and present opinions, drawn from the practice of experienced legal

translators working with the language pair Polish/English, as to whether and/or how legal

training is important when it comes to the translation of contracts that can be used in a

court of law. The survey conclusions also assess to what degree, in the opinion of the

translators, it is possible for a translated contract to have the same legal effect as the

original and proposes the most accurate form of terminology translation. The results

summarise the changes that have influenced official legal translators of contracts working

with the aforementioned language pair.

According to the 57 replies received, the most favoured way of resolving problems of

incongruent legal terminology in official translations of contracts (translators were

allowed to select between several methods) are: functional equivalents – 100%, followed

by neutral terms – 98%, descriptive paraphrases – 95% and annotations - 35%. All the

translators who use annotations stressed that they provide them only when necessary

unless their clients require them to do otherwise. This means that experienced translators

believe that the best way to translate the terminology of contracts is to choose a method

that aims at incorporating all the SL information into the main body of the translated

document.

None of the translators found legal training or access to it ‘not useful’ for dealing with

terminological issues. Experienced translators of legal contracts therefore agree that they

benefit or would benefit from it, with 67% considering it to be necessary.

The largest proportion (49%) of the translators claimed that perfection exists, i.e. that it is

possible for the translated contracts to have the same legal effect as the originals. This

group included 39% (out of the 49%) with no legal training and 10% (out of the 49%)

with legal training. The second-largest group (47%) were translators who believed that,

on average, it is almost possible for translated contracts to have an identical legal effect to

the original. Of this group, 44% (of the 47%) had legal training and 3% (of the 47%) did

43


not. The translators with training in both Polish and English law all belonged to this

group. This might mean that a legal background helps translators to understand the

complexity of legal contracts and thus increases their sensitivity to their legal content.

This in turn, in my opinion, is likely to increase the quality of translation. The second

group’s higher degree of self-criticism might be misleading. In fact, this group has more

representatives with legal experience and thus it might on average provide translations of

contracts of more accurate legal effect than the first group, but make a less superficial

judgement about their quality. However, this would have to be confirmed by analysing a

number of official translations of contracts done by both groups.

As an additional observation 14% of the translators surveyed pointed out that literal,

word-for-word translation is sometimes required from them by their clients when

translating contracts that can be used in a court of law. This observation is relevant to the

paper because in this case the emphasis on translators’ comprehension of legal points

decreases since there is no need for interpretation. In fact the logic of the entire

translated contract suffers, making it harder to understand for a legal professional from

the other legal system. Should the demand for this type of translation continue, then legal

training for translators might not be considered worth investing in since it would not add

any value to the quality of translation. The translators’ opinions suggest that requests for

literal translations seem to be a decreasing phenomenon with some translators refusing to

undertake such assignments.

Social and political changes - globalisation, the ongoing expansion of the European

Union, the influx of foreign companies into domestic markets, international corporation

mergers or franchises, increased mobility of employees and the progress and

development of information technology where the main language is English - are already

influencing the legal translation professionals working in the Polish/English language

pair. This is particularly true of the official translations of contracts since this type of

document is exchanged on an everyday basis and thus perhaps represents the most

requested type of official translations. All these changes call for greater professionalism

in the field. There are already a number of relatively new international examinations,

44


mentioned by translators in the survey, that confirm the level of English legal language

skills for translators specialising in legal translation i.e. the International Test of Legal

English Skills (TOLES) or the International Legal English Certificate (ILEC). The

requirement that a legal translator should have this type of qualification and/or certificate

is becoming more and more popular among employers and clients but for the present, as

indicated by the results of the survey, sound experience in the legal translation of

contracts and thus equally close acquaintance with the legal cultures of both the ST and

the TT are the prevailing criteria.

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS

45


When translating from one legal system into another the differences between those

systems have to be taken into consideration. The level of equivalence of terms depends

on the extent of relatedness of the legal systems and not of the languages involved.

The study highlights some key aspects and problem areas in the official translations of

legal contracts that can be used in a Polish court, in terms of terminology transfer

between two different legal systems. The main issues that the study draws attention to in

this respect, together with the practical approaches that were taken to resolve them, are:

different categories of terminological equivalence in the translation of legal terms,

different types of legal terminology, terminological errors, terminological vagueness and

the associated problem of interpretation as well as sources for authoritative legal

terminology such as the translation of names of English institutions and legal acts.

Based on the opinion of 96 per cent of the experienced translators questioned in the

survey, and the results of the analysis of examples from the proposed translations, it has

been demonstrated that official translations of contracts that can be used in a court of law

may have the same or nearly the same legal effect as the originals. This is possible

despite the conceptual differences between common and civil laws. In theory, the most

accurate official translations of legal contracts in terms of legal terminology transfer

would be the ones in which nothing was hidden from the reader, all problems were

elaborated on and all defects of the original were noted. The analysis confirmed that in

practice, the translator is required to make a decision and avoid lengthy explanatory notes

by incorporating all the information into the main body of the translated contract. The

most successful way to achieve this in terms of legal terminology transfer appears,

according to the results of this study, to be an official translation based on functional

equivalents.

As shown in this paper, legal language is formalised at lexical, syntactic, textual and

generic levels. Legal terms are not emotionally charged in English contracts and their

official translations into Polish. The essential meaning of many terms is inherently

connected with the tradition of the legal culture they originate from and with their

46


context, and thus the terminology always has to be assessed separately in relation to

varying circumstances. Therefore, a translator who deals with the aforementioned type of

translation would benefit from at least a certain degree of legal training, ideally in both

source and target languages, in order to resolve terminological issues. The survey shows

that trends in legal translation and the opinions of experienced professionals confirm this

view. This is particularly important when translating and, if necessary, also when

interpreting the undefined statements, incongruent legal terminology and semi-technical

terms of which practical examples have been analysed in this study. In official

translations of contracts any such interpretation must be approached with caution since,

as highlighted in this assignment, ‘for the translator, the purpose of interpretation is to

decide on the closest possible equivalence in the target language, while for the judge it is

to match up the resulting propositions against the definitions established in existing law’

(Alcaraz and Hughes, 2002: 24).

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APPENDIX I: Contracts and translations

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The text below are my translations of legal contracts and agreements. All personal information provided in all of the documents is fictional.For the purpose of this assignment all annotations have been written in English language.

ST 1. Employment Contract

§ Source text – EnglishEMPLOYMENT CONTRACT

Target text – PolishUMOWA O PRACĘ

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

THIS AGREEMENT IS MADE the 15th day of August 2007

BETWEEN GlobalMedia plc withregistered office at 234 Regent Street, London WL13 5MD (the “Employer”); and

Dr John Smith of 19 Dixon Road, London SL13 9JN (the “Contractor”)

This document sets out the terms and conditions of employment which are required to be given to the Employee under section 1(1)(a) Employment Rights Act 1996 and which apply at the date hereof.

COMMENCEMENT AND JOB TITLE.The Employer agrees to employ the Employee from the 20th of August year 2007 in the capacity of Financial Director at GlobalMedia plc. No employment with a previous employer shall be counted as part of the Employee’s period of continuous employment. The Employee’s duties may from time to time be reasonably modified asnecessary to meet the needs of the Employer’s business.

BASE SALARY AND BENEFITS. The Employer shall pay the Employee a basesalary of £185,000 per year by equal monthly instalments in arrears. The Employee’s Base Salary shall be reviewed on an annual basis by the Compensation Committee in the discretion of the Board of

NINIEJSZĄ UMOWĘ zawarto w dniu 15 sierpnia 2007 roku

POMIĘDZY GlobalMedia Publiczna S.A.z siedzibą zarejestrowaną przy 234 Regent Street, Londyn WL13 5MD (zwaną dalej („Pracodawcą”); oraz

Doktorem Johnem Smithem zamieszkałym przy 19 Dixon Road, Londyn SL13 9JN (zwanym dalej „Pracownikiem”) (1)

Niniejszy dokument przedstawia stosunki i warunki zatrudnienia Pracownika na podstawie artykułu 1 paragrafu 1 litery (a) Ustawy o Prawach Pracowniczych 1996 (Employment Rights Act 1996), które wchodzą w życie w dniu zawarcia niniejszej umowy.

DATA ROZPOCZĘCIA ZATRUDNIENIA I TYTUŁ SŁUŻBOWY. Pracodawca wyraża zgodę na zatrudnienie Pracownika od 20 sierpnia 2007 roku na pozycji dyrektora finansów (oraz członka Rady Dyrektorów) w GlobalMedia Publiczna S.A. Do bieżącego okresu zatrudnienia Pracownika nie wlicza się okresu przepracowanego dla poprzedniego pracodawcy. Obowiązki Pracownika mogą być w każdym momencie, z wymogu potrzeb przedsiębiorstwa Pracodawcy, odpowiednio zmienione.

WYNAGRODZENIE ZASADNICZE I ŚWIADCZENIA. Pracodawca zobowiązany jest to płacenia Pracownikowi wynagrodzenia zasadniczego w wysokości 185000 GBP na rok w równych, zaległych ratach w odstępach miesięcznych. Wynagrodzenie zasadnicze Pracownika jest

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8.

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Directors. The base salary will be subject to statutory deductions and will comprise anumber of elements which may include:

(A) voluntary pension contribution(B) cafeteria benefits which the Employeeelected to receive as a component of hisbase salary that include: (a) provision of car; (b) provision of mobile phone; (c) provision of laptop (d) provision of private medical

insurance for the Employee and his family members; and

e) seasonal football ticket every year.

(C) Fringe Benefits Tax which is payableon the non-cash benefits.

ANNUAL BONUS. In addition to the said Base Salary, the Financial Director shall be awarded, for each fiscal year ending during the Employment Period, an Annual Bonus in cash, determined as a percentage of annual Base Salary.

SPECIAL BONUS. In recognition and appreciation of Employee’s performance, the company may pay the Employee a special discretionary bonus in the amount of up to £30,000 in one instalment to be included with the first regular payroll in August during the Employment Period. The payment shall be subject to standard payroll practices and be subject to applicable withholding taxes.

HOURS OF EMPLOYMENT. The Employee’s normal hours of employment shall be 9am to 6pm on Mondays to Fridays during which the Employee may take up to one hour for lunch between the hours of 12pm to 2pm, and the Employee may from

w odstępach rocznych przedmiotem analizyKomisji do Spraw Wynagrodzeń według uznania Rady Dyrektorów. Od wynagrodzenia zasadniczego odjęte zostaną ustawowe potrącenia i obejmować ono będzie części składowe do których wliczać się mogą:(A) nieobowiązkowe składki emerytalne;(B) świadczenia niepieniężne wybrane przez Pracownika jako część składowa jego wynagrodzenia zasadniczego, obejmujące: (a) udostępnienie samochodu; (b) udostępnienie telefonu

komórkowego; (c) udostępnienie komputera

przenośnego; (d) udostępnienie prywatnego

ubezpieczenia zdrowotnego dla pracownika i członków jego rodziny; oraz

(e) coroczny bilet sezonowy na mecze piłki nożnej.

(C) podatek od świadczeń niepieniężnych.

PREMIA ROCZNA. Dodatkowo do rzeczonego wynagrodzenia zasadniczegoprzyznana jest dyrektorowi finansowemu, pod koniec roku fiskalnego w czasie okresu zatrudnienia, premia roczna w środkach pieniężnych wyznaczona przez procent rocznego wynagrodzenia zasadniczego.

PREMIA OKOLICZNOŚCIOWA. Wuznaniu i w podziękowaniu za wyniki pracyPracownika, przedsiębiorstwo zapłaci Pracownikowi specjalną premię uznaniową w wysokości do 30000 GBP płatną jednorazowo w sierpniu w czasie okresu zatrudnienia, włączoną do najbliższej wypłaty wynagrodzenia zasadniczego.Niniejsza płatność jest podporządkowana standardowej praktyce wypłaty wynagrodzeń i podlega obowiązującemu podatkowi pobieranego zaliczkowo.

GODZINY PRACY. Podstawowe godziny pracy Pracownika są pomiędzy godziną 9:00 a 18:00 od poniedziałku do piątku w czasie których Pracownik może wziąć aż do godziny przerwę na popołudniowy posiłek pomiędzy godziną 12 a 14 oraz w każdym

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10

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12.

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time to time be required to work such additional hours as is reasonable to meet the requirements of the Employer’s business at no additional payment.

During the term of the employment, the Employee shall be expected to devote his full working time and attention to the business of GlobalMedia plc, and he shall not render services to any other business without the prior approval of the Board of Directors or, directly or indirectly, engage or participate in any business outside the operations of GlobalMedia plc.

HOLIDAYS. The Employee shall be entitled to twenty five days holiday per calendar year at full pay in addition to the normal public holidays. Holidays must be taken at a time that is convenient to the Employer and no more than two weeks’ holiday may be taken at any one time.

SICKNESS. The Employee shall be paid normal remuneration during sickness absence for a maximum of 26 weeks in any period of twelve months provided that the Employee provides the Employer with a medical certificate in the case of absence of more that seven consecutive days. Such remuneration shall be less the amount of any Statutory Sick Pay or Social Security sickness benefits to which the Employee may be entitled.

COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS. There are no collective agreements in force directly relating to the terms of the Employee employment.

PENSION. The Employee shall be entitled to join the Employer’s pension scheme the details of which are set out in the Employer’s booklet entitled ‘GlobalMedia Pension Scheme’ which is available on request. A contracting-out certificate under

momencie może być wymagana od Pracownika praca w dodatkowych godzinach, bez dodatkowego wynagrodzenia, z wymogu potrzeb przedsiębiorstwa Pracodawcy.

W czasie trwania zatrudnienia Pracownik jest zobowiązany poświęcić cały czas i uwagę działalności gospodarczej GlobalMedia Publiczna S.A. i nie może świadczyć usług na rzecz jakiegokolwiek innego przedsiębiorstwa bez uprzedniej zgody Rady Dyrektorów oraz bezpośrednio lub pośrednio angażować się lub uczestniczyć w jakimkolwiek przedsiębiorstwie poza działalnością GlobalMedia Publiczna S.A.

URLOP. Pracownikowi należą się dwadzieścia pięć dni pełnopłatnego urlopu na rok kalendarzowy w dodatku do zwykłychświąt państwowych. Urlop musi byćpobrany w czasie dogodnym dla Pracodawcy i jednorazowo nie można wykorzystać urlopu dłuższego niż dwa tygodnie.

NIEOBECNOŚĆ W PRACY Z POWODU CHOROBY. Pracownik otrzyma podstawową płacę za czas nieobecności w pracy z powodu choroby aż do 26 tygodni w każdym dwunastomiesięcznym okresie pod warunkiem przedstawienia Pracodawcy zaświadczenia lekarskiego w wypadku nieobecności dłuższej niż siedem kolejnych dni. Od niniejszego wynagrodzenia odjęta zostanie suma jakiegokolwiek ustawowego zasiłku chorobowego lub zasiłku chorobowego z tytułu ubezpieczenia społecznego, które mogą należeć się Pracownikowi.

UZGODNIENIA ZBIOROWE. Nie ma obowiązujących uzgodnień zbiorowych bezpośrednio nawiązujących do warunków zatrudnienia Pracownika.

ŚWIADCZENIE EMERYTALNE. Pracownik jest upoważniony do przyłączania się do systemu emerytalnego Pracodawcy, którego szczegóły są przedłożone w broszurze pracodawcy zatytułowanej „System Emerytalny GlobalMedia”

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15.

16.

the Pension Schemes Act 1993 is in force in respect of this employment.

TERMINATION. The Employer may terminate this Agreement by giving written notice to the Employee as follows:

(a) with not less than one week’s notice during the first two years of continuous employment;

(b) with not less than one week’s notice for each full year of continuous employment after the first two years until the twelfth year of continuous employment; and

(c) with not less than twelve weeks’ notice after twelve years of continuous employment.

(d) with immediate effect but payment in lieu of notice, if the Employee become of unsound mind.

The Employer may terminate this Agreement ex parte or payment in lieu of notice in case of serious or persistent misconduct such as to cause a major breach of the Employer’s disciplinary rules.

The Employee may terminate this Agreement by one week’s written notice to the Employer.

CONFIDENTIALITY. The Employee is aware that during his employment he may be party to confidential information concerning the Employer and the Employer’s business. The Employee shall

dostępnej na życzenie. W niniejszym zatrudnieniu obowiązuje zaświadczenie o odłączeniu się drogą umowy zgodnie z Ustawą o Systemach Emerytalnych 1993.

WYPOWIEDZENIE. Pracodawca może wypowiedzieć niniejszą Umowę poprzez pisemne powiadomienie Pracownika wnastępujący sposób:

(a) z co najmniej tygodniowym powiadomieniem w czasie pierwszych w pełni przepracowanych dwóch lat;

(b) z co najmniej tygodniowym powiadomieniem za każdy w pełni przepracowany rok, po upływie pierwszych dwóch lat, aż do w pełni przepracowanego dwunastego roku; oraz

(c) z co najmniej dwunasto tygodniowym powiadomieniem, po upływie w pełni przepracowanych dwunastu lat.

(d) z natychmiastowym skutkiem z zapłatą w miejsce powiadomienia jeżeli pracownikzachoruje na schorzenie umysłowe.

Pracodawca może wypowiedzieć niniejszą umowę ex parte (2) oraz bez zapłaty w miejsce powiadomienia w wypadku poważnych i stałych wykroczeń służbowych takich jak spowodowanie istotnych naruszeń zasad dyscypliny pracodawcy.

Pracownik musi wypowiedzieć niniejszą umowę z tygodniowym powiadomieniem pracodawcy na piśmie.

ZACHOWANIE POUFNOŚCI. Pracownikowi wiadomo jest, że w czasie zatrudnienia może mieć dostęp do poufnychinformacji dotyczących pracodawcy i jegoprzedsiębiorstwa. Pracownik w okresie zatrudnienia nie ujawni lub nie dopuści do

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18.

19.

20.

not during the term of this employment disclose or allow the disclosure of any confidential information (except in the proper course of his employment). After the termination of this Agreement the Employee shall not disclose or use any of the Employer’s trade secrets or any other information which is of sufficiently high degree of confidentiality to amount to a trade secret. The Employer hereby shall be entitled to apply for an injunction to prevent such disclosure or use and to seek any other remedy including without limitation the recovery of damages in the case of such disclosure or use.

NON-COMPETITION. For period of two years after the termination of this Agreement the Employee shall not solicit or seek business from any customers or clients of the Employer who were customers or clients thereof at any time during the six months immediately preceding the termination hereof and therewith the Employee had material dealings.

DISCIPLINE AND GRIEVANCE. The Employer’s disciplinary rules and the grievance and appeal procedure in connection with these rules represent the company’s best practice and they are set out in the Employer’s booklet entitled ‘The Guidelines’ which is attached hereto.

NOTICES. All communications including notices required to be given hereunder shall be in writing and shall be sent either by personal service or first class post to the Parties’ respected addresses.

SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement should be held to be invalid it shall to that extent be severed and the remaining shall continue to have full force and effect.

ujawnienia wszelkiej poufnej informacji (zwyjątkiem, kiedy jest to tok postępowania właściwy dla jego zatrudnienia). Po rozwiązaniu niniejszej umowy Pracownik nieujawni lub nadużyje jakichkolwiek tajemnicdziałalności gospodarczej Pracodawcy lub wszelkiej innej informacji wystarczająco poufnej by przyczynić się do ustanowieniatajemnicy działalności gospodarczej. Pracodawca niniejszym upoważniony jest doubiegania się o nakaz sądowy zabezpieczający przed niniejszym ujawnianiem lub użycia bądź zabiegania owszelki inny sposób włączywszy otrzymanienieograniczonego odszkodowania w wypadku niniejszego ujawnienia lub nadużycia.

ZAKAZ KONKURENCJI. Przez okres dwóch lat po wypowiedzeniu niniejszej umowy, Pracownik nie będzie starać się pozyskać, lub nakłaniać do działalności handlowej, jakichkolwiek klientów Pracodawcy, którzy byli w okresie sześciu miesięcy bezpośrednio poprzedzającym wypowiedzenie niniejszej Umowy, klientami Pracodawcy oraz z którymi niniejszy Pracownik prowadził transakcje materialne.

ZASADY DYSCYPLINY I SKARG.

Przepisy dyscyplinarne Pracodawcy wraz z nawiązującymi do nich procedurami rozpoznawania skarg i apelacji reprezentują sposób postępowania uznany przez niniejszą spółkę za najwłaściwszy i są przedłożone wbroszurze pracodawcy zatytułowanej „Wytyczne” dołączonej do niniejszej Umowy.

POWIADOMIENIA. Wszelka korespondencja, włączając powiadomienia, wymagana na mocy niniejszej umowy, powinna być prowadzona na piśmie i doręczona bądź osobiście bądź za pomocą poczty priorytetowej na podane adresy stron.

ROZDZIELNA INTERPRETACJA POSTANOWIEŃ UMOWY. Jeżeli którekolwiek z postanowień niniejszej Umowy zostanie uznane za nieważne będzieono w takim zakresie oddzielone a

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22.

23.

24.

ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This Agreement contains the entire Agreement between the Parties and supersedes all prior arrangements and understandings whether written or oral with respect to the subject matter hereof and may not be varied except in writing signed by both parties hereto.

GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have signed this Agreement the day and year first above written.

SIGNED Signed by or on behalf of the Employer:

in the presence of witness:Name:Address:DATED:Occupation

Signed by or on behalf of the Employee:

in the presence of witness:Name:Address:DATED:Occupation

pozostałość pozostawać będzie w pełnej mocy prawnej.

CAŁOŚĆ UMOWY. Niniejsza Umowa obejmuje całość Umowy zawartej pomiędzy jej stronami i zastępuje wszelkie wcześniejsze uzgodnienia i porozumienia, czy to pisemne czy ustne, nawiązujące do istoty tematu tej Umowy i może ona jedynie być zmieniona pisemnie z podpisami obu stron niniejszej Umowy.

PRAWO WŁAŚCIWE. Niniejsza Umowa przygotowana jest na podstawie prawa Anglii i Wali i podlega wyłącznej jurysdykcji angielskich Sądów.

NA DOWÓD POWYŻSZEGO strony niniejszejUmowy podpisały ją w dniu wskazanym w postanowieniach wstępnych.

PODPISANEPodpisane przez lub z ramienia Pracodawcy:

w obecności (świadka):Nazwisko i imię:AdresZ DATĄ Zawód

Podpisane przez lub z ramienia pracownika

w obecności (świadka):Nazwisko i imię:AdresZ DATĄ Zawód

(1) The word ‘contractor’ translated into Polish is ‘kontrahent’ or ‘wykonawca’. ‘Kontrahent’ or ‘wykonawca’ is ‘one of the parties who undertakes a contact’ (The New Dictionary of the Polish Language, 2003: 353) but of a different kind than the permanent employment contract described in the ST. ‘Kontrahent’ often refers to ‘one – off’ contracts with a set deadline and clearly defined purpose i.e. construction of a building, professional advice etc. According to the Dictionary of Law (2003: 38) word ‘wykonawca’ means in English ‘executor’.

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Following Polish legal language in the set context the word should be replaced by another word ‘pracownik’ (Encyclopaedia of [Polish]Law, 2004: 757) which in English means ‘employee’. Word ‘contractor’ has also similar connotations in English language: ‘a person who undertakes a contract especially to provide materials, conduct building operations, etc.’ (Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 2002: 312) as opposed to an employee ‘a person who works under the direction and control of another (the employer) in return for a wage or salary’ (Dictionary of Law, 2003: 170). Since the entire ST clearly refers to ‘employee’ employed on a permanent contract in a professional capacity and also repetitively uses the term ‘employee’ when referring to Dr. John Smith, I have replaced ‘kontrahent’ (contractor) with ‘pracownik’ (employee).

(2). ( Łac.) bez powiadomienia. [Without notice]

ST 2. Co-habitation Agreement

§ Source text – English Target text – Polish

1.

2.

3.

4.

COHABITATION AGREEMENT(for Unmarried Partners)

THIS DEED OF AGREEMENT is made the 29 day of May year 2001

BETWEEN:

(1) Mr John Paul Smith of 23 Preston Road, Kent KN9 20NT (“the First Party”); and

(2) Ms Jane Pauline Harrison of 23 Preston Road, Kent KN9 20NT (“the Second Party”).

TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THAT:

(a) The Parties live together as a common-law wife and a common-law husband and wish to enter this Agreement to set out their rights and responsibilities towards each other.

UMOWA WSPÓLNEGO POŻYCIA(dla Współżyjących bez Ślubu)

NINIEJSZY AKT PRAWNY UMOWY zawarto w dniu 29 maja 2001 roku

POMIĘDZY:

(1) Panem John Paul Smith zamieszkałym na 23 Preston Road, Kent KN9 20NT („Strona Pierwsza”); oraz

(2) Panią Jane Pauline Harrison zamieszkałą na 23 Preston Road, Kent KN9 20NT („Strona Druga”)

ZWAŻYWSZY, ŻE:

(a) Niniejsze Strony zamieszkują razem jako współżyjąca bez ślubu żona według prawa zwyczajowego w Anglii’ (Common-law wife) oraz współżyjący bez ślubu mąż według prawa zwyczajowego w Anglii’ (Common-law husband) i

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5.

6.

7.

8.

(b) The Parties intend that this Agreement will be legally binding on them.

(c) Each Party enters this Agreement freely and voluntarily and without coercion or pressure from the other Party or anyone else.

1. OWNERSHIP OF THE HOME

The Parties live at the address given above (“the Home”) which is a property purchased in their joint names.

2. DIVISION OF PROCEEDS OF SALE OF THE HOME

The Parties agree that they shall hold the beneficial interest in the Home as tenants in common in equal shares.

3. CONTENTS AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS

Any household and personal items shall be owned by the Party who acquired it alone (whether by inheritance, gift, purchase or otherwise).

4. BANK OR BUILDING SOCIETY ACCOUNTS

It is agreed that the Parties shall maintain a joint bank account (“The Joint Account”). The Parties shall pay to the Joint Account sums sufficient to meet their agreed shareof common expenses (referred to in clause5). The money in the Joint Account shall belong to the Parties in equal shares regardless of the actual sums which either of them may have paid into or withdrawn from the Joint Account. Any money in any

pragną zawrzeć niniejszą Umowę aby ustalić swoje wzajemne prawa i obowiązki.

(b) Niniejsze Strony wyraziły zgodę aby niniejsza Umowa była wobec nich prawnie obowiązująca.

(c) Każda ze Stron zawiera niniejszą Umowę dobrowolnie, samowolnie oraz bez przymusu bądź presji drugiej Strony lub kogokolwiek innego

1. PRAWO WŁASNOŚCI DOMU

Strony zamieszkują pod adresem podanym powyżej („Dom”), który jest posiadłością zakupioną wspólnie pod ich obydwoma nazwiskami.

2. PODZIAŁ DOCHODU ZE SPRZEDAŻY DOMU

Niniejsze Strony zgodnie oświadczają, iż współwładają one Domem (tenants in common) w którym posiadają ten sam udział interesu beneficyjnego.

3. WYPOSAŻENIE ORAZ DOBYTEK OSOBISTY

Wszelkie przedmioty gospodarstwa domowego i osobiste należą do Strony, która je nabyła w pojedynkę (niezależnie od tego czy w spadku, prezencie, zakupie czy w inny sposób).

4. KONTA BANKOWE BĄDŹ OSZCZĘDNOŚCIOWEJ KASY BUDOWLANEJ

Strony zgadzają się na posiadanie wspólnego konta bankowego („Wspólne Konto”). Strony wpłacać będą do niniejszego Wspólnego Konta kwoty pieniężne wystarczające do pokrycia ich części wspólnych wydatków (przedstawionych w artykule 5). Fundusze na Wspólnym Koncie należą do Stron w równej części, niezależnie od tego jaką kwotę pieniężną wpłaciła lub wypłaciła każda ze Stron do niniejszego

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9

10

11

bank or building society account maintained separately by either Party or any other individual accumulation of equity shall belong to that Party alone.

5. COMMON EXPENSES

Common household expenditure including mortgage repayments, mortgage-linked endowment premiums, ground rent, service charges, rental payments, buildings and household insurance premiums, council or other local taxes, charges for water rates, gas, electricity, telephone, television licence and rental, food, decoration and repairs shall be shared equally by the Parties.

6. CHILDREN

Should the said cohabiting Partners have a child or children (“Children”) together and subsequently separate it has been decided that it is in the Children’s best interest that the legal guardian shall remain in the Home with the Children and the other parent will assign in trust for his/her Children the alieni juris his or her entire share of the former Home.

7. VARIATION OR TERMINATION

This Agreement shall be varied only by written consent of the Parties. This Agreement shall terminate by written agreement of the Parties or upon the death or marriage of either one of them or upon the Parties separation without Children for a period exceeding three months following which the Home shall be valued and either sold and the proceeds divided or the Party leaving compensated approximately in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

Wspólnego Konta. Wszelkie fundusze należące do oddzielnych kont bankowych lub oszczędnościowej kasy budowlanej lub wszelka inna indywidualna akumulacja środków własnych należą wyłącznie do Strony, która je oddzielnie posiada.

5. WSPÓLNE WYDATKI

Wspólne wydatki domowe włączając spłaty kredytu hipotecznego, składki hipoteki subwencyjnej, czynsz dzierżawczy, opłata za obsługę, opłaty czynszowe, składki ubezpieczenia budynku i gospodarstwa domowego, podatek miejski (Council Tax) bądź inne lokalne podatki, opłaty za wodę, gaz, elektryczność, telefon, abonament telewizyjny wraz z wynajmem, żywność, koszta wystroju i remontu wnętrz oraz napraw muszą być równo podzielone pomiędzy Stronami.

6. DZIECI

W razie gdy rzeczone współżyjące Strony będą miały razem dziecko lub dzieci („Dzieci”) a następnie się rozejdą, zdecydowano iż w najlepszym interesie Dzieci leży aby opiekun ustawowy pozostał z nimi w Domu a pozostały rodzic przekaże jego / jej całą część byłego Domu pod zarząd powierniczy na rzecz swoich Dzieci – alieni juris (1).

7. ZMIANA LUB ROZWIĄZANIE UMOWY

Niniejsza Umowa zostanie zmieniona wyłącznie poprzez pisemne pozwolenie Stron. Niniejsza Umowa zostanie rozwiązana poprzez pisemną zgodę Stron lub w razie śmierci albo małżeństwa jakiejkolwiek ze Stron lub w razie bezdzietnego rozstania się na okres przekraczający trzy miesiące po czym niniejszy Dom zostanie wyceniony i albo sprzedany a dochód podzielony bądź Strona opuszczająca zostanie w przybliżeniu zrekompensowana w nawiązaniu do warunków niniejszej Umowy.

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12. SIGNED AS A DEED

By the said_________________________Name_____________________________In the presence of

Signature__________________________Name_____________________________Address___________________________

PODPISANO JAKO DOKUMENT PRAWNY

Przez rzekomego______________________Imię i nazwisko _______________________

W obecności

Podpis_______________________________Imię i nazwisko _______________________Adres________________________________

(1) Określa osobę niepełnoletnią oraz nie w pełni uprawnioną.[Describing the status of a person who is not of full age and capacity.]

ST 3. Tenancy Agreement

§ Source text - English Target Text - Polish

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

RENTAL AGREEMENT: For a Furnished Flat on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy

The PROPERTY: Apartment 3, The Royals Grove, Chester CR15 9NL

The LANDLORD: Mrs Yvette Joan Smithof 38 Henderson Road, Chester CR3 7DB

The TENANT: Dr. Grace Elsa Clish

The TERM: Twelve (12) months beginning on the 19 February 2005

The RENT: £550.00 per month payable in advance on the 19th day of each month

The DEPOSIT: £550.00

The INVENTORY: means the list of the Landlord’s possessions at the Property which has been signed by the Landlord and the Tennant and attached hereto in the Appendix 1.

UMOWA CZYNSZOWA: dotyczy Umowy Najmu Zabezpieczającej Prawo Własności Właściciela w Wielkiej Brytanii (Assured Shorthold Tenancy) (1) umeblowanego lokalu mieszkalnego

NIERUCHOMOŚĆ: Apartament 3, The Royals Grove, Chester CR15 9NL

WŁAŚCICIEL NIERUCHOMOŚCI: Pani Yvette Joan Smith zamieszkała przy 38 Henderson Road, Chester CR3 7DB

LOKATOR: Dr. Grace Elsa Clish

TERMIN: Dwanaście (12) miesięcy od dnia 19 lutego 2005

CZYNSZ: £550,00 na miesiąc płatne z góry, 19go dnia każdego miesiąca

KAUCJA: £550,00

INWENTARZ: to lista mienia Właściciela Nieruchomości pozostająca w Nieruchomości, która została podpisana przez Właściciela Nieruchomości i Lokatora i jest załączona do niniejszej

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9.

10.

11.

12.

13.14.

15.

16.

DATED___________________SIGNED__________________

(The Landlord)

DATED___________________SIGNED__________________

(The Tenant)

THIS TENANCY AGREEMENT comprises the particulars detailed above and the terms and conditions printed underneath whereby the Property is hereby let by the Landlord and taken by the Tenant for the Term and the Rent.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This Agreement is intended to create an Assured Shorthold Tenancy as defined in the Housing Act 1988, as amended by the Housing Act 1996, and the provisions for the recovery of possessions by the Landlord in that Act apply accordingly. The Tenant understands that the Landlord will be entitled to recover possession of the Property at the end of the Term.

1. The Tenant’s obligations:1.1 To pay the Rent at the times and in the manner aforesaid.1.2 To pay all charges in respect of any

electric, gas, water, telephonic,televisual and other services used ator supplied to the Property and Council Tax or any similar propertytax that might be charged in addition to or replacement of it during the Term.

1.3 To keep the items on the Inventory

Umowy jako Załącznik 1.

DATA________________________PODPIS_______________________ (Właściciel Nieruchomości)

DATA________________________PODPIS_______________________ (Lokator)

NINIEJSZA UMOWA NAJMU składa się ze szczegółów podanych powyżej oraz z warunków wydrukowanych poniżej na podstawie których niniejsza Nieruchomość jest wynajęta przez niniejszego Właściciela Nieruchomości niniejszemu Lokatorowi na niniejszy Termin za niniejszy Czynsz.

WARUNKI I POSTANOWIENIA UMOWNE

Niniejsza Umowa ma na celu ustanowienieUmowy Najmu Zabezpieczającej Prawo Własności Właściciela (1) zdefiniowanej w Ustawie o Gospodarce Mieszkaniowej 1988 (Housing Act 1988) a poprawionej przez Ustawę o Gospodarce Mieszkaniowej 1996 (Housing Act 1996)w nawiązaniu do której potwierdza się zabezpieczenia na odzyskanie mienia przez Właściciela Nieruchomości. Niniejszy Lokator potwierdza, iż Właściciel Nieruchomości odzyska mienie Nieruchomości po zakończeniu niniejszego Terminu.

1. Zobowiązania Lokatora:1.1. Płacić Czynsz na czas i w sposób określony powyżej.1.2 Płacić wszelkie opłaty za zużytą lub

doprowadzoną do Nieruchomości elektryczność, gaz, wodę, telefon i telewizję i inne usługi skorzystane lub dostarczone do Nieruchomości oraz podatek miejski (Council Tax)lub wszelki inny podatek od nieruchomości który może być pobrany dodatkowo bądź w jego miejsce w czasie niniejszego Terminu.

1.3 Utrzymywać przedmioty Inwentarza

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17.

18.

19.

20.

21.22.

23.

24.

25.

and the interior of the Property in a good and clean state and condition and not damage or injure the Property or the items on the Inventory (fair wear and tear expected).

1.4 To yield up the Property and the items on the Inventory at the end of the Term in the same clean state and condition it was in at the beginning of the Term.

1.5 Not make any alternations or additions to the Property nor without the Landlord’s prior written consent (consent not to be withheld unreasonably) do any redecoration or painting to the Property.

1.6 Not do anything on or at the Property which:1.6.1 may be or become a nuisance or annoyance to any other occupiers of the

Property or owners of adjoining or nearby premises

1.6.2 is illegal or immoral1.6.3 may in any way affect the validity of the insurance of the Property and the items

listed on the Inventory or cause an increase in the premium payable by the Landlord.

1.7 Not without the Landlord’s prior consent (consent not to be withheld unreasonably) allow or keep any pet or any kind of animal at the Property.

1.8 Not use or occupy the Property in any way whatsoever other than as private residence.

1.9 To pay the Landlord’s reasonable costs reasonably incurred as a result

oraz wnętrza Nieruchomości w dobrym i czystym stanie oraz formie i nie niszczyć lub uszkodzić niniejszej Nieruchomości lub przedmiotów Inwentarza (oczekuje się normalnego zużycia).

1.4 Zwrócić niniejszą Nieruchomość wraz z przedmiotami Inwentarza po zakończeniu Terminu w takim samym czystym stanie oraz formie w jakim były one na początku niniejszego Terminu.1.5 Nie dokonywać żadnych poprawek lub ulepszeń do niniejszej Nieruchomości jak również nie dokonywać żadnych remontów czy malowania Nieruchomości bez wcześniejszej pisemnej zgody Właściciela Nieruchomości (nie należy bez podstawnie odmówić udzielenia pozwolenia).1.6 Nie robić nic na lub w Nieruchomości

co:1.6.1 może stać się niedogodne lub dokuczliwe dla wszelkich innych mieszkańców niniejszej Nieruchomości lub właścicieli przylegających lub pobliskich dobytków1.6.2 jest nielegalne lub niemoralne1.6.3 może w jakikolwiek sposób

wpłynąć na ważność ubezpieczenia niniejszej Nieruchomości oraz przedmiotów Inwentarza lub spowodować podwyżkę składki płatnej przez Właściciela Nieruchomości.

1.7 Nie trzymać lub pozwolić na trzymanie w niniejszej Nieruchomości, bez wcześniejszej zgody Właściciela Nieruchomości (brak zgody powinien być uzasadniony), żadnych zwierząt domowych lub wszelkich innych.1.8 Nie używać lub zamieszkiwać

niniejszej Nieruchomości w żaden inny sposób aniżeli jako prywatne miejsce zamieszkania. 1.9 Zapłacić Właścicielowi Nieruchomości stosowne koszta

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26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.33.

of any breaches by the Tennant of his obligations under this Agreement.

2. The Landlord obligations:

2.1 The Landlord agrees that the Tenant may live in the Property without unreasonable interruption from the Landlord or any person rightfully claiming under or in trust for the Landlord.

2.2 To insure the Property and the items listed on the Inventory and use all reasonable efforts to arrange for any damage caused by an insured risk to be remedied as soon as possible and to provide a copy of the insurance policy to the Tenant.

2.3 But the Landlord will not be required to:2.3.1 carry out works for which

the Tennant is responsible by virtue of his duty to use the Property in a tenant-like manner

2.3.2 reinstate the Property and any other chose in the case of damage or destruction if the insurers refuse to pay out the insurance money due to anything the Tenant has done or failed to do.

3. Ending this Agreement:3.1 The tenant cannot normally end this Agreement before the end of the fixed Term unless agreed in writing by the Landlord.

uzasadnione zajściem w rezultacie naruszenia przez Lokatora jego zobowiązań zawartych w niniejszej Umowie.

2. Zobowiązania WłaścicielaNieruchomości:

2.1 Właściciel Nieruchomości zaświadcza, iż niniejszy Lokator może zamieszkiwać w niniejszej

Nieruchomości bez nieuzasadnionych przeszkód ze strony Właściciela Nieruchomości lub jakiejkolwiek osoby legalnie uprawnionej bądź w powiernictwie tego Właściciela. 2.2 Ubezpieczyć Nieruchomość wraz z wszystkimi przedmiotami Inwentarza oraz należycie postarać się o pokrycie, jak szybko to tylko możliwe, wszelkich szkód spowodowanych przez ubezpieczone ryzyko oraz przedłożyć kopię polisy ubezpieczeniowej Lokatorowi.

2.3 Właściciel Nieruchomości nie jest zobowiązany do: 2.3.1 dokonywania prac za które Lokator jest odpowiedzialny na mocy swego obowiązku do korzystania z Nieruchomości w sposób stosowny dla lokatora [w Anglii].

2.3.2 przywrócenia Nieruchomości oraz wszelkiego innego chore (2)

do normalnego stanu w wypadku szkody czy zniszczenia, kiedy ubezpieczeniodawcy odmówili wypłaty ubezpieczenia w wyniku jakiegokolwiek postępowania Lokatora.

3. Zakończenie niniejszej Umowy:3.1 Lokator, na ogół nie może zakończyć niniejszej Umowy przed zakończeniem określonego Terminu chyba, że Właściciel pisemnie wyraził na to zgodę.

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34.

35.36.

37.

38.39.

40.

3.2.1 If the Tennant stays on after the end of the fixed Term, her tenancy will continue but will run from month to month (a “periodic tenancy”). This periodic tenancy can be ended by the Tenant giving at least one month’s notice to the Landlord.

4. The Deposit4.1 The Deposit will be held by the

Landlord and will be refunded to the Tenant at the end of the Term (however it ends) at the forwarding address provided to the Landlord based on fair assessment and less any reasonable deductions properly made by the Landlord to cover any reasonable costs incurred or losses caused to her by any breaches of the obligations in her Agreement by the Tenant.

4.2 No interest will be paid to the Tenant in respect of the Deposit money.

5. Other provisions5.1 The Landlord hereby notifies the

Tenant under Section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 that any notices (including notices in proceeding) should be served upon the Landlord at the address first above stated.

5.2 For stamp duty purposes, the Landlord and the Tenant confirm that there is no previous agreement to which this Agreement gives effect.

3.2.1 Jeżeli Lokator pozostanie na miejscu po zakończeniu określonego Terminu, jej najem będzie kontynuowany z miesiąca na miesiąc („okresowy najem”). Niniejszy okresowy najem może zostać zakończony przez Lokatora z co najmniej miesięcznym zawiadomieniem Właściciela Nieruchomości.

4. Kaucja 4.1 Kaucja będzie przechowywana przez Właściciela Nieruchomości i w oparciu o uczciwe oszacowanie, zostanie zwrócona Lokatorowi po zakończeniu Terminu (zakończonego w jakikolwiek sposób) na adres podany Właścicielowi Nieruchomości zredukowana o stosowne kwoty odpowiednio wypłacone przez Właściciela Nieruchomości na pokrycie wszelkich stosownych kosztów bądź strat spowodowanych zajściem w rezultacie naruszenia przez Lokatora jego zobowiązań zawartych w niniejszej Umowie.4.2 Kaucja Lokatora nie podlega oprocentowaniu.

5. Inne zapewnienia5.1 Właściciel Nieruchomości na mocy niniejszej Umowy zawiadamia Lokatora iż na mocy Artykułu 48 Ustawy o Warunkach Dzierżawy 1987 (the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987), iż wszelkie zawiadomienia (włączając zawiadomienia o postępowaniu sądowym) powinny zostać doręczone Właścicielowi Nieruchomości na adres podany w postanowieniach wstępnych.5.2 Ze względu na opłatę stemplową Właściciel Nieruchomości oraz Lokator potwierdzają iż nie istnieje wcześniejsza umowa na którą niniejsza Umowa ma wpływ.

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41.

42.

DATED___________________SIGNED__________________

(The Landlord)

DATED___________________SIGNED__________________

(The Tenant)

DATA________________________PODPIS_______________________ (Właściciel Nieruchomości)

DATA________________________PODPIS_______________________ (Lokator)

(1) Umowa Najmu Zabezpieczająca Prawo Własności Właściciela w Wielkiej Brytanii – (the Assured Shorthold Tenancy), provides means whereby the landlord could be certain of his right to repossess his property. It is based on English Law i.e. The Housing Act 1988 as amended by the Housing Act 1996. The property can be let for any period of time but in the Agreement it is a fixed term for 12 months. The legal concept of AST is unknown to Polish law and could be easily misinterpreted as a Tenancy Agreement for a Short Period of Time.

(2) (franc.) przedmiotu, rzeczy. [(French0 for things]

ST 4. Guarantee Agreement

§ Source text - EnglishGuarantee Agreement

Target Text - PolishUmowa Gwarantująca Zapłatę

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

THIS AGREEMENT IS MADE the 14th day of May 2006

BETWEEN:

(1) Mr Roman Bielski of 234 Regent Street, London WL13 5MD (the “Guarantor”); and

(2) Bank plc with registerd office at ul. Makowiecka 19, 00 – 850 Warsaw, Poland (the “Creditor”).

NOW IT IS HEREBY AGREED as follows:

1. As an inducement for the Creditor, from time to time to extend credit to Mrs Ewa Bielska (the “Customer”), currently employed as a high school teacher, it is hereby agreed that the Guarantor does

NINIEJSZĄ UMOWĘ zawarto w dniu 14 maja 2006 roku

POMIĘDZY:

(1) Panem Romanem Bielskim zamieszkalym przy 234 Regent Street, Londyn WL13 5MD („Gwarant”); oraz

(2) Bank Publiczna S.A. z siedzibą zarejestrowaną przy ul. Makowiecka 19, 00 – 850 Warszawa, Polska („Wierzyciel”)

NINIEJSZYM UZGADNIA się co następuje:

1. Jako poręczenie dla Wierzyciela aby w każdym momencie przedłużyć kredyt dla Pani Ewy Bielskiej („Dłużnik”), obecnie zatrudnionej na pozycji nauczycielki w szkole średniej, niniejszym uzgadnia się, że

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7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

hereby guarantee to the Creditor the prompt, punctual and full payment of all monies now or hereinafter due to the Creditor from the Customer and the Guarantor understands that the Creditor might decide upon an action sounding in damages against the Guarantor should the above not be fulfilled.

2. Until termination, this guarantee is unlimited as to amount or duration and shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding any extension, compromise, adjustment, forbearance, waiver, release or discharge of any party or Guarantor, or release in whole or in part of any security granted for the said indebtedness or compromise or adjustment thereto, and the Guarantor waives all notices thereto.

3. The guarantee hereunder shall be unconditional and absolute and the Guarantor waives all rights of subrogation and set-off until all sums due under this guarantee are fully paid.

4. In the event payments due under this guarantee are not paid punctually upon demand, then the Guarantor shall pay all reasonable costs and solicitors fees necessary for the collection and enforcement of this guarantee.

5. This guarantee may be terminated by the Guarantor upon fourteen (14) days written notice of termination being delivered to the Creditor.

6. The Guarantor warrants and represents it

Gwarant gwarantuje tą Umową Wierzycielowi bezzwłoczną, punktualną oraz pełną spłatę wszelkich należności winnych teraz jak też później podanych poniżej Wierzycielowi przez Dłużnika. Gwarant rozumie, że w razie nie wypełnienia powyższego Wierzyciel może rozpocząć przeciwko niemu postępowanie sądowe w celu odszkodowania.

2. Aż do czasu wypowiedzenia Umowy, niniejsza gwarancja zapłaty nie jest ograniczona w stosunku do wysokości bądź okresu trwania i pozostaje w pełnej mocy oraz skutku wbrew wszelkim przedłużeniom, ustępstwom, uzgodnieniom, powstrzymywaniu się od egzekwowania prawa, zrzeczeniom, zwolnieniom lub odstąpieniom przez jakąkolwiek ze stron albo Gwaranta, lub zaniechaniem całości bądź części wszelkiego przyznanego zabezpieczenia na rzecz rzekomego zadłużenia lub ustępstw bądź poprawek do niniejszego zadłużenia i zrzeczeniu się przez Gwaranta udzielenia wszelkich powiadomień.

3. Gwarancja zapłaty wymagana na mocy niniejszej Umowy jest bezwarunkowa i całkowita i niniejszy Gwarant zrzeka się wszelkich praw do subrogacji oraz rekompensat aż do czasu, kiedy wszelkie zaległości pieniężne należne na mocy niniejszej gwarancji zapłaty są w pełni spłacone.

4. W wypadku gdy zaległości pieniężne na mocy niniejszej gwarancji zapłaty nie są punktualnie spłacone w ramach wymogu, Gwarant pokryje wszelkie uzasadnione koszta oraz opłaty prawnicze niezbędne do poboru i wyegzekwowania niniejszej gwarancji zapłaty.

5. Niniejsza gwarancja zapłaty może być wypowiedziana przez Gwaranta pod warunkiem czternastodniowego (14) pisemnego powiadomienia dostarczonego Wierzycielowi.

6. Gwarant zapewnia, że jest w pełni

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12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

has full authority to enter into this guarantee.

7. This guarantee shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties, their successors and assigns.

8. This guarantee is subject to common and criminal laws of England and the parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts in connection with any dispute hereunder.

IN WITNESS OF WHICH the parties have signed this agreement the day and year first above written.

Signed by or on behalf of the Guarantor

in presence of (witness)

Name____________________________Address__________________________Occupation________________________

Signed by or on behalf of the Creditor

in presence of (witness)

Name____________________________Address__________________________Occupation________________________

uprawniony do zawarcia niniejszej gwarancji zapłaty.

7. Niniejsza gwarancja zapłaty obowiązuje oraz stanowi korzyść na rzecz stron, ich następcom i cesjonariuszom.

8. Niniejsza gwarancja podlega angielskiemu prawu zwyczajowemu (common law) oraz cryminalnemu i strony potwierdzają oddanie wszelkich sporów prawnych powstałych na mocy niniejszej Umowy wyłącznej jurysdykcji angielskich sądów.

NA DOWÓD POWYŻSZEGO strony niniejszej umowy podpisały ją w dniu wskazanym w postanowieniach wstępnych.

Podpisane przez bądź w imieniu Gwaranta

W obecności (świadka)

Imię i nazwisko ___________________Adres__________________________Zawód__________________________

Podpisane przez bądź w imieniu Wierzyciela

W obecności (świadka)

Imię i nazwisko ___________________Adres___________________________Zawód___________________________

ST 5. Agreement for the sale of a vehicle

§ Source text – English

Agreement for the sale of a vehicle(Private sell)

Target text – Polish

Umowa sprzedaży samochodu(Sprzedaż prywatna)

1. THIS AGREEMENT IS MADE the 15th day of August year 2007

NINIEJSZĄ UMOWĘ ZAWARTO dnia 15go sierpnia 2007 roku

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2.

3.

4.

5.

BETWEEN:

1) Mr John Paul Smith of 23 Preston Road, Kent KN9 20NT (“the Buyer”); and

2) Auto Sell sole trader of 30 Preston Road, Kent KN9 20NT (the “Seller”)

NOW IT IS HEREBY AGREED as follows:

1) In consideration of the sum of £15,000, receipt of which the Seller acknowledges, the Seller sells and transfers to the Buyer the vehicle (“Vehicle”):

Make: VolkswagenModel: GolfRegistration Number: 07NT CALYear of Manufacture: 2007Mileage: 250Colour: BlackExtras: Tinted windows

2) The Seller warrants to the Buyer: (i) the Seller is the owner of the Vehicle; (ii) the Seller has the legal right to sell the Vehicle; (iii) the Vehicle is free and clear of all liens and encumbrances; and (iv) the Vehicle is not the subject of a hire purchase agreement.

3) The Seller warrants that while the Vehicle was in the Seller’s possession, the odometer was not altered or disconnected and that to the best of the Seller’s knowledge the odometer reading above reflects the actual mileage.

4) The Buyer agrees to dispatch the Vehicle’s Registration Document to DVLA as soon as practicable after signature of this Agreement, informing DVLA of the Buyer’s ownership of the Vehicle.

POMIĘDZY:

1) Panem John Paul Smith zamieszkałym na 23 Preston Road, Kent KN9 20NT („Nabywca”); oraz

2) Auto Sell przedsiębiorca indywidualny prowadzący działalność na 30 Preston Road, Kent KN9 20NT („Sprzedawca”)

NINIEJSZYM UZGODNIA się co następuje:

1) W zamian za sumę £15 000, otrzymanie której potwierdza Sprzedawca, niniejszy Sprzedawca sprzedaje i przekazuje Nabywcy samochód (“Samochód”):

Marka: VolkswagenModel: GolfNumer rejestracji: 07NT CALRok produkcji: 2007Ilość mil: 250Kolor: czarnyDodatki: przyciemnione szyby

2) Sprzedawca gwarantuje Nabywcy, iż (i)Sprzedawca jest właścicielem Samochodu; (ii) Sprzedawca ma prawo do sprzedaży niniejszego Samochodu; (iii) niniejszy Samochód nie jest zastawiony i jest wolny od obciążeń; oraz (iv) niniejszy Samochód nie podlega umowie sprzedaży ratalnej.

3) Sprzedawca gwarantuje, że podczas gdy niniejszy Samochód był w jego posiadaniu, drogomierz nie został zmodyfikowany lub odłączony oraz, zgodnie z najlepszą wiedzą Sprzedawcy, niniejszy drogomierz pokazuje właściwą ilość mil.

4) Nabywca podejmuje się przesłania dokumentu rejestracji Samochodu do Agencji Prawa Jazdy i Licencji Pojazdów (DVLA) (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency jak szybko to tylko możliwe po podpisaniu niniejszej Umowy, informując DVLA o danych Nabywcy Samochodu.

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6.

7.

8.

9.

WARRANTY

THIS WARRANTY IS EXPRESSLY IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS, EXPRESSED, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

The exclusive remedy under this warranty shall be the repair or replacement of the defective component at the Seller’s option. The Seller reserves the right to require that all applicable failed materials are available and/or returned to the Licensor for review and evaluation.

In no event shall the Seller be liable for special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damage of any kind, including, but not limited to, towing, downtime, lost productivity, cargo damage, taxes, or any other losses or costs resulting from a defective covered component.

This is the entire agreement between the Seller and the Buyer about warranty and no Seller’s employee is authorised to make any additional warranty on behalf of the Seller.

KLAUZULA GWARANCYJNA

NINIEJSZA KLAUZULA GWARANCYJNA W SPOSÓB WYRAŹNY WYŁĄCZA STOSOWANIE WSZELKICH INNYCH WARUNKÓW USTANAWIAJĄCYCH ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚĆ Z TYTUŁU GWARANCJI JAKOŚCI LUB POSTANOWIEŃ UMOWNYCH OKREŚLONYCH, DOROZUMIANYCH LUB USTAWOWYCH, WŁĄCZAJĄC W TO JAKĄKOLWIEK DOROZUMIANĄ ODPOWIEDZIALNOŚĆ Z TYTUŁU GWARANCJI JAKOŚCI NA NADANIE SIĘ DO ZBYCIA ALBO TEŻ NADANIA SIĘ DO CELÓW SZCZEGÓLNYCH.

Jedynym środkiem prawnym przysługującym z tytułu niniejszej klauzuli gwarancyjnej jest prawo do żądania naprawy lub wymiany wadliwego elementu dokonane według opinii Sprzedawcy. Sprzedawca zastrzega sobie prawo do żądania udostępnienia mu lub zwrotu wszelkich stosownych wadliwych materiałów w celu dokonania ich przeglądu i oceny.

W żadnym przypadku Sprzedawca nie będzie odpowiedzialny za wszelakiego rodzaju szkody o charakterze wyjątkowym, ubocznym, pośrednim bądź wtórnym, włączając w to między innymi holowanie, okresy przestoju, obniżenie produktywności, szkody w ładunku, podatki, lub jakiekolwiek inne straty lub koszty spowodowane przez wadliwy element objęty niniejszą klauzulą.

Niniejsza umowa stanowi wyczerpujące i kompletne porozumienie pomiędzy Sprzedawcą i Nabywcą odnośnie odpowiedzialności za wady i żaden z pracowników nie jest upoważniony do składania w imieniu Sprzedawcy oświadczeń odnośnie rozszerzenia zakresu tej odpowiedzialności.

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10.

11.

12.

13.

GOVERNING LAW

The applicable law of this Agreement is English law.

AS WITNESS OF WHICH the parties hereto have signed this Agreement the day and year first written above.

SIGNED by the Seller _________________

SIGNED by the Buyer_________________

SIGNED by a Witness_________________

PRAWO WŁAŚCIWE.

Prawem właściwym niniejszej Umowy jest prawo angielskie.

NA DOWÓD POWYŻSZEGO strony niniejszej umowy podpisały ją w dniu wskazanym w postanowieniach wstępnych.

PODPIS Sprzedawcy_________________

PODPIS Nabywcy___________________

PODPIS Świadka____________________

APPENDIX II: The legal terminology

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Terminology – Employment Contract (ST1)

Source Text Target Text Back Translation Employment contract Umowa o pracę Employment contract /

Agreement contractCommencement Data rozpoczęcia The date of commencementUnder section Na podstawie paragrafu (in accordance to) under

sectionJob title Tytuł służbowy Service titleBase salary Wynagrodzenie zasadnicze Base reward / principal rewardIn the capacity of Na pozycji As / In the position ofBenefits Świadczenia ServicesCompensation Committee Komisja do spraw

wynagrodzeńCompensation Committee /Remuneration Committee

Cafeteria benefits Świadczenia nie pieniężne Non cash benefitsFringe Benefits Tax Podatek od świadczeń

niepieniężnychNon cash benefits tax

Annual Bonus in cash Premia roczna w środkach pieniężnych

Annual Bonus paid by the monetary means

Regular payroll Wypłaty wynagrodzenia zasadniczego

Base salary pay

Witholding taxes Podatek pobierany zaliczkowo Tax taken in advanceNormal hours Podstawowe godziny Basic hours / Standard hoursHolidays Urlop Leave [at work]Remuneration Wynagrodzenie Compensation / Pay /

RemunerationSickness Nieobecność [w pracy] z

powodu chorobySick leave / Sickness absence [at work]

Pension Emerytura Retirement / PensionVoluntary pension contribution

Nieobowiązkowe składki emerytalne

Non mandatory pension contributions

Contracting out certificate Zaświadczenie o odłączeniu się drogą umowy

Contracting out certificate

Under Pension Scheme Act Zgodnie z Ustawą o Systemach Emerytalnych

According to Pension Scheme Act

Termination Wypowiedzenie Termination / PronouncementPayment in lieu Zapłata w miejsce (zamiast) Payment instead ofConfidentiality Zachowanie poufności To preserve / keep

confidentialityNon-competition Zakaz konkurencji Non-competition / Ban on

competitionCustomer / Client Klient ClientGrievance procedure Procedura rozpoznawania

skarg / Postępowanie załatwiania skarg

Grievance recognition procedure / Grievance resolution procedure

Appeal procedure Procedura apelacyjna Appeal procedureNotice Powiadomienie NotificationSeverability Rozdzielna interpretacja Separate interpretation of

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postanowień umowy agreement’s (contract) decisions

Governing law Prawo właściwe The correct law Jurisdiction Jurysdykcja JurisdictionFull force and effect Pełna moc prawna Full legal forceIn witness whereof W dowód powyższego As a proof for the aboveThe term of employment Czas trwania zatrudnienia The employment periodShall be reviewed Będzie przedmiotem analizy It will be the subject of

analysisRecovery of damages Otrzymanie odszkodowania Receipt of damagesInjunction Nakaz sądowy The court orderApply for an injunction Ubieganie się o nakaz sądowy Apply for an court orderHeld to be invalid Uznane za nieważne Assessed as not important

Terminology – Co-habitation Agreement (ST2)

Source Text Target Text Back TranslationCohabitation Agreement Umowa Wspólnego Pożycia Living together without

marriageThis deed of Agreement Niniejszy akt prawny Umowy This deed of Contract Taking into consideration that Zważywszy, że WhereasTrust Powiernictwo, zarząd

powierniczyTrust / Zarząd Powierniczy

Ownership of the home Prawo własności domu The right to the house ownership

Division of proceeds Podział dochodu Division of incomeTenants in common in equal shares

Współwłaściciele Domu (tenants in common)w którym posiadają ten sam udział interesu beneficyjnego

Co-owners of the Home (tenants in common) in which they have the same share of the beneficial interest.

Building Society Oszczędnościowa Kasa Budowlana

Building Society Saving [in the UK]

Television licence Abonament telewizyjny (Paid) subscription for Television

Unmarried partners Współżyjący bez ślubu Cohabiting without marriageSigned as a deed Podpisano jako dokument

prawnySigned as a legal document

Beneficial interest Interes beneficyjny Beneficial interestAccumulation of equity

Akumulacja środków własnych

Accumulation of own means (financial)

Terminology – Tenancy Agreement (ST3)

Source Text Target Text Back TranslationAssured Shorthold Tenancy Umowa Najmu

Zabezpieczająca Prawo Własności Właściciela

Tenancy Agreement assuring the ownership rights of the owner / landlord to his/her

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(Assured Shorthold Tenancy) property.Tenancy Agreement Umowa Najmu [Lokalu] Rent of accommodation

Agreement / Lease Agreement [refers only to properties]

Rental Agreement Umowa Czynszowa Residential Rent Agreement

Tenant Lokator, najemca TenantLet Wynająć/mować Let, rentRent Wynająć/mować, Najmować

(Brać w wynajem)Rent, lease

Term Okres, Termin Period, termTerms Warunki Conditions, terms Terms and Conditions Warunki i Postanowienia

UmowneTerms and Conditions of the Agreement

is intended to create ma na celu ustanowienie aims at establishing(conditions) whereby (warunków) na podstawie

których(conditions) based on which

Hereby Na mocy niniejszej Umowy Based on the AgreementHousing Act 1988 Ustawa o Gospodarce

Mieszkaniowej 1988Housing Act 1988 (in the UK)

Provision Zapewnienie Assurance, provisionThe Tenant understands Niniejszy Lokator potwierdza The Tenant confirmsat the end of the Term po zakończeniu niniejszego

Terminu.After the end of the Term

Council Tax Podatek miejski Town/City Tax (in the UK)To yield up Zwrócić ReturnConsent not to be withheld unreasonably

Brak zgody powinien być uzasadniony

Refusal should be justified

Property Nieruchomość, mienie Immovable, real estate, property

Use all reasonable efforts Należycie postarać się Try appropriately [wellReasonable costs Stosowne [uzasadnione]

kosztaRelevant [appropriate / reasonable] costs

Unreasonable interruption Nieuzasadniona przeszkoda

Interruption that does not have an explanation

Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 Ustawy o Warunkach Dzierżawy 1987

Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 (in the UK)

Address first above stated. Adres podany w postanowieniach wstępnych

Address stated in the provisions at the beginning [of the Agreement]

Stamp duty Opłata stemplowa Stamp duty

Terminology – Guarantee Agreement (ST4)

Source Text Target Text Back TranslationGuarantee Agreement Umowa Gwarantująca Zapłatę Payment Guarantee

Agreement [type of Guarantee must be defined]

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Inducement for the Creditor Poręczenie dla Wierzyciela Inducement for the CreditorFrom time to time W każdym momencie At any time [Differently worded

but the same division of time and space]

It is hereby agreed Niniejszym uzgadnia się It is agreedThis guarantee is unlimited as to amount or duration

Niniejsza gwarancja zapłaty nie jest ograniczona w stosunku do wysokości bądź okresu trwania

This payment guarantee is unlimited as to amount or duration

The said indebtedness Rzekome zadłużenie The said indebtednessGuarantor waives all rights Gwarant zrzeka się wszelkich

prawGuarantor waives all rights

Subrogation Subrogacja Subrogation The Guarantor guarantee and represents it has full authority to enter into this guarantee

Gwarant zapewnia, że jest w pełni uprawniony do zawarcia niniejszej gwarancji

The Guarantor reassures that s/he has full authority to enter into this guarantee

Shall be binding Obowiązuje Is valid, is bindingInure to the benefit of the parties

Stanowi korzyść na rzecz stron

It is of benefit to parties

Assignee Cesjonariusz Assignee, cessionarySigned by or on behalf of the Guarantor

Podpisane przez bądź w imieniu Gwaranta

Signed by or on behalf of the Guarantor

Terminology – Agreement for the sale of a vehicle (ST5)

Source Text Target Text Back TranslationIn consideration of the sum W zamian za sumę In exchange of the sumThe Seller warrants to the Buyer

Sprzedawca gwarantuje Nabywcy

The Seller guarantees to the Purchaser

Clear of all liens and encumbrances

Nie jest zastawiony i jest wolny od obciążeń

Clear of all liens and encumbrances

The Vehicle is not the subject of a hire purchase agreement

Niniejszy Samochód nie podlega umowie sprzedaży ratalnej

The Vehicle is not subjected to purchase agreement providing payment by instalments

DVLA Agencja Prawa Jazdy i Licencji Pojazdów w Wielkiej Brytanii

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in the United Kingdom

As witness of which Na dowód powyższego As a proof of the aboveThe parties hereto Strony niniejszej umowy Parties to this Agreement

APPENDIX III: The survey with results

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1. Do you translate legal contracts that can be used in the court of law?

Yes 100%* (57)** No

2. Do you have a legal training (education, personal research, background or/and experience etc.)?

Yes 59% (33) No 41% (24)

3. If yes, what legal system have you received your training at?

Polish law 76% (25 from 33) English law 15% (5) Both, Polish and English law 9% (3)

4. Based on your experience, how important is the legal training in translation the contracts?

Necessary 67% (38) Beneficial, but not necessary 33% (19) Not necessary -

5. Could you provide reasons (if any) for legal training that would support translation of contracts?

6. Do employers/clients enquire about your legal training when requesting translation of contracts?

If yes, could you detail what is required/asked for?

7. How do you tend to resolve problems of legal terminological incogruencies in contracts (choose one or more)?

Functional equivalents 100% (57) Neologisms 9% (5) Descriptive paraphrases 95% (54) Neutral terms sometimes accompanied by definition for additional clarification or

original term in brackets 98% (56) Annotations 35% (20) Borrowings 33% (19) Naturalisations 11% (6) Literal equivalents 23% (13) Other:

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8. How often do you believe that it is possible for the translated contracts to have the same legal effect as the original?

100% 49% (28) 86% - 99% 47% (27) 71% - 85% 4% (2) 56% - 70% - 45% - 55% - 21% - 44% - 0% - 20% -

Your further comments would be greatly appreciated:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.

* Percentage of all voters.** Number of voters out of total of 57.

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APPENDIX IV: Translation of the Polish Court Translator Code published by the Polish Society of Sworn and Specialised Translators TEPIS.

The text below is my translation of the Polish Court Translator Code published by the Polish Society of Sworn and Specialised Translators TEPIS. The original Polish version is available on http://www.tepis.org.pl/biuletyn/40/tepis.htm

THE POLISH COURT TRANSLATOR CODE

Respecting the rules of:

The Translator’s Code of the International Federation of Translators FIT;

UNESCO requirements regarding the protection of the translators and translations

rights and practical means to improve the translators’ status;

The professional code of the International Association of Conference Interpreters

AIIC;

Cooperation with the management of the Sworn Translators’ section of the Polish

Translators Association;

The art of legal translation and the opinions of the recognised authorities of Polish

translation studies;

Polish law regulating the Sworn Translators;

The statue of the Polish Society of Sworn and Specialised Translators TEPIS,

As a result of the meeting hold on the 7th June 1991 the Principal Council of the Polish

Society of Sworn and Specialised Translators TEPIS, in force of its Statue’s section 2

paragraphs 1 and 2 agreed the Polish Court Translation Code provided underneath.

ARTICLE II

TRANSLATING RULES FOR DOCUMENTS TRANSLATION

§ 22. The document is by the rules of the Code a text that is potentially a subject to

domestic and foreign legal turnover as well as the conveyer on which it was

recorded.

§ 23. The translation of the document must be faithful.

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§ 24. Faithful translation of a document is based on transferring the meaning of the

source text into the target language following the rules of the art of legal

translation.

§ 25. The rules of the art of legal translation are defined by appointed for this purpose

international and domestic regulating bodies also inclusive of the Council of

Translators TEPIS, based on the opinions of recognised authorities of translation

studies.

§ 26. The fundamental rules of the art of legal translation require:

1. The use of one target language in the entire document’s translation, i.e. the

language of the chosen country or one of the countries within the language

zone, with other language inclusions if this was the original’s author intention;

2. The use of phraseology and terminology that is appropriate to the relevant

legal, specialized or other sublanguage of the chosen target language

assuming that the target reader of the translation has basic specialised

knowledge in the target language;

3. The use of one equivalent for description of the same concept within the entire

translation;

4. The use of different equivalents for varied concepts in the same translation;

5. Give priority of use to the terminology recommended by the international and

domestic regulating bodies;

6. The use of appropriate equivalents in the target language that the best convey

the meaning of specialised concepts of the source language culture;

7. If there is no target language equivalent that conveys the same meaning or in

case of absence of such equivalent in the regulating bodies recommendation,

the use of:

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1. borrowing from the source language with explanation if the borrowing

had not been previously naturalised in the target language,

2. linguistic calque with explanation if the calque had not been

previously naturalised in the target language,

3. paraphrasing equivalent that refers to similar concept of a universal character,

4. paraphrasing equivalent that refers to similar concept known in the

target language culture,

5. translator’s notes explaining the chosen equivalent;

8. To transfer in the target language the culture of the source language text;

9. Based on the abilities of the translator and the need of the reader, maintain in

the target language features characteristic to the epoch the source language

document was created in;

10. The use of all translating methods that lead to the optimal equivalence of the

translation and its adequacy to the function given and thus depending on

requirements such as:

1. literal translation of the least contextualised lexical elements i.e. if the

linguistic, cultural and situational contexts are not much relevant or if

the relevance is similar in the source and target languages and relates

to the grammatical structures, if such structures exist in the target

language,

2. literal translation i.e. verbatim translation of the lexical elements, such

as in the subparagraph 10.1, without retaining the grammatical

structures of the source language, if similar structures do not exist in

the target language or if their retention would negatively reflect upon

the translation,

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3. transpositional translation of the text elements that exclude literal

translation i.e. replacement in the target text elements of the source

text such as: phraseological expressions, idioms, proverbs, situational

sayings, slang and others that literal translation would not make sense,

by different lexical and grammatical structural elements but of the

same or similar meaning and function in the target language;

11. The use of formal and legal rules defined by the Code’s regulations;

12. The use of the fundamental translating documents rules also for interpreting in

courts and in the Civil Service.

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Polish

Documents

Transcript of Polish