Sandro Nielsen Aarhus University Business and Social Sciences Centre for Lexicography.

EFL Text Production Dictionaries for Law Students

Sandro NielsenAarhus University

Business and Social SciencesCentre for Lexicography

Sandro Nielsen, 8 April 2011

Point of departureDiscussion of the theoretical foundation of online

dictionaries on the basis of:

The Danish-English CISG DictionaryUN Convention on the International Sale of GoodsDanish-English dictionarySub-field dictionaryDanish law studentsWriting legal texts in English as a foreign language


The concept of dictionaryOnline dictionaries are complex tools:

Surface featuresThose features that are visible to users in the

two-dimensional space, i.e. on the screen

Underlying featuresThose features that form the theoretical basis

of dictionaries and that are not immediately visible to users


Underlying featuresDictionaries have at least three underlying

features:

they have been designed to fulfill one or more functions;

they contain data that have been selected because they help to fulfill their function(s);

they have structures that marshal the data into the task of fulfilling the relevant function(s).


The primacy of functions

A lexicographical function is ‘the satisfaction of the specific types of lexicographically relevant needs that may arise in a specific type of potential user in a specific type of extra-lexicographical situation.’(Bergenholtz and Tarp 2010: 30)

Communicative functions provide help in ongoing or planned communicative situations

Cognitive functions provide help if people want to acquire knowledge about factual or linguistic matters


The EFL production dictionary

EFL production dictionaries for law students are information tools which, through their surface and underlying features, provide help to law students who produce texts pertaining to the field of law in English as a foreign language.


Stages in EFL text production

Three stages:a planning, an execution and a finalisation

stage

Writing, editing and revising:macro-level: concerns the relationship between

paragraphs and larger units of text micro-level: concerns words, collocations,

phrases, sentences, and textual conventions


User profilingDanish law students:

Master the Danish language at a high levelMaster English as a foreign language at a medium levelExperience in producing legal texts in English at a low levelGeneral cultural and factual knowledge at a medium levelMaster the subject field of Danish law at a low levelMaster the subject field of English law at a low level (or nil)Master Danish legal language at a low levelMaster English legal language at a low level


Producing EFL textsWriters think exclusively in native language and

translate into foreign language

Writers think partly in native language and translate into foreign language, think partly in foreign language and write directly in foreign language

Writers think in foreign language and write exclusively in foreign language


Surface featuresHomepage

Welcome text

Search page – entry word

Advanced search – strings of words

List of all entry words

User guide

Links to relevant texts


Data fields: lemma + equivalent

Danish lemmaGrammar note - Danish lemmaWord class indication - Danish lemmaMeaning discrimination – Danish lemmaEnglish equivalentGrammar note – English equivalentContrastive note – Danish lemma and English

equivalent


Data fields: strings of words

Danish collocationsEnglish translations of Danish collocations

Danish short phrasesEnglish translations of Danish short phrases

Danish long phrasesEnglish translations of Danish long phrases


Basis for data selection

The selection of data in online production dictionaries should be based on the concept of relevance.

Relevance is defined as the quality of being directly connected with the subject field in question, the production function of the dictionary, and the production situation in which the dictionary is intended to be used.


Search option 1: Show all

Dansk Engelsk Faglig markering Detaljer

accept acceptance Klik her

acceptere accept Klik her

acceptfrist period for acceptance

Klik her

acceptmeddelelse

notice of acceptance

Klik her

adfærd conduct Klik her

adgang opportunity mulighed Klik her

adgang right rettighed Klik her

Meaning discrimination

Click here


Full article

adgang rightDiscrimination: rettighed Date: 16-06-2003

Note:

Collocations adgang til at modregne: right to set-off; adgang til modregning: right of set-off;

Short phrases miste adgangen til at hæve købet: lose the right to declare the contract avoided;

Long phrases køber mister adgangen til at påberåbe sig manglen ved varen: the buyer loses his right to rely on a lack of conformity of the goods;


Search option 2: headword

Search for headword

Danish > EnglishType Danish word and click search sælger

search


Search headword: example

Search result

Dansk Engelsk Faglig markering

Detaljer

genussælger seller of generic goods Klik her

speciessælger seller of specific goods Klik her

sælger seller Klik her


Search option 3: advancedAdvanced search

Search collocations

Type Danish word and click search

Search short phrases


Search long phrases


ejendomsret

search

search

seach


Advanced search: example

Search result

(Search in short phrases + search word: ejendomsret)

Dansk Engelsk Hele opslag

ejendomsretten til den solgte vare

the property in the goods sold

Klik her

ejendomsretten til den solgte vare

the property in the goods sold

Klik her

ejendomsretten til varen the property in the goods Klik her

forbeholde sig ejendomsretten

reserve (the) property Klik her

overdrage ejendomsretten til varen

transfer the property in the goods

Klik her

Whole entry


Note on grammar

Danish plural:leveringsbetingelser

leveringsbetingelse term of deliveryplural = terms of delivery


Note on grammar

retsmiddel remedyplural = remedies

rente interest’interest’ is always singular

sælge sellpast tense = sold


Contrastive note

debitormora failure in the performance of an obligation

Note: English (UK) and American (US) law have no direct equivalent to the Danish concept. The expression ’failure in the performance of an obligation’ is a suggested translation covering the meaning of the Danish term ’debitormora’.

lov act; statuteNote: The term ’act’ is always used to refer to a specific enactment, while the term ’statute’ is used in general contexts. In titles and references to a specific enactment a capital initial letter is used: Act.


Contrastive noteerstatning damages

’damages’ is always plural

Note: Unlike the Danish term ’erstatning’, the English term ’damages’ is always plural. In US English the term ’damages’ is occassionally used in the meaning ’harm’ [’damage’], which is not correct in UK English.

sagsøger claimantDiscrimination: litigation UK

Note: The international literature has a tendency to use the US term ’plaintiff’ unless reference is made to specific UK contexts. Sometimes it is more appropriate to translate ’sagsøger’ into ’seller’ if the party is a seller or ’buyer’ if the party is a buyer and the context does not require the specification of the role ’sagsøger’.


Possible extensionsFor users who write through their native language:

Search: in Danish dataOn-screen presentation: Danish + English data as

well as Danish meta data

For users who write directly in the foreign language:Search: in English dataOn-screen presentation: English data as well as

Danish meta data

Sandro Nielsen Aarhus University Business and Social Sciences Centre for Lexicography.

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