German Civil Code translation into English/BGB ins Englische übersetzt

LAWgical reports that the German Civil Code is being translated into English, to appear online. All 5 books are to be translated into British English by autumn 2005 and appear online as part of the German Federal Ministry of Justice‘s statutes online.

In this connection I would like to note that the Ministry of Justice did have an English part of its site, and it published translations of some statutes there, for instance the Criminal Code. It then revamped its website and at present has for some time had no English links.

What has happened to the English materials there? I did at one time get hold of their English version of the large map of the courts system. It was necessary to know the filename, and then a Google site search revealed that the stuff was still online. I have a feeling it was a different site address, though. Maybe the Wayback Machine would help.

Yes, yes – go to www.bmj.bund.de and do a Google site search for “criminal” (just add site:www.bmj.bund.de – or the Google toolbar for Mozilla has a site search icon). Not all those hits are English texts, but some are.

Anyone wanting a translation of the Civil Code now could do worse than get hold of a second-hand edition of Goren’s version (1994) and look at the German Law Archive version (click on German Law of Obligations), where the whole of the new parts of the Civil Code, Law of Obligations, have been online for quite some time now – an admirable initiative.

What’s missing, for instance, is the new material on the electronic Register of Associations in § 79.

LATER NOTE: Damian Brandt, in the comments, points out that the 1994 Goren is still available from the original publisher. I have heard three people say they can’t get it, so I assume it isn’t in other catalogues. Of course, you need to know that there have been huge amendments, especially to Book 2, since 1992 (the date of theGerman Civil Code version published in translation in 1994).
At all events, it does appear to be available from the publisher for §130:
http://www.wshein.com/Catalog/Gut.asp?TitleNo=314070

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