Handakte WebLAWg reports that there is a portal for legal terminology and translation matters on the Saarbrücken JIPS website.

The portal is an initiative of three professors (for law and IT, translation of Romance languages, and Russian) and Karl-Heinz Freigang, well known to translators in Germany for his work and seminars on computer-aided translation.

There are already a lot of links. I found a reference to a book I don’t know, Wolfram Aigner (University of Linz) Einführung in die englische Rechtssprache, but it is badly let down by the second part of its title: introduction into legal English.

bq. 15 wichtige Bereiche des Rechts- und Wirtschaftslebens wie zB betreffend das Recht allgemein, öffentliches Recht, Privat-, Straf-, Verfahrens-, Handels-, Vertragsrecht bis hin zum Versicherungs- und Steuerrecht werden behandelt.
Original englischsprachige Texte führen den Leser/die Leserin rasch in den jeweiligen Themenbereich ein und ermöglichen ihm/ihr auf dem jeweiligen Fachgebiet als kompetente/r Gesprächspartner/in in englischer Sprache aufzutreten.
Zur leichteren Lesbarkeit des Textteiles werden unmittelbar anschließend seltener vorkommende Worte bzw. Fachausdrücke ins Deutsche übersetzt. Am Ende eines jeden Kapitels findet sich ein umfangreiches Verzeichnis zum Themenbereich gehöriger Termini bzw. einschlägige Redewendungen und Phrasen.
Der Anhang enthält ua ein Glossar in dem eine Reihe spezifischer Fachausdrücke aus dem anglo-amerikanischen Rechtsbereich erklärt werden, sowie unter der Überschrift “Key Words” eine umfangreiche Auflistung und Übersetzung ins Englische wichtiger Begriffe aus Recht und Wirtschaft.
1. Auflage 2003
250 Seiten, 17 x 24 cm, broschiert,
ISBN 3-85487-457-X
SBNr. 115.472

I’m curious about it, but it is obviously just a collection of texts milked for vocabulary, and the quality of the two-languages glossary is anyone’s guess. The editor’s name is German, and perhaps the English part of the title was her idea.

I am also a bit personally miffed as they have a reference to an article in the MDÜ about legal terminology which was full of errors, by someone with no knowledge of law, and should never have appeared.

Richard Schneider, in the Nachrichtenportal, reported (in German) on January 24th about slow court proceedings in Südtirol /Trentino-Alto Adige.

Dr. Karl Zeller, an Italian MP, complained at the beginning of the legal year:

bq. „Das Gericht in Bozen ist eine der wenigen Institutionen in Südtirol, die nicht funktionieren.“ Um die Verfahren zu beschleunigen, sei einerseits mehr Justizpersonal erforderlich, aber andererseits müsse auch Schluss mit dem „Luxus“ sein, jedes einzelne Aktenstück zu übersetzen. Das solle nur noch für Urteile und richterliche Anordnungen gelten. Wer eine Übersetzung anderer Schriftstücke wünsche, müsse diese selbst anfordern – auf eigene Kosten.

bq. (The court in Bolzano does not work well. To accelerate proceedings, more personnel are needed, and we must also put an end to the luxury of translating every single document on the file. Only judgments and judicial orders should be translated. Anyone who wants another document translated should have to request this and pay for it).

Italian and German have equal rights in the area (see website of chamber of lawyers (in German or Italian)).

bq. Der Bürger, welcher einer Straftat beschuldigt wird, ist berechtigt, sich bei der Einvernehmung seiner Sprache zu bedienen. Wer als Zeuge in einem Gerichtsverfahren vorgeladen wird, kann seine Aussagen in der Muttersprache tätigen, auch wenn diese nicht der Verfahrenssprache entspricht. Auch im Zivilverfahren besteht die Möglichkeit der freien Sprachwahl.

(See earlier entry on the proceedings about Ötzi / the Iceman)

Those charged with a criminal offence may use their own language when examined ( bei der Einvernehmung – an Austrian term). Witnesses may speak their own language even if that is not the language of the proceedings. There is a right to free choice of language in civil proceedings too.

All I know about court dress in Germany is that I’ve seen a lawyer who had not yet put his gown on in the Landgericht (higher court of first instance) treated as if he were not there, which reminded me of the English custom where the judge says in reply to the improperly dressed lawyer, ‘I can’t hear you, Mr X’. There aren’t any robing rooms in German courts as far as I know.

Udo’s law blog today comments on the Mannesmann trial that the lawyers should traditionally be wearing white ties, but they aren’t. Here’s an English summary:

bq. Traditionally, a white tie is worn by defence counsel in the courtroom. (Photo of Sven Thomas, Klaus Esser’s lawyer, wearing a yellow tie). A journalist who was in the courtroom confirmed to me that the other lawyers almost without exception are wearing coloured ties. I usually wear a white tie on the first day of the trial if I don’t know how tolerant the court is. Afterwards I wear a coloured tie if I have the feeling that there are any objections – because if there are, it would not be in my client’s interest.

In the comments, there is one by Udo Steger, who reports on his experience as a trainee:

bq. Basic rule: the older the judge(s), the more formal the dress. The higher the court, the more formal the dress.
Amtsgericht (local court): usually doesn’t matter unless it is a pullover and jeans; older judges prefer to see a gown. No trainers.
Landgericht (regional court): dark suit, white/blue shirt, discreet tie, almost all judges insist on the gown. Shoes with leather soles.
Oberlandesgericht (higher regional court and above): Black suit, white shirt, white tie, black shoes with leather sole
Arbeitsgericht (labour court, like industrial tribunal): Slightly, but only slightly, better dressed than the union secretary.

Udo Vetter adds a few details:

bq. The white tie is/was only in criminal matters, Landgericht and above, and at higher courts (Oberlandesgericht, Bundesgerichtshof/Federal Court of Justice).
In civil matters, to say nothing of the Arbeitsgericht, no-one takes any notice.
Gown is mandatory everywhere except at the Amtsgericht.
White tie is OK, but outside court you feel as if you were in fancy dress.

In England, barristers carry their stuff around in a cloth bag with a tin for the wig. You might see them walking from the Law Courts in London to their chambers in court dress, but they will normally remove the party gear before leaving court.

I expect Adrian will tell me how far barristers are obliged to wear black suits, or often black jackets with pinstriped trousers (if male).

Earlier entries about court dress in Germany and England.

Languagehat reports the following correction from the International Herald Tribune, printed in this week’s New Yorker:

bq. Because of a translation error, an article in some editions Thursday misquoted Monica Frassoni, a member of the European Parliament, as comparing Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, to Attila the Hun. Frassoni, who represents a Belgian constituency but who spoke in Italian, said Berlusconi had arrived “alla guida dell’unione.” This was translated as “at the tiller of the union” which was misheard as “Attila.”

It looks as if the original IHT article is an old one, reporting the European Parliament session in July 2003 when Berlusconi implied that a German MEP was a Nazi. So the Thursday in question was Thursday, July 3rd. Presumably it is only the New Yorker report that is recent.

Bikes outside the station.

A new German phone box.

Metal and glass banks.

A Litfaßsäule (advertisement pillar).