The challenges of translation at the special tribunal for Lebanon : analysis of the terminology and the syntax of the legal text

Abstract

This thesis revolves around translation of court filings from English into Arabic at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). In this thesis, we explore the characteristics of the legal discourse, legal English and legal Arabic and the legal systems they belong to. During the process of translation at the STL, the translator faces many constraints when it comes to the terminology and the syntax used. In this scope, the study of these two fields at the STL in particular is a must. In order to perform a good translation, the translator relies on different theories and procedures to accomplish the task, from Nidas equivalence and techniques of adjustment to Vinays and Darbelnets 7 procedures. Then we will present 18 English documents along with their Arabic translation. These 18 documents are thoroughly analyzed in an attempt to determine the most used theories and techniques at the STL.