A glossary of terms related to the law of property and to the law of contracts and obligations

Abstract

Having standardised glossaries has always been an essential tool in the fields of translation and terminology. There are various reasons why glossaries are beneficial to the translator, namely to avoid ambiguity, to enhance consistency among terms and their respective definitions, and to reduce time and costs of translating the documents in question. During the course of my translation studies as well as in the course of my profession as a lawyer, I have come to realise the need of having a collection of glossaries related to Law. Legal terminologies are universal in the legal sphere. It is the language with which individuals in the juridical system communicate with, pass their judgments in, and the language which legal professionals draft legal documents in and present their clients’ cases before a court of law. However, this language is not only limited to judges, magistrates, lawyers, notaries, legal procurators and law enforcement officials but it is also important to people who come into contact with the legal jargon in their work as well as in the day to day life. Law is one of the fundamental pillars upon which society is built and finds its way in the course of our daily lives. One of the primary principles in the legal sphere is that people living in a society have the right to access the law and the duty to know the law as ignorance of the law is no excuse. Any person found to have been unaware of the contents of a particular law may not escape liability for the violation of a law. On the other hand, the wording of the law itself can be complex to read and understand with its elaborate sentences and use of technical terminology and concepts which people not versed in law may find unfamiliar. Thus, it is for these reasons that the compilation of legal glossaries is necessary. Law governs a wide array of fields both public and private domains with criminal law and civil law being the two most fundamental. The researcher has decided to compile a list of terms related to the latter. Civil law is that branch of law which is concerned with governing private matters between members of a community and is codified into a primary source of law, known as the Civil Code. Ultimately, the researcher shall be concerning herself with compiling terms related to the law of property and the law of contracts and obligations.