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Traducción jurídica y económica 2 (inglés) | 2020

READING GUIDE # 1

STAGE 1 - AN ANALYSIS OF GENERIC FEATURES

READING ASSIGNMENT: Alcaraz Varó & Hughes. Legal Translation Explained. St. Jerome Publishing:
Manchester, 2002. Pp. 126-133.

1- Alcaraz Varó and Hughes (2002: 125) posit that in contracts ‘flexibility is seen in content
rather than in form’. What do the authors mean?
2- Read Alcaraz Varó and Hughes (2002: 127-132) and briefly summarise the distinctive
macrostructural features that characterise the contract as a genre.

TITLE XXX AGREEMENT / CONTRACT

The introductory material in a contract conventionally appears in

a paragraph and it identifies the following:
COMMENCEMENT / PREMISES à ü ___________________________________________________________________________
ü ___________________________________________________________________________
ü ___________________________________________________________________________

[WITNESSETH]

This section includes some background details and information, such as:
RECITALS / PREAMBLE à ü _______________________________________________________________
ü _______________________________________________________________
ü _______________________________________________________________
The clauses are introduced by “____________________”.

This section includes _______________________________________

_________________________________________________.
OPERATIVE PROVISIONS à It is normally introduced by “NOW THEREFORE…” and a _________
verb (such as, _________).
We can find two types of clauses in this section, namely:
• OPERATIVE CLAUSES
• BOILERPLATE CLAUSES (such as, _________________,
__________________ or _________________________).

TESTIMONIUM CLAUSE SIGNATURES

ü _____________________
EXECUTION à Introduced by + ü _____________________
“____________________” ü _____________________

SCHEDULES, ______________, ______________ OR ______________ à

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Traducción jurídica y económica 2 (inglés) | 2020

3- Identify the features mentioned above in the document called ‘AN EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT’
(González Ruiz, pp. 153-158).

4- What is the difference between ‘operative’ and ‘boilerplate’ clauses? Find two examples
for each of them in ‘AN EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT’1 (González Ruiz, pp. 153-158).

Type of clause OPERATIVE BOILERPLATE

Definition / Description

Examples
(from the ‘Employment
Agreement’)

5- According to Alcaraz Varó and Hughes (2002), why do contracts provide definitions of key
terms? Where do we find them? How do we as readers identify ‘defined terms’?

6- In section “4. Termination of employment”, subsection “b. Cause”, there is a defined term.
What kind of definition is it? Explain.

STAGE 2: AN ANALYSIS OF SOME LEXICO-GRAMMATICAL FEATURES

READING ASSIGNMENTS:
Adams, Kenneth. “Translating English language contracts”. In: ITI Bulletin, October 2004. Pp. 17-19.
Mayoral Asensio, Roberto. Translating Official Documents. St. Jerome Publishing: Manchester, 2003. Pp. 96-
110.
Murias, Santiago. “Algunas nociones sobre consideration”. En: Revista del Colegio de Traductores Públicos de
la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, N 119, año 2013. Pp.12-15.

7- Mellinkoff (1963) posits that ‘the language of law retains numerous Old and Middle English
words and meanings which have long since passed out of general usage.’
a) What does the word WITNESSETH mean? What does Adams (2004) suggest doing
with such heading?
b) Why are ‘recitals of consideration’ introduced by ‘WHEREAS’?
c) What does Adams (2004) explain about the lead-in ‘NOW, THEREFORE, in
consideration of the premises…’? What does ‘premises’ in such context refer to?

1
This document is available online: Aulasweb > Parte Práctica > Unidad temática 1 > Documentos de trabajo.

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Traducción jurídica y económica 2 (inglés) | 2020
d) Drawing on what Murias (2013) introduces in his article regarding the notion of
consideration, analyse the two instances of the word in the example provided by
Adams and translate the extract.
Recitals (Adams, 2004, 17) Your translation
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the premises and the mutual covenants set
forth herein and for other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and sufficiency
of which are hereby acknowledged, the
parties hereto covenant and agree as
follows: (…)

8- a) Read the section on ‘shall’ from Adams (2004) and complete the diagram.

To express future time

SHALL
Modal meaning
‘_______________’

To express future time

WILL
Modal meaning
‘______________’

b) Adams mentions three contexts in which shall2 is sometimes inappropriately used,

namely:

Ó ________________________________________________________________
Ó ________________________________________________________________
Ó ________________________________________________________________

c) Read the sentences below (taken from ‘AN EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT’) and decide if the
following instances of shall are appropriately or inappropriately used in each case. Justify
Appropriately Inappropriately
used used Why?
TERM. The employment of Executive under
this Agreement [1] shall commence on June
12, 2000 and [2] shall continue through
March 31, 2003 (the “Term”), subject to the
terms and provisions of this Agreement.

2
For further information on the topic, read: Child, Barbara (1992) Drafting legal documents. West: St. Paul.
Pp. 204-206. [Aulasweb: Bibliografía teórica > Lengua y traducción > “drafting legal documents”]

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The term [3] shall be automatically renewed
from year to year unless each party [4] shall
give the other written notice at least (30)
days prior to the end of (…).
POSITION AND DUTIES. Executive [5] shall
remain in his present position as President of
Finance and Administration, continuing with
his current responsibilities (…). The
Company agrees that on or before July 1,
2001, Executive [6] shall be appointed Chief
Operating Officer of the Company (…).
COMPENSATION.
(a) Base Salary. Executive’s base salary (the
“Base Salary” [7] shall be at a rate of
$650,000 per annum for the period June 12,
2000 through March 31, 2001.
(…)
(d) Expense Reimbursement. The Company
[8] shall reimburse Executive for the ordinary
and necessary expenses incurred by him in
the performance of his duties (…).
CONSEQUENCES OF TERMINATION OF
BREACH. Death: If Executive’s employment
under this Agreement is terminated under
Section 4(a)(i) or 4(b), or Executive
terminates his employment for any reason
other than for “Good Reason” (as defined
below), Executive [9] shall not be entitled to
receive any compensation or benefits under
this Agreement (…).
(…) For the purposes of this Agreement,
“Good Reason” means a material breach by
the Company of its obligations under this
Agreement, which [10] shall include, without
limitation, the Company’s failure to appoint
Executive Chief Operating Officer.
CERTAIN COVENANTS AND
REPRESENTATIONS. (C) Remedy for Breach
and Modification. (…) If any provision of this
Sections 6 is deemed invalid or
unenforceable, such provision [11] shall be
deemed modified and limited to the extent
necessary to make it valid and enforceable.
MISCELLANEOUS. (…) (g) Captions. The
captions in this Agreement are for
convenience of reference only and [12] shall

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Traducción jurídica y económica 2 (inglés) | 2020
not be given any effect in the interpretation
of the Agreement.
(…)
(i) Arbitration. (…) The arbitration [13] shall
be before a neutral arbitrator in accordance
with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the
American Arbitrations Associations and take
place in New York City. Each party [14] shall
bear its own fees, costs and disbursements
in such proceeding.

9- a) What is a proviso3? Following Adams (2004), what is the confusion that normally arises
when provided in used? Compare the origin of the provided that with the everyday use of
provided.
b) In ‘AN EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT’ provided is used twice: are they provisos or are they
instances of the conjunction provided? Justify. How would you translate them?

CONJUNCTION
PROVISO
PROVIDED
MISCELLANEOUS. (e) Assignment. (…) This Agreement
shall not be assignable by Executive and shall be assignable
by the Company only to its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates or
divisions, [1] provided that any assignment by the Company
shall not, without written consent of Executive, relieve the
Company of its obligations hereunder. (…)
(i) Arbitration. Any dispute or claim between the parties
hereto arising out of, or, in connection with this Agreement,
shall, upon written request of either party, become a matter
for arbitration, [2] provided, however, Executive
acknowledges that in the event of any violation of Section 6
hereof, the Company shall be entitled to obtain from any
court in the State of New York, temporary, preliminary or
permanent injunctive relief as well as damages, which rights
shall be in addition to any other rights or remedies to which
it may be entitled.

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For further information on the topic, read: Chiesa, Ricardo. “The double life of Provided that and a Legal
Translator’s Key to Each”. En: Intercambios, Revista de la ATA, Volume 13, Issue 4, Fall 2009, pp. 11-
14. [Aulasweb: Material para clases teórico-prácticas > Contratos > “the double life of provided that”]

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Traducción jurídica y económica 2 (inglés) | 2020

STAGE 3 – SOME PROBLEMS WE MAY BE FACED WITH WHEN TRANSLATING CONTRACTS

10- Mayoral Asensio (2003) describes some common problems we may encounter when
translating agreements. Use the outline below to briefly summarise what the author suggests
doing with in each of the cases:

a) Lists (p. 98)

b) Formulas (p. 98)

c) Short denominations (p. 106)

d) Establishing place (p.107)

e) Special meanings of some particles, words and phrases (pp. 107-108)

• From time to time à _________________________________________________

• Confirm à _________________________________________________________
• Understand à ______________________________________________________

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Traducción jurídica y económica 2 (inglés) | 2020
f) Sections and references (p. 109)

STAGE 4 – TRANSLATION TASK

A client has contacted you to translate some provisions from an Employment Agreement
because he needs to discuss them with some of his colleagues over a conference meeting.
He has not asked you to prepare a “sworn” translation.

FIRST ASSIGNMENT
• Provisions to be translated > From ‘An Employment Agreement’ to ‘3.
COMPENSATION. (e) Taxes. (…) and to related reporting requirements.’
• Deadline: Friday 10th April

SECOND ASSIGNMENT
• Provisions to be translated > From ‘4. TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT’ to ‘6.
CERTAIN COVENANTS AND REPRESENTATIONS. (c) Remedy for Breach and
Modification. (…) and limited to the extent necessary to make it valid and
enforceable.’
• Deadline: Friday 17th April