Linguistics and Languages

Syntactic Complexity in Legal Translated Texts and the Use of Plain English: A Corpus-Based Study

X. Lin, M. Afzaal, et al.

Explore the linguistic challenges in legal translations! This groundbreaking study by Xiaowen Lin, Muhammad Afzaal, and Hessah Saleh Aldayel demonstrates how plain English can enhance legal communication by reducing complexity in translated texts compared to native legal writing.

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Playback language: English

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Abstract

This study compared the linguistic difficulty of legal translated texts with the syntactic complexity of native English legal writings. It used features of syntactic complexity to show that translated texts are less complicated than their originals, demonstrating how plain English translation can improve legal communication. The findings from legal translations in three regions reveal patterns consistent with previous research, showing that complex structures increase cognitive processing demands. The study is the first large-scale quantitative analysis of legal jargon accessibility, emphasizing the effectiveness of plain-language initiatives in legal translations.

Publisher

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Published On

Jan 16, 2023

Authors

Xiaowen Lin, Muhammad Afzaal, Hessah Saleh Aldayel

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