Laws in Translations: Translating Legal Text for Research Purposes

• In Event: Text Analysis Techniques and Rhetoric

Abstract

Compared to professional translators, the benefits of computerized translation applications are their speed, accessibility, and cost. Of course, the tradeoff for using these automated tools is knowing whether the translations are sufficiently precise for research purposes. This research note assesses the options available to translate legal text for content analysis and comparative research. Our assessment compares the usability and reliability of three translation applications—DeepL, Google, and Microsoft. We evaluate these tools using similar legal content extracted from five laws enacted by Brazilian, Chinese, French, Japanese, and Mexican governments. Our findings show that automated translations are generally effective and most of the time produce translated text that maintains the source text’s original meaning. Their drawback is that they are fallible. Each is prone to making critical errors that may jeopardize research findings. Findings further suggest that employing human translators to edit automated translations can produce high-quality translations in one-third the time and at a fraction of the cost. We conclude by proposing that scholars use translation applications and professional translators in tandem to effectively and cost-efficiently prepare a multilingual legal corpus for analysis.

Authors

• Elizabeth Bloodgood, Concordia University

• Anthony James DeMattee, Emory University

• Takumi Shibaike, European University Institute