Abstract, Ninth Conference on Legal Translation, Court Interpreting and Comparative Legilinguistics
(Legal Linguistics), 2014
Title: Literal or Free? An Empirical Study of Professional Danish Translators’ Strategies in Translating
Spanish Judgments
Author: Anja Krogsgaard Vesterager, PhD, aol@asb.dk
Department of Business Communication
Aarhus University, Denmark
Purpose of the research: To examine whether Danish professional translators opt for mainly literal or free
translations when faced with the task of translating a Spanish judgment.
Scope of the research: Professional Danish translators’ micro translation strategies at the level of syntax
and lexis in their translation of a Spanish judgment.
Methods used/Methodology/Approach/Design: The research design of the study is qualitative. The data
derive from a contrastive analysis of a source text and ten translations.
Findings: Findings show that literal translation is the strategy resorted to by most participants, especially at
the level of syntax. Results also show that not all of the participants have been able to solve the lexical
challenges of the source text successfully.
Research limitations/implications: The study involves a relatively small number of translations.
Practical implications: The study may be useful to heighten professional as well as student translators’ selfawareness and performance monitoring skills, both of which are preconditions for a high-quality
translation.
Originality/value: The study contributes with empirical evidence of legal translators’ strategies to the field
of legal translation, where research on this subject is scarce.
Recommendations: Not applicable.
Key words: legal translation, legal translators, judgments, literal translation, free translation, translation
strategies