Structural Adjustments in Translation: A Descriptive Study of Legal Translation

Abstract

Abstract

The present study investigates the structural adjustments occur in the translation of legal texts. It primarily analyzes two structural adjustment strategies namely expansion and reduction in the Urdu translation of Punjab Laws originally written in the English language. Nida and Taber’s (2003) idea of structural adjustments in translation is used as a theoretical framework. The findings of the study reveal the frequent use of reduction strategy while transferring legal codes from English to the Urdu language. It shows that structural adjustments, whether it is expansion or reduction in the structure, occur due to differences in both language systems. Furthermore, in order to communicate the message of the original in transparent ways and preserve the intent of the legal text along with equivalent meaning and effect, source text structures often undergo structural variations in the process of translation. The study is significant for translators as well as for researchers in the field of translation studies as it exposes better ways of legal communication through translation.