Hidden Meanings in Legal Spanish - 13
verificarse - tener verificativo The meaning of the verb verificar is obvious. It means "to verify." But when the reflexive form of the...
Ellipsis in Legal Spanish
Ellipsis in the sense of leaving the noun out of a phrase that consists of a noun plus an adjective is common in Spanish. For example,...
Hidden Meanings in Legal Spanish -12
sentencia absolutoria, sentencia condenatoria In our post on the legal Spanish of Chile, we saw two terms that are typical of criminal...
Hidden Meanings in Legal English - 2
The verb "to sound" has an unexpected meaning in legal English, where it can mean "to be actionable (in)." Consider this sentence from a...
Hidden Meanings in Legal Spanish - 11
registro - registrar Un registro is obviously a "register" (when you mean the book in which information is recorded) or a "registry"...
Legal Spanish of Chile
Article 549 of the Chilean Código de Procedimiento Civil (Code of Civil Procedure) provides for four figuras jurídicas (legal concepts)...
Legal Spanish of Ecuador
avocar, avocarse, abocarse, decurrir The two verbs avocarse and abocarse are pronounced exactly alike, and for that reason Spanish...
Style in Spanish Legal Translation
In legal English, once you use a term you must repeat that term throughout the document you are drafting. If you use a synonym instead,...
imputar - Fiscal - acusación particular - acusación popular
In 2014 Spain's Princess Cristina, the Duchess of Palma, was imputada (formally named a suspect) in the corruption case surrounding her...
Hidden Meanings in Legal Spanish - 10
Presentación Presentación looks like "presentation" and means just that in some contexts. Note, however, that a "presentation" at a...
