Magdalena Perdek

Contract translation between Polish and English – problems, strategies and solutions

This paper deals with contract translation between Polish and English. Contracts are one of the most frequently translated documents in business and legal environment. In the Polish context, contracts are more often translated into English (translators’ L2), since many Polish companies expand their business to different countries both in Europe and overseas.

Because of the specific requirements – formal, legal, stylistic – contract translation might be a challenging task, especially if it is into the translators L2. The archaic language (especially in English contracts), complex syntax, long sentences and ambiguous phrasing call for a deeper understanding of contract law and contract drafting. During the presentation, specific terminological, grammatical and stylistic problems will be presented on the example the most common contracts and contract clauses along with solutions based on parallel text analysis.   

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Magdalena Perdek works as an assistant professor at the Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. Her research interests include bilingual lexicography, terminology and specialized translation. She is a translator trainer at AMU, which is part of the EMT network, where she teaches contract translation, legal and medical translation. She is a court interpreter and translator certified by the Ministry of Justice in Poland.