Official government website of the Government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Link to official Saudi websites end with edu.sa

All links to official educational websites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia end with sch.sa or edu.sa

Government websites use the HTTPS protocol for encryption and security.

Secure websites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia use the HTTPS protocol for encryption.

Registered with the Digital Government Authority under number:

20250417892
Main
UQU Programs
Linguistic Studies 

Translation of Legal Texts

ENG8404
3 hours English

Translation of Legal Texts

M8 Translation of Legal Texts
ENG5402 Translation of General Texts
3 hours One requisite
1 Background on Legal Translation: this includes introduction on legal translations, history of legal translation, English legal discourse, Arabic legal discourse…etc
2 Legal Language and its Features: this includes types of legal texts (legislative, judicial, socholarly, and private) legal texts’ lexical, syntactic, pragmatics, stylistic, and textual features
3 Legal Translation within translation: highlts the differences between legal translation and other technical and non technical translations, legal technical words and terminologies in translation, documents formats…etc
4 Midterm Exam
5 Translating Major Types of Legal Texts: They include: some samples of contracts, applications, notary public, court documents, court proceedings, Declarations, certificates (of death, birth, etc.), promissory notes, civil law documents, religious marriages contracts, martial law documents, civil status certificates, academic certificates, official / formal documents, verdicts, attestations, etc. Problems of translation, solutions and procedures to solve them are focused on throughout
6 Translating Legal Texts (cont.): Certificates: certificates of divorce, certificates remarriage to divorced wife, certificate of irrecoverable divorce, certificate of guardianship, religious court power of attorney, lawsuits, verdicts, court pleadings, testimonials, witnesses' cross-examinations, etc. certificates of conversion to Islam, certificates of legacy, certificates of custody, , certificates of non-liability, certificates of stewardship, certificates of maintenance of legal minors. Problems of terminology, wording and complex sentence structure are tackled along with suggested solutions to them
7 Translation of UN and International Documents: some UN and Security Council resolutions, UN Organizations, acronyms and terms in general, etc., difficulties of translating characteristic and complex terminology in particular how to sort them out in translation both ways: Arabic-English-Arabic
1.1 Mapped to: K5

Explain the fundamental principles and challenges of legal translation, including precision, clarity, and consistency in legal terminology.

Teaching Strategy - Traditional lecturing. - Reading articles. - Seminars
Assessment Methods - Quizzes and exams. -Class discussion
1.2 Mapped to: K5

Identify key linguistic, structural, and cultural differences between legal systems that affect translation practices.

Teaching Strategy - Traditional lecturing. - Reading articles. - Seminars
Assessment Methods - Quizzes and exams. - Class discussion.
1.3 Mapped to: K5

Recognize the ethical and professional responsibilities of translating legal texts, including confidentiality, neutrality, and accuracy.

Teaching Strategy - Traditional lecturing. - Reading - critical articles.
Assessment Methods -Quizzes and exams. - Class discussion. -Online discussion.
2.1 Mapped to: S4

Analyze legal texts in the source language to identify legal terminology, syntactic structures, and cultural nuances.

Teaching Strategy - Traditional lecturing. - Class discussion. - Online discussion. - Reading articles. - Seminars. - Interactive workshops.
Assessment Methods - Open-book quizzes. - Analytical exam questions. - Translation assignment -Class discussion.
2.2 Mapped to: S4

Apply appropriate translation strategies to produce accurate, clear, and legally sound translations of contracts, statutes, agreements, and other legal documents.

Teaching Strategy - Class discussion. - Reading articles. - Interactive workshops.
Assessment Methods Translation assignment. Analytical exam questions.
2.3 Mapped to: S4

Revise and edit translations to ensure linguistic precision, terminological consistency, and adherence to legal conventions.

Teaching Strategy - Class discussion. - Reading articles. - Interactive workshops.
Assessment Methods Translation assignment. Analytical exam questions.
3.1 Mapped to: V1

Demonstrate ethical behavior in all professional, personal and academic contexts.

Teaching Strategy - Traditional lecturing - Reading scholarly articles.
Assessment Methods - Class discussion.
3.2 Mapped to: V2

Generate the spirit of cooperation and community service by reinforcing empathy, open-mindedness and acceptance of other cultures and beliefs.

Teaching Strategy - Traditional lecturing - Class discussion. - Watching documentaries.
Assessment Methods - Class discussion.
Assessment
Weight
Midterms or Quizzes: - The exam should contain at least 10% subjective questions dedicated to measuring the students’ ability to analyze and think critically. - Students should be held responsible for language mistakes. A “reasonable” percentage of the grade should be allocated to language and punctuation problems. - A clear rubric should be followed.
20%
Analytical essay and/or Creative projects: - Topics, guidelines and deadlines should be specified at the beginning of the course. - Assignments should be marked for structure, punctuation, content and proper citation of sources. - A clear rubric should be followed.
20%
Discussion in class and online: Students should be encouraged to speak up and express their opinion on a variety of topics and issues related to the course.
10%
Final: - The exam should contain at least 20% subjective questions dedicated to measuring the students’ ability to analyze and think critically. - Students should be held responsible for language mistakes. A “reasonable” percentage of the grade should be allocated to language and punctuation problems. - A clear rubric should be followed.
50%
Total
100%