As a Spanish-English legal translator and teacher of legal English, I have created this blog as a meeting place for legal translators, interpreters, lawyers and law professors for whom Spanish-English legal terminology is an essential element of their professional activities. Some of the areas I explore include:
- ES-EN legal terminology
- Legal English for Spanish-speakers
- False friends
- Multiple meanings
- Confusing terms
- Common words with uncommon legal meanings
- Expressing civil law concepts in common law terms
- Español jurídico
- Latinismos
- Mistranslations?
- Terminology sources
About the author:
Rebecca Jowers is a US-born Spanish-to-English freelance translator and professor of legal English based in Madrid. Since 2001 she has taught legal English at the Universidad Carlos III, first in the Master’s Program in Legal Practice (Máster en el Ejercicio de la Abogacía) and currently in the Master’s Program in Corporate Counsel (Máster en Asesoría Jurídica de Empresas), having previously worked five years as an in-house legal translator at the Elzaburu intellectual property law firm. Majoring in Spanish Language and Literature, she received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University, M.A. from New York University and B.A. from Stetson University (DeLand, Florida). She recently published Léxico temático de terminología jurídica español-inglés (Valencia: Tirant lo Blanch, 2015) and is an active participant on the Proz Translation Workplace (http://www.proz.com/profile/8100).
Léxico Jurídico Español-Inglés 
Just found your blog through Traducción Jurídica…looks great!
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Thanks, welcome and greetings from Madrid!
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Reading you from northern California!
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Excellent idea! My area is Penal terminology, so I feel this blog is goin to be extremely useful. Thank you very muc!
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Thanks for your comment and saludos desde Madrid
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Beckie it’s great to see so many posts already made. I just recently started my (Spanish-Portuguese-English) financial/legal translation blog (spanportlinguist.com), have included your blog to the blogroll therein and will definitely be including reference your amazing work! Anyway way to subscribe to your blog for updates (every time a new post is published)?
Seth
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Hi Seth,
Thanks for your kind words. I think you can receive my future blog posts by hitting the pop-up “follow button.”
Saludos desde Madrid.
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Correction (ungodly late for me to be commenting) should be: “(…) have included your blog to the blogroll therein and will definitely be referencing your amazing work!”
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Acabo de llegar a tu blog y me quedo por aquí. Me dedico a la traducción en una entidad financiera y me va a ser de gran ayuda. ¡Muchas gracias por un trabajo tan útil!
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¡Muchas gracias, Marta!
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Just found your blog. It will definitely prove useful!
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Thanks for your kind comment, Alfredo. See you in class!
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Hi Rebecca,
I was wondering whether you have in Spain an accepted translation for “car-hailing service”, also known as “car-booking service”, which is what Uber and other companies offer, though they are not considered transport companies, since they do not own the cars and the drivers are not their employees.
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I would like to join your blog, where can I find it?
Thank you.
Lee//
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Hi Lee,
To receive notifications of future blog posts, just click the “follow button” that pops up in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.
Cordiales saludos,
Rebecca
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Clear exposition. Thanks for a truly useful site.
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Thanks, Antonio, for your kind comment.
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I just found this site. I’m a law academic in England, former lecturer in Spanish, and now legal translator. This site is really helpful. Are you updating it?
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Hi, Leslie,
Thanks so much for you kind words. I’m glad you find this blog useful. And, indeed, I add new entries often: four additions so far in February, and two more scheduled before the end of the month.
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Hi Rebecca!
I’ve seen your stuff on proz on the odd occasion and it was always spot on. Now I’ve just come across your blog. Thanks for making this available, it’s a really good resource. I’ve recommended you on LinkedIn…
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Hi Colin,
Thanks so much for your kind comment. I’m pleased you find this blog of interest!
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Just learned, post-retirement, of your wonderful blog, Rebecca! I pray that my Anglo-and Austro-centric comments won’t prove too much of a pain.
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Hi Adrian,
Good to “see” you here. Thanks for your comments. It may take me a while to reply, as I’m usually up to my ears in work, but you’ll eventually hear from me!
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Hi Rebecca,
Just came across this website. Very educational.
Cheers,
Rey
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Hi, Rey! Welcome! I’m glad you find the blog useful.
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I am an American lawyer still working on his Spanish after initial immersion in Madrid in 1980. I deeply admire Ms. Jowers work. I am beginning to teach Legal English at a Mexican law school, where I have been a visiting instructor in U. S. Law for seven years. My L. E. courses will be both the licenciatura and maestria levels. I find her incites very valuable. I wish I had discovered her earlier.
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Thanks for your kind comment! I wish you the best as you start out teaching Legal English. For me it has been such an enriching experience to teach (and learn from!) the young lawyers in my Legal English courses.
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Just found your blog, really interesting, thank you. I am just starting an MA in Translation after years of being a Spanish teacher and have found it insightful.
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Hi, delanegk. Thanks for your kind comment, and all the best with your MA in Translation.
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Hola, Rebecca:
Me encanta tu blog. He aprendido mucho gracias a tus artículos. Quisiera saber cómo solicitar/ comprar una versión electrónica de “Léxico temático de terminología jurídica español-inglés”. Muchas gracias
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Buenos días, Yvonne. Muchísimas gracias por tus amables palabras. Me encanta saber que el blog te parece útil. El “Léxico” se puede adquirir aquí: https://editorial.tirant.com/es/libro/lexico-tematico-de-terminologia-juridica-espanol-ingles-thematic-lexicon-of-spanish-english-legal-terminology-rebecca-jowers-9788490862650 Saludos desde Madrid, Rebecca
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Hi Rebecca
I was browsing the net for “hechos” for a legal / fiscal translation I’m working on and I found your comments extremely insightful and helpful.
Thank you.
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Hi, Noel. Thanks so much for your kind comment. Saludos desde Madrid
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Hi Rebecca, do you have any idea of what PAGFRA may mean in the INCOTERM type of definition
Thanks Federico
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Hi, Federico. I’ve never seen nor can I find anything concrete on PAGFRA. Could it mean “(fecha de) pago de factura” in the sense of “fecha de vencimiento”? (FRA is a standard abbreviation for “factura”.)
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Hola, tengo una pregunta sobre traducir “guarda y custodia”. Podria contactarte en privado? gracias. Saludos.
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Sí, Bárbara. Me puedes escribir a traductorjuridico@gmail.com . Un saludo
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