I recently took a 10-hour Zoom course on “Artificial Intelligence for Translators and Interpreters,” taught by Nora Díaz (a born teacher) and offered by Fernando Cuñado and Ruth Gámez on their Academia de los Grandes Traductores platform. For me it was a perfect introduction to how AI can have a positive impact on T&I work.
Nora logically commenced with an overview of AI and large language models, initially highlighting the AI capabilities integrated into Microsoft Suite and Google Suite. She then demonstrated how ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot can work as “interns” to assist translators and interpreters in automating multiple tasks (including terminology extraction and glossary building), and how to draft effective prompts to get the desired results. Nora demonstrated that much of this can be even further automated with PhraseExpress.
The session on AI and CAT tools focused on Wordscope (the first CAT tool with ChatGPT integration), as well as how to set up and use the Trados Studio AI Professional plug-in. Apps specifically for interpreters were also reviewed, featuring real-time transcription, including Cymo Booth and Cymo Note. Each day practice exercises were provided to do together in class, although the sessions were recorded and are available for future viewing. The course was in English but Nora and Fernando have promised future editions in both Spanish and English, too.
Unfair competition (competencia desleal) is treated as a separate area of study under Spanish business law (Derecho mercantil) and is regulated in a specific law (Ley 3/1991 de Competencia Desleal, as amended). In other jurisdictions, unfair commercial practices may be addressed in competition or consumer protection laws, such as the EU’s Unfair Consumer Practices Directive 29/2005 or the US Revised Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act and similar state laws. This glossary contains 25 of the most frequently-used terms in Spanish unfair competition law with possible English renderings.
acto de comparación–act of comparison
acto de competencia desleal–act of unfair competition
acto de confusión–act of confusion (capable of creating confusion with a competitor’s products, services or establishment)
acto de denigración–act of disparagement
acto de engaño–act of deception
acto de imitación sistemática–act of systematic imitation (of a competitor’s products or services)
acto desleal; ilícito concurrencial–act of unfair competition
aprovechamiento indebido de la reputación ajena–unduly trading on another’s business goodwill (or) reputation
conducta anticompetitiva; conducta contraria a la competencia; conducta restrictiva de la competencia–anticompetitive conduct; conduct in restraint of trade
denigración–disparagement
Derecho de la competencia desleal–unfair competition law
deslealtad al competidor—unfair competition practices
deslealtad al consumidor–unfair consumer practices
deslealtad de mercado–unfair market practices
discriminación en materia de precios–price discrimination; discriminatory pricing
engaño por silencio–deception by silence
explotación de la reputación ajena–exploiting another’s reputation
Ley de Competencia Desleal–Unfair Competition Act
libertad de elección del consumidor—consumer’s freedom of choice
omisión engañosa–deceptive omission
ventas a pérdida--dumping
violación de secretos comerciales–misappropriation of trade secrets
Amortización and its English counterpart “amortization” (or “amortizing”) have at least three distinct meanings. The first may refer to gradually extinguishing a debt, such as a loan, by making periodic payments: amortización de un préstamo (“amortizing a loan;” “amortization of a loan”). In this sense, amortización may be rendered simply as “repayment.” In the context of securities law, when referring to the repayment of a fixed-income security such as a treasury note or bond on or before its maturity date, the term used is “redemption.” Thus amortización de bonos denotes “redeeming bonds” or “bond redemption.
”Amortización has a different menaing in accounting contexts, decribing the apportionment of the initial cost of an asset over the asset’s useful life. In US usage a distinction is generally made between intangible assets, which are amortized, and tangible assets, which are depreciated. Thus, for example, amortización de la patente is rendered as “amortization of the patent,” while amortización de la maquinaria is expressed as “depreciation of the machinery.”
A euphemism is a word or phrase that is used in place of another that is considered to be offensive, harsh, or blunt. It’s a way of softening the blow of a potentially uncomfortable topic. An example is saying “passed away” instead of “died,” or “between jobs” for “unemployed.”
As in all walks of life, euphemisms abound in legal language. Here are a few that I’ve come across although, ¡ojo! these may not be the only acceptable meanings of these terms. (And I’d never heard it before, but I like **this one best, although I don’t think it’s very common):
capital punishment (death penalty)
carnal knowledge (sexual intercourse)
child born out of wedlock (illegitimate child—now more often referred to as a nonmarital child)
collateral damage (civilian casualties)
commission (bribe)
contributions (taxes)
corporate downsizing (layoff; firing of employees)
correctional facility (prison)
detention at His Majesty’s pleasure (indeterminate prison sentence)
Although not new, I recently ran across these glossaries in Spanish and English of alcohol and drug-related terms that may prove useful for translators and interpreters who work with criminal law texts or interpret in criminal court. Published by the World Health organization, the Lexicon of Alcohol and Drug Terms can be downloaded free here, while the Spanish version, Glosario de términos de alcohol y drogas, is found on a different page here. They are also available in Russian and Greek.
In Legal Spanish parte has so many different meanings. In addition to referring to a “party” to a contract or judicial proceeding, parte can mean “part” or “portion,” or denote a “notice,” “report” or “announcement.” Here are 50 examples taken from my Diccionario* indicating the field of law in which the expression is used and possible synonyms (indicates terms more likely to be used in England and Wales than in the US or other jurisdictions are marked “E&W”):
parte acreedora [obs] creditor; obligee (party to whom a debt or obligation is owed) (syn: acreedor)
parte actora [civpro] plaintiff; claimant (E&W) (syn: demandante; actor; parte demandante)
parte acusada [crimpro] defendant (in criminal proceedings); criminal defendant; the accused
parte acusadora [crimpro] party to the prosecution
parte agraviada [cont] injured party
parte agraviada [crimpro] victim (syn: víctima del delito; agraviado por el delito; ofendido por el delito; parte ofendida; sujeto pasivo del delito)
parte alícuota [gen] proportional part/interest/share
parte amistoso de accidente [ins] mutually-agreed auto insurance claim (in which the parties agree which driver was at fault)
parte apelada [procedure] appellee; respondent (E&W) (in a recurso de apelación) (syn: apelado)
parte apelante [procedure] appellant (in a recurso de apelación) (syn: apelante)
parte civil [crimpro] civil damages claimant (party claiming civil damages in a criminal proceeding) (syn: actor civil)
parte compareciente [gen] party appearing (in court, before a notary public, etc.)
parte compradora [comm] buyer; purchaser; vendee (real property) (syn: comprador)
parte condenada en costas [procedure] party ordered to pay costs; paying party (E&W)
parte contractual [cont] party to a contract
parte contraria, la [procedure] the adverse party; the opposing party; the other party
parte contratante [cont] contracting party; party to a contract
parte contratante económicamente debil, la [cont] the economically weaker party (in an adhesion contract–contrato de adhesión)
parte contratante económicamente fuerte [cont] economically stronger party (in an adhesion contract–contrato de adhesión)
parte cumplidora [cont] non-breaching party; non-defaulting party; innocent party; injured party (when there is breach on the part of the other party) (syn: parte perjudicada por el incumplimiento contractual)
parte de accidente [gen] accident report
parte de accidente de trabajo [lab] occupational accident report
parte de asistencia sin baja laboral [lab] report of medical assistance rendered for an injury not requiring medical leave
parte de confirmación de baja [lab] certification of medical leave
parte de enfermedad profesional [lab] report of an occupational disease
parte de incidencias [corp] incident report
parte de la defensa [crimpro] party to the defense
parte de siniestro [ins] insurance claim; insurance claim form
parte demandada [civpro] defendant; respondent (in family proceedings or arbitration) (syn: demandado)
parte demandada en reconvención [civpro] counterclaim defendant (syn: actor reconvenido; parte reconvenida; demandado en reconvención)
parte demandada reconviniente [civpro] counterclaimant (syn: reconviniente; demandado reconviniente)
parte demandante [civpro] plaintiff; claimant (E&W) (syn: demandante; actor; parte actora)
parte deudora [obs] debtor; obligor (syn: parte deudora)
parte dispositiva [procedure] operative part (of a judgment or other judicial decision)
parte especial del Derecho penal [crim] area of criminal law that deals with specific offenses
parte europeo de accidente [ins] European accident statement (for auto or traffic accidents)
parte expositiva [gen] preamble (to a law) (syn: exposición de motivos); recitals (in a contract)
parte facultativo [gen] medical report; doctor’s/physician’s report (syn: parte medico)
parte firmante [cont] signatory (to a contract, a treaty, etc.)
parte general del Derecho penal [crim] area of criminal law that deals with general aspects of the discipline (sources of criminal law, theory of crime, punishment, etc.)
parte incumplidora [cont] breaching party; defaulting party (syn: parte no cumplidora)
parte interesada [gen] party in interest; interested party
parte interesada [corp] stakeholder
parte legitimada [civpro] party with standing; party having standing
parte legitimada activamente [civpro] parte with standing to sue
parte legitimada pasivamente [civpro] party with standing to be sued
parte médico [gen] medical report; doctor’s/physician’s report (syn: parte facultativo)
parte médico de alta [lab] medical leave discharge (doctor’s report allowing an employee to return to work after s medical or sick leave)
parte médico de baja [lab] medical leave order (doctor’s report authorizing an employee to take medical or sick leave)
parte no cumplidora [cont] breaching party; defaulting party (syn: parte incumplidora)
parte ofendida [crim] victim (syn: víctima del delito; ofendido por el delito; agraviado por el delito; parte agraviada; sujeto pasivo del delito)
parte perjudicada [tort] injured party
parte perjudicada por el incumplimiento contractual [cont] non-breaching party; non-defaulting party; innocent party; injured party (syn: parte cumplidora)
parte procesal [procedure] party to the proceedings
parte reconvenida [civpro] counterclaim defendant (syn: actor reconvenido; demandado en reconvención; parte demandada en reconvención)
parte recurrente [procedure] appellant; petitioner (syn: recurrente)
parte recurrida [procedure] appellee (US); respondent (E&W) (syn: recurrido)
parte vencedora [procedure] prevailing party; successful party; receiving party (E&W); party awarded costs
parte vencida [procedure] losing party; paying party (E&W); party ordered to pay costs
parte vendedora [comm] seller; vendor (real property) (syn: vendedor)
Letra has several different meanings in legal contexts in which it can rarely be rendered literally as “letter.” When describing a will (testamento), the expression escrito de puño y letra indicates that the document was “handwritten,” i.e., that it is a “holographic will” (testamento ológrafo). And when authenticating a document, cotejo pericial de letras denotes “expert handwriting analysis” conducted by a perito calígrafo (“handwriting expert” or “document examiner”).
In other respects, letra de cambio is a type of negotiable instrument, a “bill of exchange” (called a “draft” in the US). And Letras del Tesoro are “treasury bills,” the Spanish government’s short-term investment securities.
In business law contexts franquicia and “franchise” are usually cognates, as in a contrato de franquicia (“franchise agreement”), in which franquiciador is the “franchisor,” while franquiciado is the “franchisee”. But in the context of insurance law franquicia cannot be rendered as “franchise” and must be translated as as “deductible,” referring to the portion of the loss to be paid by the insured before the insurer becomes liable: seguro de automóvil con una franquicia de 500€ (“auto insurance with a €500 deductible”).
In other respects, in electoral law “franchise” has an additional meaning, referring to the “right to vote” (derecho de sufragio). In that context “to enfranchise” is conceder (or) otorgar el derecho de voto; while “to disenfranchise” is privar del derecho de voto. And in the UK “franchise” also denotes a privilege granted by the Crown, such as the right to charge a toll or to hold a market or fair. In the US this might be called a “license” or “permit,” and in Spain often corresponds to what is known as a “concesión administrativa.”
“Return” is used in several legal contexts in which it cannot be translated literally with its everyday meaning of volver. As a noun and in the context of electoral law, the expression “election returns” refers to resultados electorales. But, curiously, as a verb rather than “to elect,” “return” actually means “to reelect:” “The candidate was returned by a majority” (El candidato fue reelegido por mayoría).
In the context of tax law “tax return” refers to la declaración de la renta, and “to file a tax return” is presentar la declaración de la renta. (Perhaps it should be noted that “tax return” has sometimes been mistranslated as devolución de impuestos, devolución de la renta or devolución de Hacienda, which are expressions more appropriately rendered as “tax refund.”)
In other respects, in US criminal procedure and in the context of jury trials, the expression “to return a verdict” means emitirun veredicto.” Thus the expression “the jury returned a verdict of guilty” denotes that el jurado emitió un veredicto de culpabilidad.
Léxico Jurídico Español-Inglés 