O ekwiwalencji w tłumaczeniu terminologii odszkodowawczej (na przykładzie języka angielskiego i polskiego)

Abstract

The present paper is concerned with the problem of equivalence in the Polish-English and English-Polish translation of legal terminology related to compensation and damages. The Anglo-Saxon legal system differs from the codified continental systems as far as the terminology is concerned. The set of terms and their Polish/English equivalents presented here allows us to understand why the majority of theoreticians is inclined to apply a “scale” of equivalence instead of referring to the lack or presence thereof. The analysis is evidence that it is most frequently the facultative or approximate type of equivalence which one may encounter in the legal translation. Hardly any pair of equivalent terms may be deemed an example of absolute or total equivalence – such a conclusion can be arrived at by comparing the two legal systems. Under the circumstances, what seems to be the most convenient solution for a translator of legal texts, is to apply a functional equivalent.