English for Specific Purposes
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The DNA of Officialese: Feasibility of Legal Genre Analysis in Official English to Persian Translation

Parviz Ahmadi Darani
PhD Candidate
       Department of English Language
       Isfahan Sheikhbahaee University
pahmadi05@gmail.com

Abstract

Although official translation suffers from fuzzy demarcations with other fields of translation, the recent spate in international trade and frequent exchanges in the post globalization period has boosted the demand for official translation services. This poses a new challenge to translators and a new topic for research on such issues as the features of this form of translation, standard requirements for translators and other related aspects in this domain. This paper attempts to bring together aspects of genres and legal translation to investigate how these decisive factors can contribute to translation of official documents from Persian to English. This article sets out by providing some in-depth background knowledge about the concept of genre in translation studies and by discussing the impact having on translation demands concerning types of official documents that need to be translated. Then, the macrostructures of three official documents, birth certificate, university degree, and a contract in Persian and English, which entail the identification and application of genres pertinent to official translation, are rendered as concrete specimens. Finally, it concludes by some pedagogical implications.

Key Words: Officialese, Genre, Legal Translation, Official Translation, Document, Contract

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