Analyzing the Interplay of Social and Linguistic Systems in Translation: An Investigation of English-Urdu Parallel Corpus

Author(s) : Muhammad Javed Iqbal , Umme Sadia & Hafiz Muhammad Qasim

Abstract:

Law is of utmost importance for each society as it ensures access to justice. In our increasingly interconnected global community, characterized by diverse, multilingual populations, the use of monolingual legal systems can present significant impediments. Consequently, the imperative emerges to translate legal texts into multiple languages. Such translations fall into distinct categories, with some pertaining to domestic legal systems within society and others extending to international legal contexts. The act of translation becomes a multifaceted challenge due to the inherent differences in linguistic and social structures of languages, each offering a unique lens through which to interpret reality. Drawing upon Even-Zohar’s (1979) polysystem theory, Saussure's semiotic framework, and Halliday’s metafunctional language analysis, this paper attempts to find out the way translators deal with these challenges when translating English-Urdu legal texts. The investigation uncovers that the conceptualizations of legal reality may undergo some shifts during the translation process, as influenced by the idiosyncrasies of the target language and its social context. The study proposes that legal texts should receive parliamentary endorsement, especially in their translations, to ensure comprehensive legal harmonization. This research paves the way for future research where issues in the implementation of translated law can be highlighted and the ways to eradicate those problems can be discussed.
Keywords: linguistic system, legal translation, SFL, corpus, transitivity