The translation of legal texts: interlinguistic and intralinguistic perspectives

The paper takes into consideration some aspects of the process of translation of legal texts, examined both from an interlinguistic and an intralinguistic perspective. As regards interlingual translation, specific linguistic constraints are discussed, as well as influences deriving from different drafting traditions and legal cultures. The paper also takes into consideration the phenomenon of intralinguistic translation with special attention devoted to the strategies of popularization often adopted in this process. The analysis carried out shows the complexity of the translation of legal texts, which is greatly conditioned by specific factors strictly depending not only on the different cultural, linguistic and legal environments in which it takes place but also on the target users with their own legal culture and specialized knowledge.