Indirect translations of terminology in private legal documents via English: the case of Serbian to Albanian translation

Abstract

Based on a qualitative case study research, this paper investigates the efficacy of indirect translation as a strategy in the translation of terminology in private legal documents from Serbian to Albanian via English in Kosovo. The aim is to examine whether this approach may improve the accuracy, quality, and availability of translation services in an under-resourced linguistic combination. Research within this subfield seems necessary in the context of Kosovo, where Serbian is a minority language and translations of private legal documents in the Albanian Serbian language pair have been found to be of low quality, primarily due to a lack of professional translators and resources which are specific for that combination. Two official Albanian Serbian translators fluent in English were recruited as participants to translate a list of terms excerpted from documents translated for official procedures. One translator provided a direct translation from Serbian to Albanian and the other an indirect translation from Serbian to Albanian via English. Despite the limitations of the research, the comparative analysis of the submitted translated terminology indicates that the indirect translation via English in the context of Kosovo may provide accuracy, quality, and availability, thereby offering members of minorities in Kosovo the potential guarantee of a fair treatment within legal procedures.

Keywords

• indirect translation
• terminology
• private legal documents
• minority languages
• serbian to albanian
• kosovo
• translation justice