Twentieth anniversary of the Civil Code of Quebec: the English translation of the Civil Code of Quebec: a controversy
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Keywords

Legal translation
translation errors
translation quality
bilingual legislation
Civil Code of Quebec
history of translation

How to Cite

McClintock, B. (2015). Twentieth anniversary of the Civil Code of Quebec: the English translation of the Civil Code of Quebec: a controversy. The Journal of Specialised Translation, (23), 2–11. https://doi.org/10.26034/cm.jostrans.2015.025

Abstract

In 1973, a team of translators headed by Clive Meredith was mandated to translate the revised Civil Code of Quebec (CCQ) and the comments thereon. Traditionalists in the legal community attacked the plain language translation, and the entire project was turned over to the Quebec Justice Department. The translation was completely redone, largely inspired by the 100-year-old Civil Code of Lower Canada. The English version of the CCQ was severely criticised as soon as it entered into force in 1994 and now, 20 years later, the Quebec Justice Department has made a series of amendments to it. This short article tracks the main stages in this unique translation history.

https://doi.org/10.26034/cm.jostrans.2015.025
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