Serbia on path to the EU - Translation of legislation in the area of justice and home affairs

At a time when Serbia is awaiting a date to start negotiations with the European Union, Halifax Translation Services (www.halifax-translation.com) is taking serious steps to be ready to respond to translation requests that will be required of Serbia.

Halifax believes that continuous capacity building of translators using thematic seminars and workshops is the way to achieve and maintain the quality level Halifax strives for. The theme for this seminar was “Translation of legislation in the area of justice and home affairs from Serbian to English and vice-versa”.

The keynote address was delivered by Aleksandra Cavoski, PhD, an expert on EU law, who is currently engaged at the Law School of Birmingham University in England. In the period 2008-10, Aleksandra was team leader of the EU funded project “Translation of the acquis communautaire” successfully implemented by Halifax, where around 40 translators were engaged to translate 16,000 pages of EU legislation from English into Serbian. Aleksandra then led a discussion that showed a strong and well-informed engagement among the participants.

Participants at the seminar were translators with significant experience in translating legal documents. A number of the most common dilemmas were resolved though the lively discussion and many examples. The conclusion was that such documents require significant involvement of the translators, not only in terms of language but also of research and understanding of terminology in different legal systems.

Sonja Babic, Director of Halifax, says that Halifax will continue with similar seminars. “We are encouraged by the high level of interest and dedication of our translators, and we want to contribute to Serbia's integration into the EU by providing high quality translations.”

The seminar was held on 28 May 2013 in LifeDESIGN Hotel, Balkanska 18 in Belgrade.