FIT Legal & Technical Translation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In technical translation, ISO/IEC 17100 is a standard that specifies:
- Requirements for machine translation output quality
- Requirements for translation service providers and their processes (Correct answer)
- Patent filing procedures across member states
- Certification criteria for court interpreters
Correct answer: Requirements for translation service providers and their processes
ISO/IEC 17100 defines core processes, resources, and quality requirements for professional translation services.
Question 2: Which element distinguishes a 'deed' from a simple written contract under common law?
- A deed requires more than two parties
- A deed must be signed, witnessed, and delivered without requiring consideration (Correct answer)
- A deed is only valid for real estate transactions
- A deed requires notarization in all US states
Correct answer: A deed must be signed, witnessed, and delivered without requiring consideration
A deed is a formal legal instrument that is enforceable upon signing, witnessing, and delivery, independent of consideration.
Question 3: The concept of 'habeas corpus' translated into a non-English legal document should:
- Be replaced with each country's equivalent writ name
- Be explained using the functional purpose: a court order to bring a detained person before a judge (Correct answer)
- Be omitted as it only applies to US law
- Always be left in Latin with no explanation
Correct answer: Be explained using the functional purpose: a court order to bring a detained person before a judge
Functional explanation preserves the legal meaning when no direct equivalent writ exists in the target legal system.
Question 4: In technical documentation translation, a 'safety critical' warning label must be translated to:
- Preserve exact signal words (DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION) per ANSI Z535 equivalents (Correct answer)
- Use more emphatic language than the source to ensure comprehension
- Paraphrase for cultural appropriateness
- Simplify into a single universal symbol
Correct answer: Preserve exact signal words (DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION) per ANSI Z535 equivalents
ANSI Z535 and its international counterpart ISO 3864 define standardized signal words and their hazard levels that must be preserved in translation.
Question 5: A 'term base' (termbase) in legal and technical translation is best described as:
- A legal glossary published by a national bar association
- A structured database of approved source and target terminology for a specific domain or client (Correct answer)
- The index of a multilingual legal dictionary
- A machine translation training corpus
Correct answer: A structured database of approved source and target terminology for a specific domain or client
A termbase is a managed repository of validated term pairs, definitions, and usage notes that ensure consistency across a project or client relationship.
Question 6: Which clause in a translated supply contract most directly limits a party's financial exposure in case of breach?
- Governing law clause
- Limitation of liability clause (Correct answer)
- Force majeure clause
- Entire agreement clause
Correct answer: Limitation of liability clause
A limitation of liability clause caps the damages one party can recover from the other, directly bounding financial risk.
Question 7: When a source patent uses the word 'comprising' in a claim, a legally accurate translation must convey that the claim is:
- Limited to exactly the listed elements
- Open-ended, allowing additional unrecited elements (Correct answer)
- Limited to the preferred embodiment described
- Dependent on another claim for its full scope
Correct answer: Open-ended, allowing additional unrecited elements
In US patent law, 'comprising' signals an open-ended claim that covers the listed elements plus any additional elements not excluded.
FIT Legal & Technical Translation 3
In technical translation, ISO/IEC 17100 is a standard that specifies: