spanish-legal-translation

name	spanish-legal-translation
description	ES ↔ EN legal terminology translation for Spanish law. Triggered when translating contracts, court documents, legal opinions, or correspondence between Spanish and English. Preserves legal register, precision, and context. Follows court document translation standards.

Spanish Legal Translation

Objective

Provide accurate, context-aware legal translation between Spanish (ES) and English (EN) while preserving legal register, precision, and the specific meaning of Spanish legal concepts.

Core Term Equivalents

General Legal Terms

Spanish	English	Notes
responsabilidad	liability / responsibility	Use "liability" for contractual/tort; "responsibility" for general
daños	damages	In tort and contract law
daños y perjuicios	damages and losses	Broader than common law "damages"
contrato	contract
prueba	evidence / proof	"Evidence" in procedural context; "proof" as result
carga de la prueba	burden of proof
obligación	obligation / duty	"Obligation" in civil law; "duty" in common law contexts
incumplimiento	breach / non-performance	"Breach" for contracts; "non-performance" for civil law precision
resolución del contrato	termination of contract	Not "resolution"
nulidad	nullity / voidness
anulabilidad	voidability
buena fe	good faith
mala fe	bad faith
dolo	fraud / deceit	"Fraud" in general; "deceit" for specific tort
culpa	negligence / fault	"Negligence" in tort; "fault" in broader civil law sense
fuerza mayor	force majeure
caso fortuito	fortuitous event	Distinct from fuerza mayor in Spanish doctrine

Procedural Terms

Spanish	English	Notes
demanda	claim / complaint / lawsuit	"Claim" in civil; "complaint" in criminal
demandante	claimant / plaintiff	"Claimant" preferred in civil law contexts
demandado	defendant / respondent
escrito	submission / pleading / brief	Context-dependent
sentencia	judgment / decision	"Judgment" for final decisions
auto	order / ruling	Procedural decisions; "ruling" in common law
recurso de apelación	appeal
recurso de casación	cassation appeal	To Tribunal Supremo
recurso de amparo	constitutional appeal	To Tribunal Constitucional
prueba documental	documentary evidence
prueba testifical	witness evidence / testimony
prueba pericial	expert evidence
declaración de parte	party witness statement

Corporate Terms

Spanish	English	Notes
sociedad anónima (SA)	public limited company
sociedad de responsabilidad limitada (SL / SRL)	private limited company
administrador	director / manager	"Director" for board members
junta general	general meeting / shareholders' meeting
consejo de administración	board of directors
escritura pública	public deed	Notarized document
registro mercantil	commercial registry
objeto social	corporate purpose
capital social	share capital

Property Terms

Spanish	English	Notes
propiedad	ownership / property
posesión	possession
usufructo	usufruct	Civil law concept
arrendamiento	lease / tenancy	"Lease" for property; "tenancy" for residential
compraventa	sale and purchase
hipoteca	mortgage
gravamen	charge / encumbrance / lien
comunidad de propietarios	owners' association	Under Ley de Propiedad Horizontal

Criminal Terms

Spanish	English	Notes
delito	crime / offense
falta	misdemeanor / petty offense	Less serious than delito
pena	sentence / penalty / punishment	"Sentence" for judicial decision
prisión	imprisonment / prison
libertad provisional	bail / release on bail
detención	arrest / detention
instrucción	investigation / pre-trial
juicio oral	trial / hearing

Context-Aware Translation Rules

1. Preserve legal register: Use formal, precise language appropriate for legal documents.
2. Distinguish homonyms: "Sentencia" = judgment (final) vs. "auto" = order (procedural).
3. Civil law precision: Spanish civil law concepts (e.g., obligaciones, contratos) may not map perfectly to common law; add explanatory notes where needed.
4. Statute references: Keep original abbreviations (CC, CP, LEC) with English expansion in first use.
5. Court names: Translate descriptively but keep abbreviations (Tribunal Supremo = Supreme Court, but keep "TS").

Court Document Translation Standards

• Certified translation: For filing in Spanish courts, translations must be by a traductor jurado (sworn translator).
• Formatting: Preserve original document structure and paragraph numbering.
• Annotations: Flag untranslatable concepts with translator's notes.
• Bilingual alignment: Maintain paragraph-level correspondence for verification.

Quality Standards

• Legal register preserved (formal, precise)
• Terminology consistent throughout document
• Ambiguous terms flagged with translator's notes
• Statute and court abbreviations preserved
• Certified translator requirement noted for court filings
• Disclaimer included

Output Format

# Legal Translation — [Document Type]
**Source language:** [ES / EN]
**Target language:** [EN / ES]
**Domain:** [Civil / Corporate / Criminal / Labor / Administrative]
**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Disclaimer:** This translation is for informational purposes. For court filing, use a traductor jurado (sworn translator).

## Translation
[Translated text with preserved structure]

## Terminology Glossary
| Source term | Target term | Context |
|-------------|-------------|---------|
| [term] | [translation] | [context] |

## Translator's Notes
- [Note on untranslatable or ambiguous concepts]