AUC PHILOLOGICA
AUC PHILOLOGICA

AUC Philologica (Acta Universitatis Carolinae Philologica) is an academic journal published by Charles University. It publishes scholarly articles in a large number of disciplines (English, German, Greek and Latin, Oriental, Romance and Slavonic studies, as well as in phonetics and translation studies), both on linguistic and on literary and cultural topics. Apart from articles it publishes reviews of new academic books or special issues of academic journals.

The journal is indexed in CEEOL, DOAJ, EBSCO, and ERIH PLUS.

AUC PHILOLOGICA, Vol 2019 No 4 (2019), 93–106

Translating Culture: Mediating Customary Law Related Language

Arben Shala

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/24646830.2020.8
published online: 26. 05. 2020

abstract

This paper aims to outline the role of translators and interpreters as cultural mediators for international police forces during peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions in Kosovo. They were an essential source of cultural information concerning informal legal practices, folk culture, speaking style and etiquette with the parties in the procedure. These idiosyncrasies require deep understanding and are a prerequisite for producing meaningful translation. The culture in mediation is represented in a particular way of speaking known as allegorical conversation (biseda me rrotulla). It relies on ambiguous language, on allusions, ellipsis, references to customary law resolutions, folk stories, specific and anonymous people, and traditional procedures to resolve disputes.

keywords: public service interpreting; police language assistants; cultural mediation; customary law; folk culture

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