Problems of translating Iraqi official identification documents into English

Abstract EN

The current paper assesses and investigates three translations, performed by authorized and competent translators in legal field, for two types of the most wide documents which are obtained by every citizen in Iraq; the Iraqi Identity Card and Nationality Certificate.

These two documents represent the legal documents that prove the identity of their holder and constitute the most official documents which are needed in most official dealings.

The analysis of the translation is based on the theory of dynamic and formal equivalence initiated by Nida (1964) which includes some techniques of adjustment, addition, subtraction and alteration.

The analysis shows that formal equivalence is the best procedure for translating such types of texts.

However, Dynamic one can be used only when there is a problem related to a cultural gap or a problem related to the differences in legal systems of the languages involved in translation.

The paper also asserts the importance of the legal background in translating such highly sensitive documents.