Words of Justice: Translating Mabo v Queensland (no 2) and Its Legal and Linguistic Challenges

In this thesis a translation of an excerpt of the judgment from the Mabo case, a landmark case that established native title in Australia. Through a five-chapter structure it analyses the different facets that this work is composed of. In the first chapter the historical context is provided, spanning a 200-year period. The second chapter outlines the structure of the Australian state, the various divisions of powers and how the judicial system is structured, with an eye to the High Court of Australia. Then the workings and characteristics of legal language, texts and translation are explored. An analysis of the source text follows, with a discussion of the methodology adopted in the translation process. The fourth chapter contains the original text and the proposed translation. The fifth and final chapter includes the translation strategies adopted: syntactic, terminological and typographical choices that compose the strategy. Through this interdisciplinary approach, the thesis highlights the intricate relationship between law, language, and translation in the context of Mabo.