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04 September 2008 / Rob Jones
Issue: 7335 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology
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The language of law

Rob Jones ensures all is not lost in translation

In an increasingly integrated global community, with cross-border disputes ever more frequent, the issue of language grows more complex. Documents created in any country and any language can be, and increasingly are, relevant to lawsuits, investigations or regulatory matters. Consequently, legal teams need to be aware of how to equip themselves for the challenge of dealing with multilingual forms of evidence.

A technical minefield

The technical processes in cross-border electronic disclosure are sophisticated, often invoking in-depth analyses of data storage issues. Fundamentally, computers hold data in encoded formats which are alien to most human users. One issue to consider therefore is how such encoding is handled by various types of computer system: does the system decipher or distort the codes which are being used to determine and accurately represent the languages contained in any given document?

There are currently two main methods used in the successful handling of multilingual data—code pages and Unicode. A code page is a cross reference table that translates

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Jurit LLP—Caroline Williams

Private wealth and tax team welcomes cross-border specialist as consultant

HFW—Simon Petch

HFW—Simon Petch

Global shipping practice expands with experienced ship finance partner hire

Freeths—Richard Lockhart

Freeths—Richard Lockhart

Infrastructure specialist joins as partner in Glasgow office

NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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