dictionaries and terminology

I have used many Spanish-English legal dictionaries, but never have I found a book as useful as this one. Unlike the others, this dictionary includes explanations of many of the terms. If you're trying to figure what the difference is between an "embargo" and "secuestro," this book will explain it to you. If you're translating a "sentencia," you can look up that word in this dictionary, and it tells you about the four parts of a "sentencia" in a Spanish-speaking country. The other thing that is completely different about this book is that it contains terms from Guatemala, Peru, El Salvador, Bolivia, Chile, etc.--in other words, terms from all the countries that a dictionary from Argentina is not going to include (because they don't turn up in Argentine documents). In short, if I could only have ONE Spanish-English legal dictionary, this would be it!

Tom West brings his expertise as a translator and attorney together to produce this excellent resource. Focussing on difficult legal and commercial terminology, his translations are accurate and correspond to actual usage among the U.S. legal community. I have found this dictionary particularly useful for translating jurisprudence and court decisions from Spanish to English. Mr. West identifies several country-specific terms. In addition, he often includes information on the type of context in which a term is used and/or gives an explanation of the legal concept behind the term. For example, the dictionary explains the difference between "good offices" and "mediation." So if you're trying to understand what a "decreto exento" means in Chile or what the term "decretar pruebas" means in Colombia, or if you're looking for a way to say "casación" in English and make sense to an American lawyer, this is the book that has the answers. Mr. West's dictionary is designed as a supplementary reference work for high-level, experienced legal translators in the Spanish to English combination. If you fit that category, his book is a real treasure.

This book is most useful if you are only looking to translate Spanish to English (about 225 pages). But do not get this book if you need English to Spanish translations (about 70 pages). This section is very limited. And I mean VERY limited. Most of the legal terms, even the most basic ones, weren't there, and I did find them in my regular English/Spanish dictionary.

I wish I had read the review from St. George before purchasing it. But I got this book a while ago, and after repeated, frustraing times looking up words I decided to go ahead and write a review.