Legal False Friends Part 1
A cognate or false friend is a word that is written similarly to a word in another language. Both words have a similar or identical...
Watergate: the mother of all gates
I don't know about other languages, but the "gate" in Watergate has become synonymous with scandals and embezzlement. The last one in the...
LawProse Lesson #280: A short English-usage quiz
As a follow-up to our legal-usage quiz from last week, here are 10 questions of common English usage that can trip up even the most...
Court Interpreting: How it's Done!
I have great admiration for interpreters. They have to think fast and have no time to consult a dictionary. Many people call them...
Immigration Quotes
So much of immigration takes place on paper: forms, petitions, certificates, and correspondence. In countries where immigration is...
Legal False Friends Part II
Folio: Page. Also, a sheet of paper or English folio as in a sheet of paper folded in two. However, when translating the location of a...
Forensic Linguistics
When I think of linguists, I think of people who write obscure papers on phonetics, grammar, syntax, and other minutiae. However, after I...
LawProse Lesson #276: Unusual Latin endings
Irregularities of any kind prove difficult for people—especially linguistic irregularities. They’re taxing on the long-term memory. For...
Taming your Dragon
I have a secret to share with you: I use speech recognition software to dictate all of these blog posts. I also use the software for...
