ALTA NTP (Legal Specialty Certifications) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Propositional fidelity

Propositional fidelity means the translation preserves the source truth-conditional content: entities, predicates, relations, and claims remain the same even when syntax or style changes.

Illocutionary force

Illocutionary force is the speaker intended action, such as warning, promising, requesting, or asserting; a faithful translation preserves that action, not merely the words.

Presupposition retention

A presupposition is background information treated as given; translators preserve it unless target grammar makes it impossible, in which case they signal the loss.

Scope ambiguity

Scope ambiguity occurs when negation, quantifiers, or modals can apply to different spans; identify the intended reading from context and preserve the same logical scope.

Cohesive reference

Cohesive reference includes pronouns, ellipsis, and substitution that link text; translators track each antecedent and make referents explicit when the target language requires it.

False cognate trap

A false cognate looks similar across languages but differs in meaning; verify the source sense in context rather than transferring the familiar-looking target word.

Information unit check

An information unit is a distinct source detail such as a number, name, claim, or condition; a fidelity check confirms every unit appears in the target without additions.

Metaphor fidelity

Metaphor fidelity preserves the source image when it remains understandable and conventional in the target; otherwise use an equivalent target image and record the shift.

Target collocation

Target collocation is the habitual word pairing native speakers expect, such as a verb with a noun; accurate synonyms that do not collocate can sound unnatural.

Information structure

Information structure arranges given and new information through word order, clefting, and stress; target naturalness often requires reorganizing these patterns while keeping emphasis.

Tense and aspect

Tense locates an event in time, while aspect shows completion, duration, or repetition; choose target forms from discourse meaning rather than copying source morphology.

Voice selection

Voice selection chooses active or passive according to target discourse preferences; preserve the topic and agent focus rather than mirroring the source grammatical voice mechanically.

Sentence segmentation

Sentence segmentation divides or combines source sentences; it is acceptable when logical relations, emphasis, and cohesion remain intact and target punctuation conventions are followed.

Zero anaphora

Zero anaphora omits an explicitly repeated pronoun because the target grammar allows it; using it appropriately prevents unnatural repetition while keeping referents clear.

Register consistency

Register consistency keeps formality, technicality, and emotional tone uniform across a text; accidental shifts between formal and casual language reduce target accuracy and credibility.

Literal syntax penalty

Literal syntax penalty describes unnatural target text produced by copying source word order; restructure the sentence to meet target grammar while preserving meaning and emphasis.

Term consistency

Term consistency assigns one target term to one source concept throughout a document unless a documented context-specific variant is required; inconsistency confuses readers and weakens domain accuracy.

Glossary precedence

Glossary precedence is a decision rule: client-approved glossary first, then domain standard, then authoritative dictionary, then parallel texts; document any deviation for review.

Register dimensions

Register dimensions include formality, technicality, emotive coloring, and archaism; a domain-appropriate translation matches all relevant dimensions rather than only vocabulary level.

Acronym expansion

Acronym expansion spells out an abbreviation at first use when target readers may not know it; retain the acronym afterward and follow target convention for punctuation.

Obligation strength

Obligation strength distinguishes shall, must, should, and may; legal and technical translations preserve the source level of requirement rather than substituting a looser modal.

Loan translation

Loan translation renders a new term morpheme by morpheme into the target language; use it when target convention favors transparency and the result is accepted by domain readers.

Standardized nomenclature

Standardized nomenclature uses officially recognized names for substances, diseases, or devices; replace brand names only when the source clearly uses a generic or standard term.

Domain phraseology

Domain phraseology includes conventional formulas, honorifics, and boilerplate expected in a field; matching these patterns signals competence and preserves the source professional register.

Punctuation conversion

Punctuation conversion adapts quotation marks, commas, dashes, and spacing to target style; never alter punctuation inside code, placeholders, or legally fixed strings.

Date localization

Date localization rewrites dates in the target locale order and separator convention; retain the source date when ambiguity or legal precision requires an unambiguous format.

Unit conversion precision

Unit conversion precision preserves significant figures and rounds only as target convention or source precision warrants; show the original value when exactness matters.

Placeholder protection

Placeholder protection means keeping tags, variables, and inline codes unchanged during translation; moving or translating them can break software, formatting, or cross-references.

Name transliteration

Name transliteration represents a source name in target script according to established conventions; retain the original spelling when the person or organization uses it publicly.

Cultural reference adaptation

Cultural reference adaptation replaces a source-culture item with a functional target equivalent only when comprehension or impact requires it; otherwise preserve the item and explain if needed.

Currency notation

Currency notation keeps the amount and currency code clear; convert only with a stated exchange rate and date, and avoid ambiguous symbols that differ across locales.

Title case convention

Title case convention capitalizes major words in English titles according to style guides; sentence-case languages and many locales capitalize only the first word and proper nouns.