Sight Translation: Federal Court Order for a Pro Se Plaintiff
You are asked to sight-translate an English federal court order into Russian for a Russian-speaking pro se plaintiff in a §1983 civil rights case. The order is one page. It reads: 'The plaintiff's motion to proceed in forma pauperis is GRANTED. The complaint is dismissed without prejudice for failure to state a claim. The plaintiff may file an amended complaint within 30 days of this order. The Clerk shall send plaintiff a copy of this order.' The plaintiff has 20 minutes before a deadline to mail a response and asks you to read it aloud. He does not know 'in forma pauperis' and thinks 'dismissed without prejudice' means the case is over forever. He also asks whether 'within 30 days' includes weekends. You are not giving legal advice; you are sight-translating.
1. How do you render in forma pauperis, dismissed without prejudice, and pro se in oral sight translation?
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I would render in forma pauperis as 'ходатайство о разрешении вести дело без уплаты судебных расходов удовлетворено' or, more briefly, 'разрешение proceed without prepayment of fees.' I would not leave the Latin phrase unexplained in Russian, because the plaintiff needs to understand that fees were waived, not that the case was won. For dismissed without prejudice I would say 'жалоба отклонена без ущерба для права повторного обращения' or 'без окончательного прекращения права,' not 'дело проиграно окончательно.' For pro se I would say 'самостоятельно, без адвоката.'
I would keep the register plain because this is an oral sight translation for a layperson, but I would not simplify away the legal distinction between a dismissal with prejudice and without prejudice. If the plaintiff asks for the exact procedural effect, I would say that is a legal question for the clerk or a lawyer.
2. The plaintiff thinks the case is over. How do you correct the misunderstanding without giving legal advice?
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I would separate translation from advice: 'Я перевожу текст приказа, но не консультирую по праву.' Then I would point to the words that create the limited reopening: 'without prejudice' means the dismissal is not final in the sense of barring a corrected complaint, and the next sentence gives 30 days to file an amended complaint. I would read those two sentences again slowly in Russian and ask him to repeat the key point in his own words.
I would not say 'you will win' or 'you must file.' I would say: 'Текст говорит, что вы можете подать исправленную жалобу в течение 30 дней.' If he asks whether he should file, I would refer him to the clerk or a legal aid office. Correcting a misunderstanding is part of accurate sight translation; advising on strategy is not.
3. How do you handle 'within 30 days' and weekends in sight translation?
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I would translate the phrase exactly: 'в течение 30 дней с даты настоящего приказа' or 'в течение 30 дней после даты этого приказа.' I would not compute the calendar date or decide whether weekends count, because that is a legal computation under the applicable rules, not a translation choice. If the plaintiff presses me, I would say: 'Я перевожу текст, но не исчисляю процессуальные сроки. Уточните у секретаря суда или юриста.'
I would also avoid substituting 'в течение 30 рабочих дней,' which would change the meaning, or 'в течение месяца,' which is less precise. If the order itself says 'days' and not 'business days,' the Russian should say 'дней,' and the plaintiff should be told to verify the computation with the court.