Film as a Tool in Legal Translation Training

Abstract

The “Law and Cinema” movement has established itself as an innovative methodology in Law Studies. The results of this discipline can be transferred to the teaching of law to translation students, since the viewing and discussion of films with legal topics can appeal and motivate translation students in their training. To contribute to such purpose, this paper presents topics of recent film and law research, and proposes ways to include them in legal translation training, focusing on relevant legal issues (such as the concept of law itself, principles of law, civil versus criminal law, procedural law and comparative law). The research is completed with a list of legal films –classified by legal topic– that can be used as an introduction of those questions in the classroom, and an explanation of four examples of film analysis from the perspective of legal translation training, with special emphasis on comparative law.