Legal experts from Ukraine’s Constitutional Court, Ivan Franko National University Lviv, and the University of Birmingham define over 1,000 legal terms.
Professor Robin Mason, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), centre, welcomes Ukrainian guests, Birmingham colleagues and students to the legal dictionary's launch. Photo by Nicola Gotts.
A new English-Ukrainian legal dictionary has been created to remove historic Russian influence from the definition of constitutional legal terminology.
The dictionary contains definitions for over 1,000 legal terms and has been created by legal experts from Ukraine’s Constitutional Court, the Department of Constitutional Law at Ivan Franko National University Lviv, and the University of Birmingham Law School.
Launched today, the first of its kind dictionary has been created to remove any historical Russian influence from Ukraine’s law and make it more constitutionally robust in light of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the resulting war.
The correct translation of legal terms may be a small but essential step towards restoring the true meaning of concepts crucial to the rule of law and human rights. That became the core idea of the English-Ukrainian Legal Dictionary project.
Through historical and legal analysis, the dictionary seeks to rectify the acute problems that the continued application of post-Soviet legal terminology causes for understanding the rule of law in Ukrainian jurisprudence, further embed the rule of law in Ukraine, and support Ukraine’s development as a constitutional democracy and advance Euro-Atlantic integration.
Professor Olena Boryslavska Head of the Department of Constitutional Law at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv said: “The correct translation of legal terms may be a small but essential step towards restoring the true meaning of concepts crucial to the rule of law and human rights. That became the core idea of the English-Ukrainian Legal Dictionary project.”
The dictionary includes definitions for terms, which previously had Russian influences in their definitions, for example: the rule of law; parliamentary control; false imprisonment; Executive Privilege and dissent.
The creation of the dictionary was not just a simple definition and translation process from English to Ukrainian or Ukrainian to English. Technical linguists in Ukraine translated and defined each term with input from Ukrainian legal scholars who identified key legal sources to provide illustrative examples of the correct use of the term in practice.
This has been a wonderful opportunity for Birmingham Law School students to be involved in shaping the material that Ukrainian lawyers refer to when considering fundamental legal concepts. It has brought home to us all what a vital role our understanding of key legal terms plays in a well-functioning legal system. It has allowed us to reflect on our own system at the same time as supporting our colleagues in Ukraine with theirs.
Then, over a period of 9 months, 35 students from Birmingham Law School ensured that open-access cases and other legal materials were included in a way that outlined the usage of the concepts in English law to strengthen understanding of the meanings of the terms.
Professor Lisa Webley, Chair in Legal Education and Research at Birmingham Law School said: “This has been a wonderful opportunity for Birmingham Law School students to be involved in shaping the material that Ukrainian lawyers refer to when considering fundamental legal concepts. It has brought home to us all what a vital role our understanding of key legal terms plays in a well-functioning legal system. It has allowed us to reflect on our own system at the same time as supporting our colleagues in Ukraine with theirs.”
Since the invasion Ukraine has been trying to find formal ways to distance itself from Russia and align more closely with the West, such as applying to join NATO and the European Union. Removing existing Russian influences from its legal terminology and providing illustrative English source material is a practical step to strengthen the way the law is interpreted and applied in Ukraine.
The completed dictionary will be made available to legal professionals and scholars in Ukraine so the updated definitions can be used in practice.
The collaboration on the dictionary comes as part of a broader relationship between the Ukrainian university and the University of Birmingham. To mark the launch of the dictionary a delegation of academics from Ivan Franko National University Lviv has come to the UK with events planned at the University of Birmingham campus and in London.
For more information, please contact the University of Birmingham press office or +44 (0)121 414 2772.
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Chair in Legal Education and Research
Profile of Professor Lisa Webley at Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham
