UAE Will Translate Legal Data Into English
As part of an effort to increase the transparency of its legal system, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Justice has announced that all laws passed since 1971 will soon be translated into English and made available online. The move means that about 1,500 federal court decisions, 500 international treaties ratified by the UAE, and nearly 2,000 official fatwas issued by UAE muftis will be translated. It will create a centralized and accessible body of case law in both the vernacular and English. Abdulla al Majid, Director of the translation project for the Ministry of Justice, says translating and consolidating UAE law will help improve international understanding of the emirate's legal system and increase the confidence of companies interested in investing in the country. "There are more people that speak English than Arabic in the UAE, and our goal is to make the laws available to them," says al Majid. The translation project has been underway for two years and involves more than 80 lawyers, academics, and translators from the United States, Lebanon, and the UAE. "This is clearly a wealth of information that for the first time is available to the public directly from the Ministry of Justice and not from a law firm," al Majid says. "You can imagine the kind of impact this will have on the overall justice system."
From "Translating Laws into English to Increase Visibility in Murky Gulf Waters"
ALB Legal News (United Arab Emirates) (04/27/09) Beveridge, George
Source: ATA Newsbriefs - April 2009