Helping the Translator Choose: The Concept of a Dictionary of Equivalents

The purpose of the article is to present the innovative concept of a dictionary of equivalents, a reference work designed specifically for translators of legal texts. The article describes the features of legal terminology which render legal translation particularly difficult, such as polysemy and synonymy as well as incongruence among legal systems. Then it proposes a classification and labelling system of equivalents which ought to be offered in a terminographic reference work for legal translators.