Law Students

Translation

By Andrea

I was translating a declaration yesterday and realized that I couldn't really use the formal language "under the pains and penalties of perjury," because both pains and penalties are penas. Sometimes Spanish gets to the point better, I think. Like how a waiver (in the immigration context) is a perdón (pardon) and a bar is a prohibición (prohibition). Exactly. Law school is escuela de derecho (school of rights) and a lawyer is an abogada (closer to advocate). I like that much better.

I'd say more about work the last week or so, but where to start? When I went to court yesterday and saw 5 dejected Guatemalan kids, 2 of which were clearly actual kids, take voluntary departure, and they looked so much like my old students I felt bad all afternoon? Or the guy who called about his son who is being released from the mental hospital 6 years after his schizophrenia resulted in him killing someone...about whether we can help the son avoid deportation to a country where he's not going to get much mental health treatment? (No.) I mean, it's been a tough one.

I did win a small victory in that we're upping our number of jail visits, though. And I feel smarter ever day. I just need to win a victory with a client to shake this week off.

Full post as published by Peanut Butter Burrito on October 29, 2008 (boomark / email).