Legal English terms: common terms by topic and their Turkish equivalents

Three principles for learning terms

1. Learn each term with the words it travels with. Phrases such as breach of contract, liable for and governed by are easier to remember than single words.
2. Keep British and American usage apart. The same concept may have a different name in each system, so check which system a document belongs to.
3. Explain what has no equivalent. For a concept with no Turkish counterpart, a short explanation is usually more accurate than a one-word translation.

To study terms inside real contract and litigation texts, with video lessons taught in Turkish, take a look at the Legal English Training Set.

Contract terms

Many of the first terms you meet in an English contract are the names of standard clauses. Representation and warranty are often confused: the first is a statement that leads a party to enter the contract, the second a promise given in the contract itself, and the remedies differ. An indemnity is a promise to cover a specific loss; liquidated damages are agreed in advance, and nothing that depends on a condition precedent takes effect until it is met.

consideration

karşı edim (bedel)

representation

beyan

warranty

garanti (güvence) beyanı

covenant

taahhüt

indemnity

tazmin taahhüdü

breach of contract

sözleşmeye aykırılık

liquidated damages

götürü tazminat

condition precedent

geciktirici şart (ön koşul)

termination

fesih; sona erme

force majeure

mücbir sebep

assignment

devir (alacağın temliki)

novation

sözleşmenin devri; yenileme (tecdit)

waiver

feragat (haktan vazgeçme)

severability

bölünebilirlik (kısmi geçersizlik)

governing law

uygulanacak hukuk

counterparty

karşı taraf

Litigation and procedure

Litigation is where British and American usage differ most. The party bringing a civil claim is a claimant in England and Wales and a plaintiff in the United States, and English courts use a witness summons where American courts issue a subpoena. American texts speak of the statute of limitations; English texts speak of the limitation period, the time within which a claim must be brought.

claimant

davacı

plaintiff

davacı (ABD)

defendant

davalı; ceza yargılamasında sanık

litigation

dava süreci (yargılama)

jurisdiction

yargı yetkisi

burden of proof

ispat yükü

res judicata

kesin hüküm

statute of limitations

zamanaşımı

appeal

kanun yolu başvurusu (istinaf, temyiz)

injunction

ihtiyati tedbir; yapma ya da yapmama emri

affidavit

yeminli yazılı beyan

subpoena

celpname (zorunlu çağrı)

Arbitration, mediation and settlement

The dispute resolution clause of an international contract often chooses arbitration, where arbitrators give a binding decision. In mediation a mediator helps the parties reach their own settlement and decides nothing. An arbitral award can be enforced abroad under the New York Convention, to which Türkiye is a party.

arbitration

tahkim

arbitral award

hakem kararı

mediation

arabuluculuk

settlement

sulh (uzlaşma)

Liability and compensation

Watch the number: damage is harm, while damages means compensation. Strict liability needs no fault, vicarious liability makes one person answer for another's act, as an employer does for an employee, and under joint and several liability a creditor may claim the whole debt from any one debtor.

tort

haksız fiil

negligence

ihmal (özen yükümlülüğünün ihlali)

liability

sorumluluk

damages

tazminat

strict liability

kusursuz sorumluluk

vicarious liability

başkasının fiilinden sorumluluk

joint and several liability

müteselsil sorumluluk

set-off

takas

unjust enrichment

sebepsiz zenginleşme

Company law

These terms cover setting up, running and buying companies. The board of directors manages the company; in the United States its internal rules are set out in its bylaws. A subsidiary is controlled by another company, and due diligence is the legal review carried out before an acquisition.

shareholder

pay sahibi (hissedar)

board of directors

yönetim kurulu

bylaws

şirket iç yönetmeliği (ABD)

dividend

kâr payı (temettü)

subsidiary

bağlı şirket (yavru şirket)

joint venture

ortak girişim

merger

birleşme

acquisition

devralma (satın alma)

due diligence

hukuki inceleme (durum tespiti)

fiduciary

güven ilişkisine dayalı; sadakat yükümlüsü

Property, security and insolvency

A mortgage is security over land, and collateral is any asset that secures a debt. In English law a lien is usually a right to keep goods until payment, close to the Turkish right of retention; in the United States it is a broader security interest. In England bankruptcy applies only to individuals, while companies fall under insolvency.

mortgage

ipotek

lease

kira sözleşmesi; kiralama

easement

irtifak hakkı

collateral

teminat

lien

hapis hakkı

guarantor

kefil (garantör)

escrow

emanet (escrow) düzenlemesi

insolvency

ödeme aczi

bankruptcy

iflas

International law and trade

A treaty is an agreement between states, and sovereign immunity protects a state from being sued in another state's courts. Public documents for use abroad carry an apostille where both countries are party to the Apostille Convention, and a letter of credit is the bank undertaking that secures payment in many export deals.

treaty

antlaşma (uluslararası sözleşme)

sovereign immunity

devlet bağışıklığı

extradition

suçluların iadesi

apostille

apostil şerhi

letter of credit

akreditif

Criminal law

In criminal proceedings the defendant is the accused. The physical element of an offence is the actus reus and the mental element the mens rea. An indictment sets out the charges, and a trial ends in conviction or acquittal. The American plea bargain has no exact Turkish counterpart.

actus reus

suçun maddi unsuru

mens rea

suçun manevi unsuru

indictment

iddianame

bail

kefaletle salıverme

plea bargain

itiraf pazarlığı (ABD)

presumption of innocence

masumiyet karinesi

conviction

mahkûmiyet

acquittal

beraat

Employment law

The notice period is the time a party must give before ending the contract. In English law, unfair dismissal is dismissal without a fair reason or without a fair procedure, constructive dismissal is resigning because of the employer's serious breach, and redundancy is dismissal because the job is no longer needed. Severance pay is often translated as kıdem tazminatı, but the two do not share the same conditions.

employment contract

iş sözleşmesi

notice period

bildirim (ihbar) süresi

unfair dismissal

geçerli nedene dayanmayan fesih (geçersiz fesih)

constructive dismissal

dolaylı fesih

redundancy

işletme gerekçesiyle işten çıkarma

severance pay

kıdem tazminatı (işten ayrılma tazminatı)

non-compete clause

rekabet yasağı kaydı

collective bargaining

toplu pazarlık

Intellectual property

Intellectual property covers copyright, trade marks, patents and trade secrets. Using a protected work, mark or invention without permission is infringement; the permission is a licence and the payment for it a royalty. In American English license is both noun and verb; British English spells the noun licence.

intellectual property

fikri mülkiyet

copyright

telif hakkı

trade mark (US: trademark)

marka

patent

patent

trade secret

ticari sır

infringement

hak ihlali (tecavüz)

licence (US: license)

lisans

royalty

lisans ücreti (telif ücreti)

Latin expressions

Latin phrases are still common and are often printed in italics. Mutatis mutandis means that a provision applies to another case with the necessary changes; prima facie describes what is enough at first sight, until the contrary is proved.

bona fide

iyi niyetli; iyi niyetle

prima facie

ilk bakışta; aksi ispatlanana kadar

mutatis mutandis

gerekli değişikliklerle (kıyasen)

ultra vires

yetki aşımı

pro bono

ücretsiz hukuki hizmet (kamu yararına)

Sources of law and general concepts

Common law is the tradition built up through court decisions, in which a precedent can bind later courts. Estoppel and the trust have no direct counterpart in Turkish law, so a translation needs a short explanation.

common law

Anglo-Amerikan hukuk sistemi (içtihat hukuku)

statute

kanun

precedent

emsal karar (içtihat)

estoppel

önceki beyan ya da davranışla bağlılık

trustee

trust yöneticisi (güvenilen kişi)

power of attorney

vekâletname

Common translation mistakes

• Mixing up damage and damages. Singular damage is harm or loss; plural damages is compensation.
• Treating shall as a future tense. In a contract shall imposes an obligation; the contract English guide shows how to render it in Turkish.
• One Turkish word for jurisdiction. Jurisdiction spans both görev and yetki in Turkish procedure, so the context decides.
• Reading consideration as careful thought. In a contract, in consideration of usually means in exchange for.

Frequently asked questions