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Law Dictionary
Dr. Shanker Kumar Shrestha’s dictionary makes efforts to translate legal words into Nepali
By A CORRESPONDENT
Nepal is a few countries in the world where all legal proceedings are based on Nepali language. From writing judgment to pleading cases in the court, all court proceedings are conducted in Nepali language.
Nepalese laws are written in Nepali but their provisions are based on the international legal concepts. Philosophy behind existing Nepalese laws is western so it inherits many words. Although Nepal’s court proceeds in Nepali, the legal system of Nepal evolved on the western concepts.
Even years after the transformation in the legal system in the western world, Nepal’s legal system were based on religions and there were no written legal procedures for punishment. Following the visit of Nepalese prime minister Jung Bahadur to England and Europe in the later part of 18th century, Nepal formulated its first written civil code for criminal justice system. Nepal’s legal system is the evolution of the civil code and the tradition of accepting all system in local language is adopted by it.
Unlike other South Asian Countries with colonial past, Nepal’s court proceedings is in Nepal’s own language where lawyers, judges and disputed sides all understand the proceedings.
Individual freedom, criminal law system, constitutionalism, rights of citizens are accepted by the Constitution of Kingdom of Nepal. This is the reason Nepalese lawyers and students of law need to have command over Nepalese as well as English language to plead the case.
As there is a lack of uniformity in the meaning of translated words, they create confusion. With an objective to provide clarity in legal words, Dr. Shrestha has recently published a dictionary.
In absence of a perfect dictionary in Nepali, there appeared many problems including in the areas of interpretation and reading as law-related institutions continue to grow along with number of students under this faculty.
Despite availability of dictionary on English to English, Nepalese students find difficulties to translate them.
Dr. Shrestha – who started his legal profession as an advocate in 1977 - has multifarious experiences in the services of law and justice as a judge, government attorney and registrar in a career spanning nearly two and a half decades. And he also has worked as a secretary of National Human Rights Commission.
Specialized in Nepali Law Lexicographer and victim logy, Dr. Shrestha’s dictionary helps to understand the words and explains them in proper way. “The edition provides the basic vocabulary used in legal field as in the courtroom, law chamber as well as in the academic institutions. Needful examples are given to show the words and phrases used in the context, and many difficult phrases are also defined in clear and simple way,” said Dr. Shrestha.
Despite some complications and confusion on translation, the dictionary is first of its kind that will surely help students as well as law practitioners.
Dictionary Of Law and Justice
English-English-Nepali
Edited by: Shanker Kumar Shrestha, Ph. D.
Published by: Pairavi Prakashan
Pages: 912
Price: Rs.695
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