Thread by @ceddytrad

Ever say to yourself: “I know there’s a word that comes next to liable, but I can’t think of which one…”?

Ever want to pull up tens of real-world examples of specific clauses (severability, forum selection, etc.)?

Then #corpora are for you.

#xl8 #translation #lawtwitter #law

Don't be fooled by the complicated name.

In reality, a #corpus is just a collection of texts.

All it takes is a simple search interface to comb through thousands of pages in just instants.

The search results give you an in-context list of how real-world drafters actually use the term you searched for.

The BYU corpora are good examples:

1⃣ COCA (U.S. English): english-corpora.org/coca/
2⃣ BNC (G.B. English): english-corpora.org/bnc/

3⃣ NOW (News On the Web): english-corpora.org/now/
4⃣ Hansard #corpus (U.K. parliamentary speeches): english-corpora.org/hansard/
5⃣ GloWbE (Global web-based English): english-corpora.org/glowbe/
6⃣ Strathy (Canadian English): english-corpora.org/can/

Among others!

LawInsider is a great corpus too, although you have to pay for it. It uses catalogued/indexed SEC document filings.

It can be something of a "mixed bag" though, as the diversity of SEC filings means that quality and sources are all mixed together.

What do you get from DIY #corpora that you don't get elsewhere?

Your #corpus is:
✅ Locally stored (no internet, no problem)
✅ Made up only of documents you select (no quality issues)

#xl8

(For more on #DIYcorpora, check out the article in the 1st tweet in this #thread).

DIY #corpora are also:

✅ Targeted: You can make them for individual projects, 1 type of document (e.g. contracts), subtypes of document (from AoAs to virtual office contracts), a broad (e.g. civil law) or narrow (e.g. local gov't law) academic area, etc.

The sky's the limit.🚀

DIY #corpora also:

✅ Contain no #translationese, calques, or other such issues, provided you select texts written only by native speakers.
✅ Give you a boost in terms of #translation quality by allowing you to do real target-oriented translation (bit.ly/sourcier-cibli…)

#xl8

Other advantages of DIY #corpora for #translators?

✅ They're easy (no special technical expertise required).
✅ They're quick to get started with (around 15-25 minutes will suffice).
✅ They're fun (especially if you like collecting things).
✅ They're 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 💶💲💰💶

#xl8

So ready to give DIY #corpora a shot?

For a quick and easy tutorial, just click on the article link below.

And when you're done testing out your first #corpus, let me know what you think of corpora use!

#xl8 #translation

https://twitter.com/ceddytrad/status/1242487502969221121