Das Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland und seine polnische Übersetzung. Teilergebnisse einer kritischen Translationsanalyse

The aim of this article is to present selected results of translation analysis of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany into Polish. The Basic Law is the most important German legal act which determines legal order and division of powers. This article is divided into three parts. The fi rst part outlines general matters. The second part presents characteristics of legal texts and refers to the issue of equivalency. The fi nal part presents results of the translation analysis which was carried out based on two layers: lexical and cognitive. In the crucial third part of the article it is argued that an appropriate translation requires not only using suitable equivalents but also passing the speaker's intention and text information. The analysis confi rmes that a translator of legal texts is supposed to have excellent command of two languages followed by a sound knowledge of comparative law.