Terminsystem as a component of ECHR judgments
Authors: Lyashenko Ruslana Dmytrivna 
Published: January 2025

The article analyzes the terminsystem as a component of the ECHR judgments and identifies the lexical and terminological properties of the legal language which determine the specifics of translation of the ECHR judgments.

The empirical basis for this study was selected judgments of the ECHR against Ukraine. Since the ECHR judgments are a source of law in Ukraine, the issue of their translation is key to understanding and further practical application. After all, when the content of the translated text corresponds to the original text, taking into account its linguistic features and unambiguous use of legal terminology, it ensures the implementation of the rule of law and the development of the legal system in line with European legal standards.

The terminsystem is used to accurately and unambiguously express legal concepts and terms contained in the ECHR judgments. The vast majority of ECHR judgments contain special legal terms (of international or national law) that may be incomprehensible to persons who do not have professional training in law. The terminology of the ECHR judgments is formed on the basis of the principles and spirit of the Convention and its protocols. Understanding the terms and phrases of ECHR judgments, their interpretation, as well as establishing criteria for their evaluation is important when translating them into state languages for further implementation into national legislation and practice.

Court decisions concerning violations of fundamental human rights almost routinely contain references to the so-called «strasbourg cases», and national courts constantly use the terminology used by the ECHR. In most areas of national law, the standards and criteria developed by the ECHR have significantly influenced national standards and, in general, fill the legal and judicial discourse on fundamental rights. Moreover, recent trends of lawmakers are associated with changes in legislation and the abolition of legal provisions that provide for unjustified interference with conventional human rights.

The ECHR judgments use the terms contained in the Convention, as well as the terms formulated by the ECHR in the course of judicial review of cases.

The author concludes that the terminsystem of the ECHR judgments is holistic (legal terms give an idea of the functioning of law) and stable (the meaning of legal terms generally does not change). However, there is a tendency of dynamism in the translation of certain terms and phrases, which is related to the development of legal relations. The overwhelming majority of the ECHR judgments contain special legal terms from the text of the Convention and developed by the ECHR in the course of its case law. The main lexical and terminological features of the legal language that determine the specifics of translation of the ECHR judgments are: 1) special legal terms; 2) peculiar abbreviations in the titles of judgments; 3) abbreviations; 4) metaphorical terms; 5) peculiar phrases of speech; 6) interpretation and clarification of terms. \

Key words: terminsystem, legal language, ECHR judgments, special legal terms, interpretation of terms