Source: https://sbilingual.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/two-legal-systems-and-the-term-homicide/
Timestamp: 2017-12-18 12:28:11
Document Index: 526655438

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1', '§ 2', '§ 3', '§ 4', '§ 2', '§ 4']

Two Legal Systems and the Term Homicide |
Posted by: sbilingual | May 23, 2012
Hence, a legal background contributes significantly to the translator’s and interpreter’s professional success, as such knowledge will be crucial for avoiding erroneous translations such as homicídio-suicídio andhomicídio involuntário (meant to correspond to the English terms “homicide-suicide” and “involuntary manslaughter,” respectively), which have no equivalents in the Brazilian system, despite their appearing in renown Brazilian bilingual dictionaries. Expressions such as these only confuse readers and make it difficult to understand the text, consequently preventing a complete understanding of the target legal system.
If we research the crime of homicide in the Brazilian and English systems, we will surely find terms such as homicídio, homicídio simples,homicídio culposo, homicídio culposo simples, homicídio culposo qualificado, homicídio doloso, homicídio qualificado, homicídio privilegiado, homicídio, homicídio simples, homicídio culposo, homicídio culposo simples, homicídio culposo qualificado, homicídio doloso,homicídio qualificado, homicídio privilegiado, homicide, manslaughter,voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, constructive manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter and murder.
This is a crime against life subject to trial by jury, as is the case of abortion (articles 124 to 128), infanticide, (article 123) as well as inducement and instigation to or assistance with suicide (article 122). For all of these crimes, the value in question is human life. The crime of homicide (article 121 of the Penal Code) has its sub-divisions: homicídio simples (caput); homicídio privilegiado (§ 1); homicídio qualificado (§ 2); homicídio culposo (§§ 3, 4 and 5) and homicídio doloso (§ 4). Thecaput of article 121, the briefest in the legal text under consideration, states: “To kill someone. Sentence – imprisonment from 6 to 20 years.” The penal type defines homicídio simples.
in order to assure performance, dissimulation, impunity or to benefit from another crime (e.g. a man who kills his crony in order not to be reported commits the crime of homicídio qualificadoseeking to remain free from blame)
Following this very brief explanation, the definition of homicídio dolososhould also be clarified. The crime of homicídio doloso is a crime committed intentionally. In other words, the agent desired or accepted the risk of causing the victim’s death, differently from what happens with homicídio culposo, whereby the perpetrator acts unwisely, negligently or with a lack of skill. The homicídios qualificados in § 2 are all homicídios dolosos.
Should none of the above situations take place (§ 4), homicídio culpososhall be defined as simples. A unique aspect of homicídio culposo is the fact that a judge may refrain from applying the standard sentence if the consequences of the violation affected the agent in such a serious manner that a penal sanction should become unnecessary, as for example in the case in which the agent becomes paralytic or in the case of the death of the agent’s child. In short, these instances constitute homicide in the Brazilian legal system. Let us now turn our attention to the English system.
Homicide is the class under which murderand manslaughter are classified. Therefore, the crime of murder, which carries the most severe punishments in the English legal system (life imprisonment), is considered a common law offense (a crime included in jurisprudence and one with no definition in a legal text), being defined by Coke as the following:
“Murder is when a man of sound memory, and the age of discretion, unlawfully killeth within any county of the realm any reasonable creature in rerum natura under the king’s peace, with malice aforethought, either expressed by the party or implied by law, so as the party wounded, or hurt etc. die of the wound or hurt, etc. within a year and a day after the same.”
Using this concept, we are able to point out the elements that definehomicide as a crime of murder. They are:
As demonstrated by the division of the above definition, the crime ofhomicide and the crime of homicídio do not display the same elements, making it difficult to use the correct terminology and preventing a perfect parallel between the Brazilian and English systems. Nevertheless, this issue will become clearer after we examine the term manslaughter.
Under different conditions, the crime of murder may not qualify asmanslaughter, a crime resulting in a less severe sentence. A similar situation occurs in the Brazilian system when homicídio simples does not qualify as culposo or privilegiado, for example, or when homicídio is not considered a crime in light of one of the excluding factors (legitimate self-defense, state of necessity, strict compliance with legal obligations, regular exercise of law) as described in articles 23 to 25 in the General Section of the Brazilian Penal Code.
Finally, before establishing a relationship between the two systems in the third and final part of this article, allow me to comment oninvoluntary manslaughter. The crime of involuntary manslaughter occurs when the agent has no intention of committing (mens rea) murder. Below are some examples: Punching the victim, who falls and dies, threatening someone with a loaded firearm which fires accidentally.
(…) the negligence of the accused went beyond a mere matter of compensation between subjects and showed such disregard for the life and safety of others as to amount to a crime against the State and conduct deserving punishment.”
The dividing line between the categories of involuntary manslaughteris not clear, and in many cases, a crime is classified under both.
How can the translator overcome these obstacles? In light of the technical aspects associated with this field, it is very dangerous to usehomicídio-suicídio to describe voluntary manslaughter that results from a suicide pact. Readers who run across an expression like this one will surely understand nothing.
Perhaps a better solution (with the exception of the term’s broader context) would be a translation based on definitions. For example,voluntary manslaughter could be translated as homicídio privilegiado do sistema inglês with an additional explanation of what is the privilege involved; e.g., whether it refers to a suicide pact, diminished responsibility or provocation. Hence, the translator will convey the true sense of the word in the source language instead of employing terms that the reader cannot understand.
necessity, defense of justification. estado de necessidade
justification, defense of justification excludente de antijuridiciade
by commandment of the law, justification exercício regular do direito
involuntary manslaughter homicídio culposo Quando há negligência e imperícia.
voluntary manslaughter (provocation) homicídio privilegiado (injusta provocação da vítima)
self-defense, justifiable homicide legítima defesa
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