Understanding institutional translation: Textual and stylistic features of decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union

This thesis builds on the literature in the domain of institutional translation by conducting a textual analysis of English translations of case law produced by and for the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), an institution of the European Union (EU). The thesis will draw on reports in the literature suggesting that the output of institutional texts may appear unnatural or unusual to native speakers. In doing so, it will seek to identify what, in the specific case study of the CJEU, are the key textual and stylistic features of CJEU decisions that distinguish them from standard legal English. On the basis of those findings, it will then seek to make a number of recommendations for the benefit of individual institutional translators at the CJEU with a view to improving the readability of translations