Translation and cultural transfer: Israeli law as a case in point

Following Itamar Even-Zohar's suggestion, this article approaches translation in the more general framework of transfer. The transfer of cultural models and whole parts of a repertoire is conceived as analogous to, and often dependent on, interlingual translation. While translation facilitates transfer, it can also assert the independence of the receiving culture and play a role in national projects. In light of these premises, the article surveys three periods in the history of Israel's legal system: the late Ottoman, the Mandatory, and the Israeli. In the first two periods, local law was the product of intercultural transfer and its implementation depended to a large degree on both written translation and court interpreting. At present, the legal system of the State of Israel is still hybrid, assimilating American models into pre-existing repertoires. However, translation has changed its role: nowadays it asserts the hegemony of the Hebrew language and the independence of the Israeli legal system.