The publication by Dr. Ernest Duga Titanji was recently launched in Yaounde and Douala.
Jurists and legal professionals now have a bilingual glossary containing some of the most used legal terms in Cameroon. The 314-page publication by Dr Ernest Duga Titanji, a Yaounde-based Barrister-at-Law, represents a collection of over 5,000 words and legal terms in banking, finance, stock exchange and insurance law, collected by the author over a period of 25 years.
The book that costs FCFA 10,000 was welcomed by the public during launch ceremonies in the cities of Yaounde and Douala. The publication takes the reader into the feared labyrinth of terms that do not respect the tenets of ordinary dictionary translations and thus pose daily challenges to legal professionals. Such words, phrases and expressions when translated following their ordinary face meanings, the author says in the foreword, are either misleading or simply erroneous. It is these catchy, ambivalent and unusual words that are collected and translated in the glossary.
The author goes into virgin territory by attempting to present words with more than one meaning and chooses the one that most precisely matches the intended sense in its language of origin (either English or French). He also selects terms and expressions that often present translation challenges and traces the closest translation that matches the intended meaning. For easier understanding, the author attempts a definition of the term in the second language so as to offer the reader a meaning in their first foreign language.
The glossary which is divided into Part One (English-French translation) and Part Two (French-English translation), showcases the author's 25-year experience as a law student, legal advisor and legal practitioner in Cameroon where these words and expressions are inevitably encountered on a daily basis in the legal profession.
Prefaced by reputed economist, Babissakana, who salutes the author's approach and multidisciplinary expertise, the glossary stands out as a practical tool for not only legal practitioners, but also ordinary English and French language users.
Dr. Ernest Duga Titanji holds a Ph.D in Law. He studied at the Universities of Yaounde, London and later Yale University (USA) as a World Fellow. Besides working as barrister, legal consultant and legal practitioner, Dr. Ernest Duga Titanji is a Senior Lecturer of Laws at the University of Yaounde II.
