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Wälzschleifscheiben
osteoligamentäre Dekompression
Apr 15, 2020 13:23
4 yrs ago
43 viewers *
German term

"Urteil" in a divorce decree into US English only?

FVA German to English Law/Patents Law (general) Family Law
How would you translate "Urteil" in a divorce decree into US English only please?
BTW, it is a Swiss Court document and simply reads "Urteil" not "Scheidungsurteil" .

In GB English, the correct translation is "divorce decree" but from looking at US family law web sites, it seems that US courts use "judgment".

These are distinctions between UK and US legal terminology. For example, in UK, the 2 parties are called "Petitioner (Applicant") + "Respondent" but in the US they are "Plaintiff" and "Defendant". This is quite strange for me, so I would like to make sure that I am also translating "Urteil" correctly as "judgment".

Please only reply if you specialise in US legal terminology.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +3 judgment (of divorce)
4 +1 (AmE) Decree (CanE & ScotEng) Order
3 Decision
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (2): TechLawDC, OK-Trans

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Discussion

Jeanie Eldon (asker) Apr 18, 2020:
Thank you, Allegrotrans, that's precisely my point. It's understood but it's not common usage and I was looking for the US term
AllegroTrans Apr 18, 2020:
Yes indeed I wouldn't think any American could misunderstand "divorce decree/decree of dovorce" even if a few states don't use the word.
philgoddard Apr 15, 2020:
When I Google "divorce decree" here in the States, the whole first page of hits is American. You would obviously get different results in the UK.
Jeanie Eldon (asker) Apr 15, 2020:
Thank you philgoddard, I have only found "judgment" in US English. I found it strange as I am used to translating it as "decree". I shall wait for further replies from US English speakers.
philgoddard Apr 15, 2020:
You can say decree or judgment - they both mean the same thing. I think decree is more common.

Proposed translations

+3
11 mins
Selected

judgment (of divorce)

A divorce decree—also known as a judgment of divorce—is basically a signed court order, which declares that your marriage is dissolved. It also incorporates the other terms of your divorce, regarding the topics either you or your spouse raised during the course of the divorce proceedings. https://www.lawyers.com/legal-info/family-law/divorce/what-w...
Note from asker:
Thank you, Kim. This is what I have found on all the US family law sites and it seemed odd to me, so I just wanted to have this confirmed. Indeed in UK we only use "decree"
Peer comment(s):
agree writeaway
10 mins
agree Chris Pr
12 mins
agree Katarina Peters
40 mins
neutral Kent Hyde : The term will vary from state to state. Here in South Dakota, it is called a "divorce decree," not a judgment
5 hrs
Thanks.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "First validated answer (validated by peer agreement)"
4 mins

Decision

Often found at the top of the document. Wil post sources later
Note from asker:
Thanks, Michael. I shall look out for the sources
Something went wrong...
+1
2 hrs

(AmE) Decree (CanE & ScotEng) Order

Decree is strictly issued by a Court of Equity in the USA (Barron's US Law Dictionary) but, otherwise, I agree with Phil G. as usual!

However, it does depend on the US Fed. State concerned. Relatives of mine have obtained such a divorce decree in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Otherwise, we ought to be wary of conflating Scotland with the UK, the petition North of the Border being called an *action for divorce* to which the parties are Pursuer and Defender. - and which others ought to have picked up on. The decree obtained there is also called an Order of Divorce.
Example sentence:

USA: n most states the period from original filing for divorce, serving the petition on the other party and final judgment, or *decree*, takes several months to allow for a chance of reconciliation.

Scots law: If you're applying for the divorce you're called the pursuer. Your ex-partner is the defender.

Reference:

http://www.hg.org/divorce-law-center.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divorce_in_Scotland

Peer comment(s):
agree AllegroTrans : "decree" is so widely-used in the EN spkg world that I fail to see how it could be misunderstood
2 days 8 hrs
Thx. As Kent Hyde points out, the term of judgment vs- decree varies from one US Fed. State to another, plus my (British) relatives in Nevada def. obtained a 'decree of divorce'- http://selfhelp.nvcourts.gov/forms/divorce-forms
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