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Oye. I am afraid to step in here a little, but I think that this time Duo has it right. Given the problems of translating across languages, this fight of solicitor v. lawyer * makes sense. Given the differences in legal systems however, it does not. One needs recognize that Spain and Latin America use the Latin/Germanic legal system rather than the Anglo-Saxon Common Law system. Given the differences in the division of responsibilities between the two it is impossible to claim that an abogado is the Spanish parallel of the English solicitor.
ABOGADO: Se encarga de la representación técnica ante los juzgados. Esto significa que es quien representa al cliente directamente ante el juez y puede presentar informes, alegatos, etc. Disfruta de poder de representación de su cliente y ejerce la defensa o argumentación necesarias en las comparecencias.
One might argue that the title Barrister is a better match, but given my experiences working with abogados here in Peru, I can tell you that an abogado has many of the same tasks and responsibilities as the solicitor. In short, it is apples and oranges. For that reason the better term is that of the general category "lawyer" rather than a specific role within the legal system.
If you are dubious I encourage you to click through on that link. It is the blog of Official Judicial Translators and they are very clear on this issue.
*` I would pay to see that.
In your different translations of 'abogados' you give also 'solicitors'. But when I give that as an answer, you say it is NOT CORRECT ?!
- 976
"Solicitor" is British English. In this case (& others, probably?), I think Duolingo has an American English bias.
Does solicitor mean the same as "lawyer" or "attorney" though? The word certainly exists in North American English, but it means something different.
In the US, we just have lawyers. However, in much of the world, there are two kinds of lawyers: barristers and solicitors. Very different from the common US meaning for the word "solicitor," which can refer to door-to-door salesmen.
There are many types of lawyers. Barristers and solicitors are types of lawyers in the United Kingdom. An attorney (or attorney-at-law) is a professional lawyer who passed the bar exam and is qualified to provide legal representation. A lawyer is any person who is in or has passed law school, and includes all the aforementioned types of lawyers.
In Spanish, I am only aware of one term, which means "lawyer": abogado. I'm not sure if there are any distinct terms for types of lawyers like in the United States or United Kingdom.
Three years later (22 June 2016) I got en email from Duo to say "solicitors" is now acepted. Thanks to all who reported it.
Duolingo is clearly written by Americans. Keep reporting until they fix it.
Well, look at it this way. You are learning two languages in your effort of studying just one. A "two fer!" Whoa! That's a pretty good deal. Can't go wrong with that. And if you ever visit the US, or if the US gets around to invading your country, you'll be able to understand what the Yankies are saying.
fredfrombelgium, this sort of thing happens on a regular basis in Duolingo. Es mucho frustrado!! Sometimes the very first suggested definition is not accepted.
I have found that the dictionary of the singular form of a word often does not match the dictionary of the plural form of a word. Definitions in one are often missing in the other. "Abogado(s)" and "funcionario(s)" are two such words. This leads to the problem fredfrombelgium encountered. I have seen dictionaries revised if you report the problem as "Dictionary ....... /lacking." (Sorry I cannot remember exact wording.)
Fed up of this US English Bias. So many times I put the right thing only for it to come up wrong. In this case "Who are your solicitors?" is perfectly genuine!
Well, the "US English Bias" is based on the idea that many of the students are prepping themselves to escape to Central or South America before the hammer falls and not Spain.
I'm not saying that lawyer shouldn't be accepted, I'm saying both lawyer and solicitor should be accepted. They need to cater for the entire English speaking world (UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) and not just for the US.
I don't think so...but it may have something to do with Luis von Ahn, the founder of Duolingo, being employed at a United States university. (And he's from Argentina, which is why the Spanish sometmes has South American quirks)
- 127
Your own system confirms that solicitors is correct and once again I am made to start from the beginning. Please solve these mistakes thank you. Norman.
To annoying, know-it-all EugeneTiffany: Isn't lawyer/lawyers abogado/abogados in spanish?? Wondering why you keep using abrigado/abrigados?
Duo is located in Pittsburg so I'm not surprised if they are a little biased. If you are British and you made Duolingo you would probably have some British English bias. If you didn't know solicitors in American English is door to door salesman.
I dont get why some one will ask that question , Respect people's bissness
- 769
I used 'whom' rather than 'who' . Any thoughts on the correctness of this usage? I'm English.
