Official Interpretation Research Articles

Translating Ulyssei@s: Work in progress between general and specialised translation in light of NMT

It is common knowledge that the publication of translation projects carried out by students is a very motivating factor for training. Since the second semester of 2015-2016, undergraduate translation students of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto have participated in the development of the French and English versions of the digital encyclopaedia Ulyssei@s, created by the Institute for Comparative Literature Margarida Losa (ILCML) in the early 2010s. Besides motivating students, this translation project published on the Internet allows us to develop translation skills, foster teamwork, consolidate the three-phase methodology proposed by Gouadec (2002, 2007), and experiment with several essential tasks in language services: collaborative glossary-making, translation, revision of human translation and post-editing neural machine translation (NMT). Some of the challenges posed by the translation of Ulyssei@s are common to all types of translation, while others are specific to the translation of entries of this sui generis encyclopaedia, such as a variety of textual genres (biography, literary criticism, prose, poetry, theatre, essay) in hybrid texts and the need to find the original or the official translation of the works cited. This paper focuses on the data collected in the spring semester of 2022 and is based on the results of a survey submitted to students at the end of the project. It aims to share the experience of developing an inevitably unfinished project and adapting training and learning to the latest advances in Human Language Technology, since NMT has become a valuable tool for human translators, and Ulyssei@s is a digital encyclopaedia regularly enriched by ILCML collaborators with new entries.

Measuring refugees’ capabilities: translation, adaptation, and valuation of the OxCAP-MH into Juba Arabic for use among South Sudanese male refugees in Uganda

BackgroundForcibly displaced populations are highly vulnerable to psychosocial distress and mental disorders, including alcohol misuse. In an ongoing trial that seeks to develop a transdiagnostic intervention addressing psychological distress and alcohol use disorders among conflict-affected populations, we will carry out a cost-effectiveness evaluation using a capability-based Oxford Capabilities Mental Health (OxCAP-MH) measure. The OxCAP-MH is a 16-item questionnaire developed from the Capability Approach, that covers multiple domains of functioning and welfare. The aim of the current paper is to present the results of the translation, cultural adaptation and valuation of the OxCAP-MH into Juba Arabic for South Sudanese refugees living in Uganda.We adhered to the official Translation and Linguistic Validation process of the OxCAP-MH. To carry out the translation, the Concept Elaboration document, official English version of the OxCAP-MH, and the Back-Translation Review Template were used. Four independent translators were used for forward and back translations. The reconciled translated version was then piloted in two focus group discussions (N = 16) in Rhino refugee settlement. A most important to least important valuation of the sixteen capability domains covered in the OxCAP-MH was also done.ResultsThe Juba Arabic version of the OxCAP-MH was finalized following a systematic iterative process. The content of the Juba Arabic version remained unchanged, but key concepts were adapted to ensure cultural acceptability, feasibility, and comprehension of the measure in the local context of Rhino refugee settlement. Most participants had low levels of literacy and required support with filling in the tool. Participants suggested an additional capability that is currently not reflected in the OxCAP-MH, namely access to food. Furthermore, discussions around the valuation exercise of the sixteen domains led to two separate importance scales, which showed relevant differences.ConclusionsIn this context, the OxCAP-MH was considered culturally acceptable. The valuation exercise proved cognitively demanding. Participants voiced confusion over how to answer the questions on the OxCAP-MH instrument due to low levels of literacy. These concerns invite consideration for future research to consider how measures such as the OxCAP-MH can be made more accessible to individuals with low literacy rates in resource poor settings.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, validation of King's Health Questionnaire in the Marathi language.

Outcome measurement is a crucial component of contemporary professional practice. Many Indian rehabilitation facilities employ the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ), but there has never been an official Marathi translation with its reliability and validity. As per the recommendations for cross-cultural validation of an outcome assessment, KHQ was translated into the Marathi language at a tertiary hospital in Pune, India. A study was conducted to assess the dependability of 123 patients from tertiary hospitals in India. The reliability of the study was assessed by two competent physiotherapists. The interrater reliability of the KHQ total scores and each item was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. To compare the interrater dependability with the findings of other investigations, the intraclass correlation (ICC) coefficient was determined. When evaluated by domain, the KHQ's standardized Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.49-0.92. All domains had reliability that was rated as moderate to strong by ICC, and the severity rating scale varied from 0.53 to 0.81. The Pearson correlation coefficient between KHQ and short form-36 (SF-36) in the majority of related areas was found to be weak to moderate, with values ranging from -0.27 to -0.53. The Marathi version of the KHQ was translated and adapted for use in Marathi language-speaking Indian women with urinary incontinence complaints. It represents an important instrument for the evaluation of incontinent women in clinical research with good interrater reliability and validity with SF-36 quality-of-life measure.

The Official Interpretation of the Law in the Context of the Paradox

Introduction: the official interpretation of the norms of law is one of the elements that support the efficiency of the mechanism of the legal regulation of public relations. Traditionally, it is associated with a provisional measure in the framework of law enforcement. However, the vigorous improvement of public relations shows that this opinion is outdated and needs to be rethought, which serves as a basis for reconsidering the role of official interpretation in the legal system of society. Purpose: to consider specific ideas about using the official interpretation of law in both classical and non-standard situations, to identify appropriate areas of communication in these processes. Methods: the methodological framework for the research is a set of methods of scientific cognition, including systematicity, analysis, comparative law, formal legal, and historical ones. Results: the author’s position, substantiated in the work, on the possibility of the primary formation by the official interpretation of law of the vectors of development of law enforcement and law-making activities, is based on the work of pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern scientists, as well as the materials of law-making and law enforcement practice. Conclusions: as a result of the conducted research, it is found that the official interpretation of law should not be considered in the traditional binding to the needs of law enforcement activities. The classical point of view, which for a long time remained popular and monopolistic in legal science, consisting in the exclusive law enforcement nature of the official interpretation of law, is no longer dominant today. If earlier law-making and law enforcement determined the official interpretation, today, the official interpretation acts as a vector forming the foundations of law enforcement, and in some cases, law-making. This indicates that the official interpretation of the norms of law has reached a new level of functioning.

Features of translation policies on the Chinese mainland (1979–2021)

Abstract This research presents a new classification of translation policy by referring to Baldauf’s (2006) framework of language planning. It constructs a policy database containing 363 policy documents issued on the Chinese mainland from 1979 to 2021, and analyzes the features of each policy category by integrating corpus analysis with text analysis. It is revealed that policy documents on translation education aim to train professional translators with standard national tests and postgraduate programs; policy documents on translation profession are committed to improving the professional title system for translators and interpreters; policy documents on translation standardization are supported by national standards and cover various stakeholders and fields; and policy documents on official translation projects aim to disseminate Chinese culture, provide language services for international events, and organize minority language translation. With these findings, this study contributes to research on translation policy with new knowledge about China and a novel perspective, classification, and approach.

Normative act in the administrative litigation legislation and practice: definition and distinction from similar phenomena

The article indicates that, regardless of the form of the official document, the fact that it governs through its generally binding provisions the legal status (establishment, change or termination of rights and duties) of an unlimited circle of participants in legal relations to which this official document applies (the general direction of the rules of conduct) rather than covering only specifically defined (personified) persons - are sufficient conditions for ascertaining the normative nature of a particular official document or its certain provisions. It was established that if an official document is not characterized by these properties or only one of them is inherent in it (mandatory nature of the rule of conduct that it establishes, changes or terminates, its general orientation and the possibility of its repeated application), then this indicates that a document belongs to acts of official interpretation of legal norms (including those that are formally binding for their issuers) or acts of application of law (including administrative acts), public policy documents or other official documents.
 In addition, the author drew attention to the fact that, unlike normative acts, individual legal acts are formally binding for specific (clearly determined) persons and define only their individual rights and/ or duties within particular situations, exhausting their legal validity after their settlement. Equally important is the correct separation of normative acts from acts of official interpretation (clarification) of law, which, having a general nature and being calculated for the use of their interpretatory provisions during the period of validity of respective legal rules are not legally binding for participants in legal relations regulated by the relevant law. At the same time, it was noted that according to established judicial practice, which is based on the principles of the rule of law (primarily, on legal certainty as its component) and good governance, acts of official interpretation (clarification) of legal rules, as a general rule, bind their issuers, but due to the lack of such an effect for other participants in the respective legal relationships, these acts are not universally binding in the literal sense of this feature.

Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine as interpretation legal acts

The article examines the legal nature of decisions of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine as interpretative legal acts. It is noted that constitutional law-making is a special form (variety) of law-making, which has a multi-level and multi-aspect nature, which is determined by its special nature, essence and functional purpose. Constitutional law-making is a special activity of competent law-making subjects, which is carried out in a special procedural order and is aimed at adopting, changing and canceling the norms of the Basic Law of the state and constitutional acts of law-making. The specificity of the activity of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine is that it does not administer justice in the direct sense. Its powers include: resolving issues of compliance with the Constitution of Ukraine (constitutionality), laws of Ukraine and other legal acts of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, acts of the President of Ukraine, acts of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, legal acts of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; official interpretation of the Constitution of Ukraine; resolution of questions about the conformity of the Constitution of Ukraine (constitutionality) of the laws of Ukraine (their individual provisions) on the constitutional complaint of a person who believes that the law of Ukraine applied in the final court decision in his case contradicts the Constitution of Ukraine. It is emphasized that the legal positions formulated by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine at making decisions are based on the systematic interpretation of constitutional norms in their interrelationship, the systematic and substantive analysis of constitutional provisions. However, the interpretative activity of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine is broader than the provision of official interpretation of the norms of the Constitution of Ukraine, it also covers interpretation during the constitutional review of normative acts, public (domestic and international) treaties and during the consideration of constitutional complaints. It was concluded that the interpretive activity of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine is broader than the provision of official interpretation of constitutional norms, it also covers interpretation during the constitutionality check of normative acts, public (domestic and international) treaties (and during the consideration of constitutional complaints). Interpretative acts are an auxiliary means of constitutional and legal policy, they have a derivative, secondary character in relation to normative and legal acts. However, their role in the activity of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine is difficult to overestimate, because they are able to ensure the implementation of high-quality constitutional and legal policy in almost all directions of its influence on legal validity. They are entrusted with the function of specifying the legal norms established by the legislator for their correct and effective implementation. As a tool of activity of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, interpretative acts are characterized by the following features: they contain confirmation of the results of the interpretation of legal norms; are drawn up in accordance with the rules of legal technique; are accepted in a procedurally determined manner; are mandatory; capable of causing legal consequences.

Censoring Kuli Pratha in British India

In 1917, the United Provinces government in British India proscribed Lakshman Singh’s play titled Kuli Pratha arthat Biswin Shatbdi ki Gulami (The System of Recruiting Coolies, in other words, Slavery in the Twentieth Century), under the Indian Press Act of 1910. This essay analyzes Kuli Pratha’s proscription when indenture was an important issue on the nationalist agenda and shows that legal control of literature was shaped not only by issues within the subcontinent but also by British imperial policies and practices in the Empire’s colonial outposts beyond India. Analyzing the play in tandem with its proscription, its extra-legal contexts, and its official English translation that served to direct authorities about its political subject matter, thus, provides a layered understanding of the complicated entanglements of colonialism, nationalism, and literature.

Censorship

In his book Contra Toda Censura (Against All Censorship, in a literal translation, no official English translation available), the diplomat Gustavo Maulstach warns us that we are living in times of reversal of this trend with "an increasing number of people abandoning the fundamental principle of freedom of expression in favor of a belief in tutored public debate." With astonishment, I predict the debate on freedom of expression to be the most important of this decade in Brazilian politics. Unfortunately, the classical liberal position of protecting liberty against tyranny does not seem to be the most widely agreed upon at the moment. Concerned about this situation, Maultasch seeks to defend complete freedom of expression on solid grounds, re-examining established arguments and exposing new ones. For this reason, Contra Toda a Censura is a necessary book for the Brazilian public debate, which arrives at a good time.

Методика оценивания качества переводов студентов в рамках дисциплины «Официально-деловой перевод» как средство совершенствования профессиональных компетенций будущих переводчиков

The study aims to substantiate the need to use a methodology for assessing the quality of student translations in the course “Official Business Translation” as part of improving the professional training of future translators. The paper presents a practical experience of conducting classes on the translation of official business texts and assessing the translations, as well as students’ solutions of translation tasks. The scientific novelty of the work lies in developing a methodology for assessing the quality of student translations as a way to improve the process of teaching future translators how to render official business texts and as a means of improving their professional competencies. The results showed that the improvement of students’ knowledge and skills in the field of official business translation is possible, including through the use of a certain methodology for assessing student translations.

Linguistic landscapes in multilingual urban settings: Insights from translation perspectives

A multilingual urban area is a translation space that allows the exchange of ideas across languages and cultures. Yet, little research has examined how translation plays a role in shaping linguistic landscapes that depict coexisting languages in public spaces. This paper aims to examine the linguistic landscape of public signage from the viewpoint of translation. A total of 123 bilingual signage was collected from the linguistic landscape of Gorontalo City, an emerging tourism industry with an interesting multilingual setting in Eastern Indonesia. The data were analyzed using the translation category of multilingual writing developed by Reh (2004) and Edelman (2010) to provide an understanding of the translational practice evident in the signage. The analysis also looked at the direction of the translated signage, including official and non-official translation based on the linguistic landscape orientation (top-down and bottom-up), as well as translation to demonstrate collective identity. Translation practices, categorized into word-for-word (67 items), free (8 items), partial (11 items), and non-translation (37 items), demonstrate a growing trend toward linguistic diversity. The top-down approach is evident in official translations (50 items) by government entities, while non-official translations (73 items) dominate commercial spaces. Arabic, displayed alongside Indonesian and English, symbolizes religious identity in public signage. Overall, Gorontalo’s linguistic landscape reflects a shift to bilingualism, particularly with widespread English translations. Its linguistic landscape showcases a dynamic interplay of language, translation, and cultural identity in an evolving urban environment.

A Dilemma between Politics and Evangelism: S. Wells Williams’ Controversial Translation of the “Toleration Article” in the Sino–U.S. Treaty of Tientsin

The Sino–U.S. Treaty of Tientsin (1858), for the first time in history, included an article to ensure the toleration of Protestantism in China, i.e., the Toleration Article. The man behind the article was S. Wells Williams (1812–1884), an interpreter of the U.S. Legation and a former missionary, who negotiated with Chinese officials directly. Williams produced the Chinese version of the clause and its official English translation which led to controversies, for it was deemed unfaithful and humiliating to the Christian communities. This paper revisits this important episode in the history of Protestantism in China. Using first-hand archival materials, it reveals how Williams was forced to “mistranslate” the article in order to satisfy both parties. It further discusses the reasons behind the missionaries’ criticism, which placed Williams in the center of clashes between religious and political interests. Through Williams’ case, the paper foregrounds the crucial roles and difficult situations of missionary translators in diplomatic incidents that shaped the history of Christianity in China. More importantly, it highlights the conflicting interests and ideas in early Sino–U.S. diplomacy and shows how missionary translators worked to mediate the dilemma between evangelism and politics in 19th-century China.

Polish Translation and Linguistic Validation of the SCAR-Q.

Introduction Patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) are gaining considerable popularity as tools to assess the effectiveness of the treatment in plastic surgery, being a complement to surgical outcomes. The SCAR-Q questionnaire has been recently developed for patients with surgical, traumatic, and burn scars. Aim The study aims to describe the process of translation and linguistic validation of the scar questionnaire (SCAR-Q) for use in Polish patients undergoing scar treatment. Material and methods An official Polish translation and language validation of the SCAR-Q were done in adherence to International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) guidelines. The process consisted of four steps: two independent forward translations, a back translation, a review of the back translation, and cognitive participant interviews. Results The field-tested version of the SCAR-Q consisted of 29 items across three scales measuring appearance concerns, symptoms, and the psychosocial impact of the scar. The forward translation was done by two independent translators and revealed specific difficulties in translation to the Polish language (4/29 items). The back translation showed no significant differences compared to the original English version. Cognitive debriefing interviews involved nine Polish patients with postraumatic scars, burn scars, and scars after skin tumor resection. Participants have not reported any major difficulties in understanding the content of the questionnaire. Conclusions The ISPOR provides a straightforward and thorough guideline for the PROMs translation process. The new SCAR-Q is an accessible and efficient PROM that can be implemented in Polish patients to assess the effectiveness of scar treatment.

Translation Research on Conceptual Metaphor in the 2023 Chinese Government Work Report

In traditional rhetoric, metaphor is simply a rhetorical device used to make the mentioned things more understandable. It was not until 1980 that two cognitive linguists, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (1980) argued in Metaphors We Live By that the essence of metaphor is the cognitive mechanism by which abstract things are explained through concrete things, shifting the study of metaphor from the linguistic level to the cognitive level. Later on, Lakoff (1996) analyzed political metaphor from a cognitive perspective for the first time in Moral Politics, which drives the upsurge of research on conceptual metaphor in political discourse. Political discourse usually uses metaphor to conceptualize the political ideas and issues it aims to disseminate, and the use of conceptual metaphor is closely related to national culture, so the translation of conceptual metaphor has become the key to the overseas publicity of political discourse. On March 5, 2023, Premier Li Keqiang delivered Chinese Government Work Report at the opening meeting of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress. After reading the official translation on www.china.org.cn, the authors find that the Report contains a wealth of conceptual metaphors, and whether the translation of these metaphors is appropriate or not will affect the accuracy of people’s understanding of the Report. Based on Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980) conceptual metaphor theory and Group’s (2007) metaphor identification procedure, this paper takes the 2023 Chinese Government Work Report and its English translation version on www.china.org.cn as the research corpus. Through manual screening, classification and statistics of conceptual metaphors, this paper explores ten types of conceptual metaphor models, namely human metaphor, journey metaphor, war metaphor, cultural metaphor, architecture metaphor, water metaphor, animal and plant metaphor, machine metaphor, line metaphor as well as object metaphor. Based on Xiao’s (2005) cognitive strategy of metaphor translation, this paper also analyzes the translation of ten types of conceptual metaphors. This paper attempts to explore the following three research questions: (1) What are the types of metaphorical patterns in the Report? (2) How are the conceptual metaphors used in the Report and what cultural connotations and images are conveyed by them? (3) How to effectively translate conceptual metaphors in the Report to achieve a better understanding of the target audience? Microsoft Office (Word and Excel) is used as a statistical tool and a mapping tool to count specific conceptual metaphor categories and record typical metaphor keywords, and visualize the data of the proportion of various types. This paper tries to summarize and analyze the cultural connotations and images conveyed by the conceptual metaphors, so as to provide help for the English translation of Chinese political discourse and promote the international dissemination of Chinese political ideas. Through the analysis of conceptual metaphors, we can judge that although the political concepts in the Report is abstract, conceptual metaphors can express them more concretely and more easily understood by the audience through the mapping from the source domain to the target domain.

The Starkstein Apathy Scale-Italian Version: An Update.

Apathy can manifest in various neuropsychiatric conditions, as well as in individuals who experience significant stressful life events or suffer from underlying internal medical conditions. The Starkstein Apathy Scale (SAS) is recognized as a reliable screening tool, besides being endorsed by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society to assess apathy in patients with Parkinson's disease. Recently, the Italian version of this scale (SAS-I) has been introduced. Furthermore, normative data have been provided on a large sample of Italian healthy individuals. Here we present the official Italian translation of the SAS, along with clarifications regarding its administration. Also, we supply details concerning the scale's factorial structure, inter-item conditional associations and item performance by using EFA, Network analysis, and IRT modelling for polytomous items.

Constitutional Doctrine and the (Non)-Freedom of the Interpretation of the Constitution

This article analyses the extent to which the Constitutional Court is free to develop the constitutional doctrine. As one of the preconditions for the formation of the constitutional doctrine, the freedom exercised by the Constitutional Court in interpreting the Constitution can be viewed as a subjective assessment of the provisions and principles of the Constitution by the justices of the Constitutional Court, which is determined by objective circumstances and is based on reasoning, in order to achieve the integrity of the Constitution, the balance of the values enshrined in it, and the viability of the legal basis of the life of society and the State. The limits to the freedom of the Constitutional Court in developing a new original constitutional doctrine (or a doctrine based on EU Law, international legal acts, or constitutional traditions of other democracies) remain a topical issue which raises debate not only on the content of such a doctrine, but also on the consistent continuity of the interpretation of the Constitution by the Constitutional Court, as the sole official interpreter of the provisions and principles of the Constitution.

Criminal threats to environmental safety in the agro-industrial complex

The purpose of this work is to study threats to environmental safety in the field of crop production, to identify errors and difficulties arising in the process of criminal legal counteraction to them and to develop proposals to resolve these problems. Design/methodology/approach: in the course of the study, general scientific and special methods were used: formal-logical, systematic, comparative-legal, statistical, sociological, document analysis, expert assessments. Findings: non-compliance with the requirements of environmental legislation in the implementation of activities in the field of crop production creates a variety of threats to the environment, harms its individual components. This actualizes the issues of increasing the effectiveness of criminal legal counteraction to environmental crimes Originality/value: particular attention should be paid to improving the practice of applying the norms regulating responsibility for environmental crimes committed in the field of crop production, strict observance of the principles of justice and legality. To do this, it seems necessary to develop methodological recommendations on the qualification of environmental crimes and make appropriate additions to the acts of official interpretation emanating from the highest judicial instances

Kościół katolicki w kazaniach Jakuba Wujka. Uwagi wstępne

This article is a preliminary reconnaissance of Jakub Wujek’s presentation in his Lesser Postylla sermons of the Catholic Church and the truths of faith he preached. This reconnaissance confirms that the circumstances of the creation of Wujek’s Lesser Postylla, its genesis, strongly influenced the content of the work. For the universal, Catholic Church was almost always presented by the Jesuit preacher in confrontation with the image of the criticised dissenters. Notably, the picture of the true Church as presented by Wujek in his sermons is fully in line with the doctrine of this religion. Undoubtedly, the picture of the Church painted almost five centuries ago is still valid, as confirmed by confronting Wujek’s remarks with the contemporary version of the official interpretation of the Catholic Church’s doctrine of faith and morals, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, compiled in the second half of the 20th century after the Second Vatican Council.

Features of the application of the constitutional term-concept "court" to the body of constitutional jurisdiction of Ukraine

Article examines the legal meaning of the term­concept "Court" as used in the provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine and special legislative acts and analyzes the peculiarities of its application to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine as the domestic body of constitutional jurisdiction. In this context, previous editions and current provisions of the Constitution of Ukraine, relevant decisions of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine regarding the official interpretation of the specified constitutional norms, as well as provisions of special legislative acts of Ukraine are analyzed in detail.
 Based on the conducted research, it is concluded that a special term-concept "court” was formed in the constitutional and legal doctrine of Ukraine. It means a state body of judicial power, which is formed, reorganized and liquidated by law, is part of the unified system of the judicial system of Ukraine and administers justice on the principles of the rule of law and on the basis of the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, in accordance with judicial procedures defined by law, ensuring protection guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the rights and freedoms of a person and a citizen of Ukraine, the rights and legitimate interests of legal entities, the interests of society and the state.
 At the same time, the mandatory legal features of the concept of "court” in aggregate are: 1) the presence of the status of a body of state judicial power; 2) formation, reorganization and liquidation, exclusively according to the special legislative procedure established by paragraph 2 of Article 125 of the Constitution of Ukraine; 3) belonging to the unified judicial system of Ukraine, defined by the Constitution of Ukraine and the laws of Ukraine; 4) having the authority to administer justice, in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine and the laws of Ukraine.
 Therefore, it is worth asserting that the domestic constitutional-doctrinal special term-concept "court” can only conditionally (as an exception) be applied to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, as the only domestic body of constitutional jurisdiction, which, according to the current norms of the Constitution of Ukraine, does not belong to a unified system the judicial system of the state and does not administer justice, but is fundamentally endowed with other special powers in order to ensure the supremacy of the Constitution of Ukraine.

On the Specifics of the Constitutional and Legal Status of Judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine

Judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine possess a distinct status that combines elements of functional purpose within an independent body of constitutional jurisdiction and an individual entity of judicial authority.
 Emphasized is the constitutional and legal status of judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, which can be viewed from two different perspectives. Broadly speaking, it is a significant constitutional and legal institution encompassing various aspects: societal, professional (in terms of material and legal status), procedural, and administrative (linked to the governance of courts). On the other hand, a narrow approach to the constitutional and legal status of judges of the Constitutional Court defines it as a system of judges' powers and duties prescribed by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine.
 It is noted that the procedure for the oath-taking by judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine differs from that of judges in general courts, highlighting their specificity: the oath signifies their solemn commitment to Ukraine, indicating the fulfillment of their constitutional functions within the state, rather than merely judicial activities in a general sense.
 In summary, the constitutional and legal status of judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine constitutes a system of legislatively defined norms and rules that regulate their role in society and the process of exercising constitutional justice. On the other hand, this legal position officially acknowledges and legitimizes their role as judges of the Constitutional Court, encompassing all aspects related to the execution of constitutional control functions. The legislatively defined legal status of judges of the Constitutional Court determines their powers, duties, and rights concerning the exercise of constitutional jurisdiction, regulating the procedures by which judges of the Constitutional Court make decisions, provide official interpretations of the Constitution of Ukraine, and perform other functions prescribed by the Constitution and legislation. The established norms set standards of activity ensuring their objectivity, independence, and high professional responsibility in exercising constitutional jurisdiction. Within this normative system, the constitutional and legal status of judges of the Constitutional Court is fundamental to ensuring legal stability, protecting constitutional values, and upholding the fundamental principles of the rule of law in Ukraine.