A Study of Dictionaries in U.S. and Latin American Courts

Reproduced by permission. © 2007 Colorado Bar Association,
36 The Colorado Lawyer 115 (August 2007). All rights reserved.
LEGAL RESEARCH CORNER
A Study of Dictionaries in
U.S. and Latin American Courts
by Sergio D. Stone
Spanish language use in the legal profession is on the rise.1As Methodology
a result, law firms, courts, and law libraries must equip legal
The study included analysis of the citations to Spanish diction-
practitioners with the proper resources to incorporate Span-
aries in opinions from the following judicial bodies: the U.S. Su-
ish in the practice of law. A Spanish dictionary is an important re-
preme Court (1795–2006);7 the U.S. federal district courts and cir-
search tool, whether an attorney is counseling Spanish-speaking
cuit courts of appeals (1900–2006);8 the Supreme Court of Ar-
clients in Colorado or drafting commercial agreements in Latin
gentina (1995–2006);9 the Supreme Court of Costa Rica
America. Law Review articles over the last decade have document-
(2000–06);10 and the Supreme Court and collegiate appellate
ed the growing reliance on dictionaries by the courts; however, this
courts of Mexico (1995–2005).11 The majority of the results focus
scholarship has focused primarily on English-language dictionar-
on data collected from U.S court opinions. The Appendix to this
ies.2
article lists all of the dictionaries cited by U.S. federal district courts
With dozens of foreign-language dictionaries to choose from
and circuit courts of appeals since 1900, along with the number of
and limited guidance provided by the academic literature, one
citations, dates of citations, and specific jurisdictions that cited
might be tempted to use free online translation services, such as
them.
Babel Fish3 or Google Translate.4 However, these websites should
The results include statistics on how U.S. courts have used
not be relied on to accurately translate legal terminology. A recent
Spanish dictionaries; for example, whether the dictionary was used
investigation into Babel Fish’s ability to translate legal phrases from
to translate contracts or define foreign legal terms. Because of the
Spanish to English reported very few successful translations.5 Un-
small population of cases analyzed in the foreign jurisdictions,
til reliable and affordable translation software appears, attorneys
those results are simply a snapshot and are meant to provide only a
and judges will continue to rely on print and online dictionaries for
rough comparison with the results from the American courts.
their legal work in Spanish.
The study focused on four types of Spanish dictionaries: Span-
This article presents the results of a study by the author involv-
ish-language legal dictionaries, Spanish-language general usage
ing analysis of citations to Spanish dictionaries in U.S. Supreme
dictionaries, bilingual legal dictionaries, and bilingual general us-
Court and U.S. federal court opinions. Here, the term “Spanish
age dictionaries. Except for business or financial dictionaries, spe-
dictionary” is used to refer to both exclusively Spanish-language
cialized dictionaries unrelated to law, such as medical or scientific
dictionaries and bilingual Spanish-English dictionaries. With
dictionaries, were disregarded. In tabulating the results, separate
dozens of legal and general usage dictionaries on the market, the
editions of the same dictionary were treated as one single text.
study’s objective was to discover those dictionaries that U.S. courts
Colorado state courts were excluded from the study because of the
relied on most often to translate and define Spanish terms. As a
lack of any citations to Spanish dictionaries.12
means of comparison with U.S. practice, the study also examined
the citation practices of courts in three Latin American jurisdic-
tions: Argentina, Costa Rica, and Mexico—countries that attract
many U.S. visitors and significant foreign investment.
The results of the study are meant to serve as a guide for attor-
neys and law librarians when purchasing Spanish dictionaries.The
article provides relevant contextual information to critically ana-
lyze a court’s reliance on a specific dictionary. Although the article
About the Author:
addresses the specific uses for which U.S. courts rely on Spanish
Sergio D. Stone is the Foreign, Compara-
dictionaries, the purpose of the article is descriptive; no attempt is
tive, and International Law Librarian at the
made to defend or criticize the practice of relying primarily on dic-
tionaries to define statutory or contractual terms.6
University of Denver Sturm College of
Law—(303) 871-6017, sstone@law.du.edu.
This department, published quarterly, is sponsored by the Colorado Association of Law Librarians (CoALL) to assist attorneys with com-
mon problems in legal research. Readers interested in submitting research questions may send them to: CoALL, Legal Research Corner, at
http://www.aallnet.org/chapter/coall; or to: Legal Research Corner, c/o Leona Martínez, Managing Editor of The Colorado Lawyer, at
leonamartinez@cobar.org.
Members of CoALL will attempt to answer as many questions as possible, either individually or as part of this department. The information
provided in this space is for educational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. No endorsement or recommendation is made of
any product named in this department. Department coordinators are CoALL members and include Goldie Burton, Andrea Hamilton, Jennifer
Hammond, and Theresa (Tracy) Leming. For more information about CoALL, visit http://www.aallnet.org/chapter/coall.
The Colorado Lawyer | August 2007 | Vol. 36, No. 8 115

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LEGAL RESEARCH CORNER
U.S. Courts
failed to identify any Spanish-English bilingual dictionaries as rig-
From 1795 through the end of 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court
orous comparative academic works.26
cited three legal Spanish-language dictionaries13 and one general
The district courts accounted for thirty-four of the opinions; six
usage Spanish-language dictionary14 on thirteen occasions. The
separate circuit courts of appeals (First,Third, Fifth, Ninth,Tenth,
Supreme Court first referred to a Spanish-language dictionary in
and Customs & Patents Appeals) accounted for twenty-eight
183815 and most recently in 1929.16 Because no recent Supreme
opinions. District courts from the following ten jurisdictions ref-
Court cases have relied on Spanish dictionaries, these citations are
erenced Spanish dictionaries: Puerto Rico, New York, Illinois, Ne-
of interest primarily for historical purposes.
braska, New Mexico, Kansas, Florida, Oregon, Texas, and Virgin
Among the district courts and circuit courts of appeals, the study
Islands. Half of the opinions originated in the District Courts of
revealed eighty citations to thirty-two Spanish dictionaries in sixty-
Puerto Rico and the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Considering
two court opinions (see Appendix). Of the thirty-two dictionaries
the size of the Latino population in California, the results revealed
cited, eight were legal dictionaries and twenty-four were general
surprisingly few California District Court and Ninth Circuit cases.
usage. The courts quoted nineteen bilingual dictionaries and thir-
Chronological analysis of the data revealed a recent significant
teen Spanish-language dictionaries. No opinions referenced any
increase in the number of citations to Spanish dictionaries, with al-
topical legal Spanish dictionary, such as those devoted to law en-
most 60 percent of all citations occurring from 1990 to 2006.The
forcement, criminal law, or immigration. Print dictionaries consti-
first six decades of the last century produced only fifteen citations.
tuted the majority of citations; however, two court opinions used
The 1970s and 1980s generated nineteen citations, in comparison
online dictionaries.17 Because 65 percent of the dictionaries were
to forty-six citations from 1990 to 2006. Moreover, the number of
cited only once, a firm consensus on the best dictionaries remains
citations in the first six years of this current decade (twenty-four)
elusive. (For information about the five most frequently cited dic-
already has surpassed the total from the 1990s (twenty-two).
tionaries, see the sidebar below.)
Dictionary Function
Two Tenth Circuit decisions, both involving criminal prosecu-
tions, have cited bilingual general usage dictionaries. U.S. v. Bustil-
Table 1 identifies seven broad categories of dictionary usage by
los-Muñoz18 used the Larousse Concise Spanish-English, English-
U.S. district and circuit courts of appeals. Spanish-to-English
Spanish Dictionary19 to translate a term from a Spanish version of a
translations of witness testimony and documents entered into evi-
Miranda warning. The court in U.S. v. Chavez-Ceja20 relied on
dence constituted nearly half of all citations. For example, courts
Cassell’s Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary21 to translate a
have relied on general usage dictionaries to verify the adequacy of
police officer’s request to search a defendant’s vehicle.
Miranda warnings given in Spanish to criminal suspects.27 Almost
No bilingual legal dictionaries appeared among the top ten cited
one-third of Spanish dictionary usage related to translations of
works; notably absent were Dahl’s Law Dictionary: Spanish-Eng-
statutes, court rules, jury instructions, and international agree-
lish, English-Spanish22 and Butterworths Spanish/English Legal Dic-
ments.28 The third most frequent use of dictionaries involved
tionary,23 both of which are highly praised by practitioners and li-
translating contract terms from Spanish to English, or vice versa.29
brarians.24 The courts’ reluctance to cite bilingual legal dictionar-
ies echoes recent European scholarship lamenting the lack of
Dictionary Selection
bilingual law dictionaries that use sound lexicographic and com-
Legal scholars have criticized the courts for failing to adequate-
parative law principles, especially Spanish-English dictionaries.25
ly justify their selection of English-language dictionaries.30 Simi-
A recent survey of bilingual legal dictionaries by European scholars
larly, only opinions from two courts addressed the rationale for
Acquisition Information for the Most Frequently Cited Dictionaries by U.S. Courts
Title
Author/Editor
Publisher
Price
ISBN
Cassell’s Spanish-English,
Anthony Gooch
Macmillan/Wiley Publishing, 1978
$22
9780025229105
English-Spanish Dictionary
Diccionario de la Lengua
Real Academia Española
Editorial Espasa Calpe, 2001
Available online:
8423968146
Española, 22nd ed.
http://www.rae.es
New Revised Velázquez
Mariano Velázquez
New Century Publishers, 1985
varies
O832902659
Spanish & English Dictionary
de la Cadena
(out of print)
Oxford Spanish Dictionary:
Beatriz Galimberti Jarman
Oxford University Press, 2003
$49.95
9780198604754
Spanish-English,
English-Spanish, 3rd ed.
Webster’s New World Inter-
Roger Steiner
Wiley Publishing, 2004
$49.95
9780764576430
national Spanish Dictionary,1
2nd ed.
1. This reference previously was published as Simon & Schuster’s International Dictionary English-Spanish, Spanish-English.
116
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LEGAL RESEARCH CORNER
choosing a particular dictionary. The Ninth Circuit, in Gherebi v.
enced bilingual general dictionaries. Only one of the top ten cited
Bush, labeled the Diccionario de la Lengua Española31 as “the au-
works in U.S. courts was a legal dictionary, the Diccionario de Dere-
thoritative dictionary of the Spanish language.”32 A decision from
cho Usual,41 whereas legal dictionaries constituted 60 percent of the
the Federal District Court for Puerto Rico described the Dic-
most cited texts in the three Latin American courts. U.S. courts re-
cionario Enciclopédico Unión Tipográfica Editorial Hispano Ameri-
lied on Spanish dictionaries primarily for translating evidentiary
cana33 as “well known and quite complete”and the Diccionario de la
testimony and documents, whereas foreign courts used dictionaries
Lengua Española as “conservative, but reliable.”34
principally to define terms in codes and statutes.42
Courts often relied on general usage bilingual dictionaries,
Because of their shared civil law tradition, each Latin American
rather than legal ones, to translate and define legal terminology
court quoted dictionaries published in various jurisdictions, not just
from one language to another. For instance, a U.S. district court in
their own. The Supreme Court of Costa Rica cited publications
Illinois employed a bilingual general usage dictionary, Cassell’s
from Argentina, Colombia, Spain, and Mexico. Likewise, the Su-
Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary, instead of a bilingual
preme Court of Argentina relied on French, Spanish, and Ameri-
legal dictionary, to translate a word from an Argentine letter roga-
can dictionaries.The Mexican courts only cited the Diccionario Ju-
tory.35
rídico Mexicano43 twice, despite its popularity with legal scholars.44
Foreign Courts: Argentina,
Conclusion
Costa Rica, and Mexico
Although U.S. courts indicated a clear preference in the past for
The analysis of Argentine, Costa Rican, and Mexican court
Cassell’s Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary; the New Re-
opinions revealed 448 citations to thirty-one separate dictionaries.
vised Velázquez Spanish & English Dictionary45; and the Diccionario
Table 2 lists the ten most often cited dictionaries from 1995–
de la Lengua Española, one should not automatically assume that
2006.36 More than 60 percent of all citations were to the Dic-
these works will remain the most cited indefinitely. Because of a
cionario de la Lengua Española, published by the Real Academia Es-
lack of clearly articulated rationales for relying on specific Spanish
pañola (Spanish Royal Academy), the leading authority in Spanish
dictionaries, federal and state courts may cite to an even greater
lexicography.37
number of dictionaries in the future. Attorneys and judges should
In contrast, the Diccionario de la Lengua Española, first published
concern themselves with demonstrating the appropriateness of us-
in 1726, constituted only 11 percent of the citations in U.S. federal
ing specific dictionaries in particular circumstances. The hope is
courts. The twenty-second edition of the Diccionario de la Lengua
that this article will assist with purchasing decisions and perhaps
Española, released in 2001, also is available online at http://
generate more informed discussions about the role of Spanish dic-
www.rae.es. Although the Spanish Royal Academy’s dictionary
tionaries in the legal system.
was dominant, the three foreign jurisdictions used fifteen other
general usage dictionaries. The Latin American courts cited only
one bilingual legal dictionary38 and two bilingual general diction-
Table 2
aries.39 Interestingly, the only two dictionaries cited by all three ju-
Ten Most Cited Dictionaries in the Courts
risdictions were from Spain: the Diccionario de la Lengua Española
of Argentina, Costa Rica, and Mexico, 1995–2006
and the Diccionario Razonado de Legislación y Jurisprudencia,40 by
Joaquín Escriche, an influential nineteenth century work.
Title Citations Jurisdictions
The foreign judiciaries cited frequently to Spanish-language le-
Diccionario de la Lengua Española
272
Argentina
gal dictionaries, in contrast to U.S. courts, which primarily refer-
(Real Academia Española)
Costa Rica
Mexico
Diccionario de Ciencias Jurídicas y
88
Argentina
Sociales (Manuel Ossorio)
Costa Rica
Table 1
Function of Spanish Dictionaries
Diccionario Enciclopédico de Derecho
11
Argentina
Usual Guillermo Cabanellas)
Costa Rica
in U.S. Federal Courts, 1900–2006
Diccionario Jurídico Elemental
10
Argentina
Function Citations Percent
(Guillermo Cabanellas)
Mexico
Translate testimony or documents
Diccionario Razonado de Legislación y
6
Argentina
in evidence
37
46%
Jurisprudencia ( J. Escriche)
Costa Rica
Translate statutes, regulations, and
Mexico
treaties
24
30%
Diccionario de Derecho Procesal Civil
6
Costa Rica
Translate contract terms
9
11%
(Eduardo Pallares)
Mexico
Define nonlegal word or phrase
4
5%
Diccionario Enciclopédico de la
6
Costa Rica
Define civil law term
3
4%
Editorial Océano
Serve as pronunciation aid
2
3%
Diccionario de Sinónimos y Antónimos
5
Costa Rica
Translate letters rogatory*
1
1%
Editorial Océano
Diccionario Enciclopédico Larousse
5
Costa Rica
Total
80
100%
Mexico
* A letter rogatory is a formal request from a court to a foreign court
Diccionario de Derecho
4
Mexico
for some type of judicial assistance.
(Rafael de Pina Vara)
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LEGAL RESEARCH CORNER
Notes
21. Gooch, Cassell’s Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary (Wiley
Publishing, 1978).
1. See Jaksic, “In Arbitrations, Use of Spanish is Growing,” 29 Nation-
22. Dahl, Dahl’s Law Dictionary: Spanish-English, English-Spanish: An
al L.J. 6 (March 19, 2007); Jaksic, “Spanish Classes Proliferating in
Annotated Legal Dictionary, 4th ed. (W.S. Hein, 2006).
Courts,” 29 National L.J. 4 (Feb. 5, 2007); Shaffer, “As Hispanic Popula-
23. Cabanellas and Hoague, Butterworths Spanish/English Legal Diction-
tion Grows, Firms Learn Spanish,” 27 National L.J. 6 (June 20, 2005).
ary (Butterworth Legal Publishing, 1991).
2. Mersky and Price, “The Dictionary & the Man: the Eighth Edition
24. See Monroy, “Book Note: Dahl’s Law Dictionary/Diccionario Jurídi-
of Black’s Law Dictionary,” 63 Wash. & Lee L.Rev. 719, 730 (2006); Miller
co Dahl,” 31 Int’l L. 1135 (1997) (praising Dahl’s Law Dictionary as “au-
and Hilsenteger, “The Proven Key: Roles and Rules for Dictionaries at the
thoritative” and for having “encyclopedic definitions”); Torres, “A Com-
Patent Office and the Courts,” 54 Am.U. L.Rev. 829, 832 (2005); Thumma
parative Review of Spanish-English Legal Dictionaries,” 86 Law Libr.J.
and Kirchmeier, “The Lexicon Has Become a Fortress: the United States
230, 232 (1994) (describing Butterworths Spanish/English Legal Dictionary
Supreme Court’s Use of Dictionaries,” 47 Buff. L.Rev. 227 (1999).
as “best of the lot”); Avalos, “Legal Translations: Some Tips” (July 24,
3. Babel Fish is available at http://babelfish.altavista.com.
1998), available at http://www.law.arizona.edu/Library/Research/Guides/
4. Google Translate is available at http://www.google.com/language_
legal_translations.cfm?page=research (describing Butterworths Spanish/
tools.
English Legal Dictionary as the “most comprehensive bilingual legal dic-
5. Yates, “Scaling the Tower of Babel Fish: An Analysis of the Ma-
tionary”).
chine Translation of Legal Information,” 98 Law Libr.J. 481, 494 (2006).
25. de Groot and van Laer, “The Dubious Quality of Legal Dic-
6. For criticisms of the use of dictionaries in U.S. courts, see Aprill,
tionaries,” 34 Int’l J. Legal Info. 65 (Spring 2006).
“Dictionary Shopping in the Supreme Court” 30 Ariz. St. L.J. 276, 304,
26. de Groot and van Laer, “Bilingual and Multilingual Legal Dictio-
334; Sonpal, “Old Dictionaries & New Textualists,” 71 Fordham L.Rev.
naries in the European Union: A Critical Bibliography” (May 15, 2005)
2177, 2197 (2003); Weinstein, “Against Dictionaries,” 38 U. Mich. J.L. Re-
at 29, available at http://arno.unimaas.nl/show.cgi?fid=3130 (listing M.C.
form 649, 656-65 (2005).
Oosterveld-Egas Reparaz’s Jurisdisch Woordenboek Nederlans-Spaans as the
7. Lexis,® U.S. Supreme Court Cases, Lawyers’ Ed. File Name:
only bilingual Spanish legal dictionary that is a high-quality comparative
USLED.
work).
8. Lexis, Federal Court Cases, Combined. File Name: COURTS.
27. See U.S. v. Ovalle, 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1426 (S.D.N.Y.); Bustil-
Dates Jan. 1, 1900–Dec. 31, 2006.
los-Muñoz, supra note 18 at 516.
9. Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Nación República de Argentina.
28. See Mangual v. Rotger-Sabat, 317 F.3d 45, 68 (1st Cir. 2003); U.S. v.
Case law website of the Supreme Court of Argentina, available at http://
McClain, 545 F.2d 988, 998 (5th Cir. 1977).
www.csjn.gov.ar/documentos/cfal3/cons_fallos.jsp.
29. See Walpex Trading v. Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos 890
10. Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (Costa Rica), avail-
F.Supp. 300, 303 (S.D.N.Y. 1995) (using Cabanellas’s Diccionario de Dere-
able at http://200.91.68.20/scij. I searched opinions from the Sala Con-
cho Usual to define dolo in a Bolivian contract); Gherebi v. Bush, 352 F.3d
stitucional, Sala Primera, Sala Segunda, and Sala Tercera of the Corte
1278, 1292-1293 (9th Cir. 2003) (relying on the Diccionario de la Lengua
Suprema de Justicia de Costa Rica.
Castellana and to define terms in the Guántanamo Bay lease between the
11. Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (Supreme Court of Mexi-
United States and Cuba).
co) IUS Database, available at http://www.scjn.gob.mx/ius2006/Panel
30. Weinstein, supra note 6 at 656-57; Thumma and Kirchmeier, supra
tesis.asp. I searched only “jurisprudencia and tesis” that have potential to
note 2 at 262-64; Sonpal, supra note 6 at 2200.
become binding precedent from the Novena Época, which commenced
31. Real Academia Española, Diccionario de la Lengua Española (Edi-
March 1995. For a discussion on the role of binding precedent in the
torial Espasa Calpe, 2001), available online at http://www.rae.es.
Mexican legal system, see Stephen Zamora et al., Mexican Law (Oxford
32. Gherebi, supra note 17 at 1292.
University Press, 2004) at 84-87.
33. Unión Tipográfica Editorial Hispano Americana, Diccionario Enci-
12. Colorado Supreme Court and Court of Appeals cases. Lexis, CO
clopédico U.T.E.H.A. (Unión Tipográfica Editorial Hispano Americana,
State Cases, Combined. File Name: COCTS.
1968).
13. Cornejo, Diccionario Histórico y Forense del Derecho Real de España
34. Adorno Lorenzana v. People of Puerto Rico, 307 F.Supp. 1059, 1063
(J. Ibarra, 1779); Escriche, Diccionario Razonado de Legislación y Jurispru-
(D.P.R. 1969).
dencia (Viuda y Hijos de A. Calleja, 1847); Alcubilla, Diccionario de la Ad-
35. Osario v. Harza Engineering Company, 890 F.Supp. 750, 752-53
ministración Española (Arco de Santa María, 1887).
(N.D.Ill. 1995).
14. Diccionario de la Lengua Castellana (Real Academia Española, vari-
36. The study started its analysis of foreign court opinions in 1995 for
ous 18th and 19th century eds.).
two reasons. The Argentine Supreme Court website provides full-text of
15. Strother v. Lucas, 37 U.S. 410, 442 (1838).
opinions only from 1995. Mexico’s Ninth Judicial Epoch (Novena Época),
16. Gonzalez v. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila, 280 U.S. 1, 4, 15
which introduced major constitutional and judicial reforms, also com-
(1929).
menced in 1995.
17. U.S. v. De Jesus Ospina-Villa, No. 00-CR-97-S(F) (W.D.N.Y. 2001)
37. Arronda, “En Español/Diccionario Escolar de la Real Academia
U.S. Dist.Lexis 12345, available at http://www.nywd.uscourts.gov/deci
Española,” 122 Libr.J. 68 (July 1, 1997).
sion/20010716.pdf, citing Activa Technical and Business Spanish Diction-
38. Corte Suprema de Justicia (CSJN), 8/19/1999, “Actuaciones Rela-
ary, available at http://www.activadic.com/Dicc/EnDic.htm; Gherebi v.
cionadas con la Exportación de Material Bélico,” Causa n.10.338. Expedi-
Bush, 352 F.3d 1278, 1292-1293 (9th Cir. 2003), citing three online dic-
ente: Competencia 51 XXXV p.24 (Arg.), citing Kaplan and Pombo, Wi-
tionaries: American Heritage Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictio-
ley’s English-Spanish, Spanish-English Legal Dictionary, 2nd ed. (New York
nary, available at http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dict_en_es; Dic-
Wiley Law Publications, 1997).
cioanrio de la Lengua Española, available at http://www.rae.es; and Dic-
39. CSJN, 12/7/2005, “Daniel Enrique Maldonado y otros/recurso de
cionario Vox, available at http://www.diccionarios.com.
hecho,” Causa N.1174, Expediente M.1022 XXXIV, p.17 (Arg.), citing
18. U.S. v. Bustillos-Muñoz, 235 F.3d 505, 516 (10th Cir. 2000).
Collins Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary (Harper Collins,
19. Larousse Concise Spanish-English, English-Spanish Dictionary (La-
1993); CSJN Sala Tercera (Penal), 11/17/2003, Recurso de Casación, Exp.
rousse, 1993).
99-009445-0042-PE, Res.2003-0 1031(Costa Rica), citing Larousse Dic-
20. U.S. v. Chavez-Ceja, No.98-3031. LEXIS 23284 (10th Cir. Sept.
cionario Pocket Español-Inglés, Inglés-Español.
21, 1998), available at http://www.ck10.uscourts.gov/opinions/98/98-
40. Escriche, Diccionario Razonado de Legislación y Jurisprudencia (Viu-
3031.pdf.
da e Hijos de A. Calleja,1847).
118
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LEGAL RESEARCH CORNER
41. Cabanellas, Diccionario de Derecho Usual (Editorial Heliasta, 1976).
43. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Diccionario Jurídico
42. See REDUCCIÓN SALARIAL, LA FALTA DE PAGO DEL
Mexicano (Porrúa: UNAM: Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas, 2005).
AUMENTO CONCERTADO NO ACTUALIZA LA CAUSAL
44. See Avalos, supra note 24.
RECISORIA, Primer Tribunal Colegial de Trabajo del Tercer Circuito,
45. Velázquez de la Cadena et al., New Revised Velázquez Spanish and
Semanario Judicial de la Federación y su Gaceta, Novena Época, tomo
English Dictionary (New Century Publishers, 1985). ■
XX, Octubre de 2004, Tesis III.1o.T.85 L, Página 2394. (Mex.) (relying
on the Diccionario de la Lengua Española to interpret Article 51 of Mexico’s
Federal Labor Act).
Appendix
Citations to Spanish Dictionaries in U.S. District Courts and Circuit Courts of Appeals, 1900-2006
Dictionary
Cites
Dates Cited
Citing Jurisdictions
Type of Dictionary
Cassell’s Spanish-English,
13
1971–2002
1st Cir., 5th Cir., 9th Cir.,
Bilingual general usage
English-Spanish Dictionary
10th Cir., C.C.P.A. N.D.Ill.,
dictionary
S.D.Fla., S.D.N.Y.
New Revised Velázquez Spanish &
12
1960–2005
1st Cir., N.D.Ill., D.N.M.,
Bilingual general usage
English Dictionary
D.P.R.
dictionary
Diccionario de la Lengua Española (Real
11
1931–2003
1st Cir., 9th Cir., D.P.R.
Spanish-language general
Academia Española), available online at
usage dictionary
http://www.rae.es
Oxford Spanish Dictionary:
4
2003–06
1st Cir., D.Neb., Bankr.D.Or.,
Bilingual general usage
Spanish-English, English-Spanish
D.N.M.
dictionary
Simon & Schuster’s International
4
1996–2006
S.D.N.Y., D.P.R.
Bilingual general usage
Dictionary English-Spanish,
dictionary
Spanish-English
Collins Spanish-English, English-Spanish
3
1987–2006
1st Cir., 3rd Cir., S.D.N.Y.
Bilingual general usage
Dictionary
dictionary
Diccionario de Derecho Usual
3
1979–95
S.D.N.Y., D.P.R.
Spanish-language legal
(Guillermo Cabanellas)
dictionary
Vox Diccionario Manual Ilustrado de la
3
1969–2003
9th Cir., D.P.R.
Spanish-language general
Lengua Española, available online at
usage dictionary
http://www.diccionarios.com
American Heritage Spanish Dictionary:
2
2003, 2006
9th Cir., D.Neb.
Bilingual general usage
Spanish-English, English-Spanish, available
dictionary
online at http://education.yahoo.com/
reference/dict_en_es
Appleton’s New Spanish-English &
2
1917, 1976
1st Cir., D.P.R.
Bilingual general usage
English-Spanish Dictionary (Arturo Cuyás)
dictionary
Diccionario Jurídico según la Jurisprudencia
2
1979, 1985
D.P.R.
Spanish-language legal
del Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico
dictionary
(Lebrón)
Activa Technical & Business Spanish-
1
2001
W.D.N.Y.
Bilingual general usage
English Online Dictionary
dictionary
Concise American Heritage Larousse Spanish
1
1995
9th Cir.
Bilingual general usage
Dictionary
dictionary
Dahl’s Law Dictionary Spanish-English,
1
2000
1st Cir.
Bilingual legal dictionary
English-Spanish: An Annotated Legal
Dictionary
Diccionario de Derecho (Ribó Durán)
1
1990
D.P.R.
Spanish-language legal
dictionary
Appendix continued on next page.
The Colorado Lawyer | August 2007 | Vol. 36, No. 8 119

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LEGAL RESEARCH CORNER
Appendix (continued)
Dictionary
Cites
Dates Cited
Citing Jurisdictions
Type of Dictionary
Diccionario de Derecho Privado
1
1979
D.P.R.
Spanish-language legal
(Ignacio de Casso y Romero)
dictionary
Diccionario de Legislación y Jurisprudencia
1
1942
3rd Cir.
Spanish-language legal
( Joaquín Escriche)
dictionary
Diccionario de Términos Jurídicos (Ignacio
1
1979
D.P.R.
Spanish-language legal
Rivera Garcia)
dictionary
Diccionario de Voces Indígenas de Puerto Rico
1
1997
S.D.N.Y.
Spanish-language specialized
dictionary
Diccionario del Uso del Español
1
2005
1st Cir.
Spanish-language general
(María Moliner)
usage dictionary
Diccionario Enciclopédico Unión Tipográfica
1
1969
D.P.R.
Spanish-language general
Editorial Hispano Americana
usage dictionary
Diccionario Ideológico de la Lengua Española
1
1977
D.P.R.
Spanish-language general
( Julio Cásares)
usage dictionary
Dictionary of Legal Terms: Spanish-English,
1
1982
1st Cir.
Bilingual legal dictionary
English-Spanish (Louis A. Robb)
Larousse Concise Spanish-English, English-
1
2000
10th Cir.
Bilingual general usage
Spanish Dictionary
dictionary
Larousse Gran Diccionario: Inglés-Español,
1
2003
9th Cir.
Bilingual general usage
Español-Inglés
dictionary
(P. White and T. Alvarez García)
Larousse Pocket Dictionary:
1
2003
D.Kan.
Bilingual general usage
Spanish-English, English-Spanish
dictionary
Pequeño Diccionario Inglés-Español, Es-
1
1955
C.C.P.A.
Bilingual general usage
pañol-Inglés (Garnier Hermanos)
dictionary
Standard Spanish-English, English-Spanish
1
1969
D.P.R.
Bilingual general usage
Dictionary (Emilio M. Martínez Amador)
dictionary
University of Chicago Spanish-English,
1
2006
D.Neb.
Bilingual general usage
English-Spanish Dictionary
dictionary
(Carlos Castillo)
Vox Compact Spanish-English Dictionary
1
1992
5th Cir.
Bilingual general usage
(National Textbook Company)
dictionary
Vox Diccionario Manual de Sinónimos
1
2005
1st Cir.
Spanish-language general
y Antónimos
usage dictionary
Williams Spanish-English Dictionary
1
1976
1st Cir.
Bilingual general usage
(Edwin Bucher Williams)
dictionary
Total
80
—
—
—
120
The Colorado Lawyer | August 2007 | Vol. 36, No. 8

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