The Rwanda Law Reform commission (RLRC) has on Friday, November 5 launched a dictionary for legal terminologies in the three official languages of the country; English, French and Kinyarwanda. Launched at the commission’s headquarters in the Kimihurura sector, the 532-page book contains 2,968 legal terms that are set to benefit researchers, students, lawyers and judges in their various legal-related activities. “Unlike other professions, legal matters require a unique attention to each and every detail, such that the meaning of every word matters a lot in this profession,” said Domitille Mukantanganzwa, the chairperson of the commission during the launch. It is in this regard that we are launching this first edition of legal terms dictionary, she added, noting that it will establish a clear framework on what terms ought to be used during legal proceedings. The 532-page book contains 2,968 legal terms that are set to benefit researchers, students, lawyers and judges in their various legal-related activities. The new dictionary comes after the national glossary of legal terms that was drafted by the Ministry of Justice back in 2000, but Mukantaganzwa asserted that reforms in the glossary were needed, due to the changes that have taken place over time. “From 20 years ago, we have undergone various reforms in our legal system that came with new terms, we have switched from French to English, and we have joined other regional bodies with different legal frameworks, that is why this dictionary was preferred over a glossary,” she recalled. However, the commission highlights that there is still more to do as laws keep being reformed overtime. Emmanuel Nikuze who was part of the taskforce that composed the dictionary highlighted that more needs to be done to prepare the second edition. Due to the fact that legislators are working on business laws, and considering atomic and nuclear energy institutions being established, the next edition might be full of these kinds of words,” he anticipated. During the exercise, all judicial institutions were asked to submit the legal terms they often use to the law reform commission which then consolidated them to produce the dictionary. The dictionary is available on the law reform commission’s website.
