Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
Law vs. Act (use and grammar)
English translation:
See links
Added to glossary by
María Alejandra Ronderos Zota
Jan 28, 2013 19:31
11 yrs ago
36 viewers *
Spanish term
Colombia
At your service!
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English
Law vs. Act (use and grammar)
Spanish to English
Other
Other
Hi everyone, here I go with another question to be sure when to use each of these expressions.
I use "law" and not "act" whenever I translate the word "Ley" from Spanish to English.
Is this OK or should I stick with "act" instead?
Thanks once more!
I use "law" and not "act" whenever I translate the word "Ley" from Spanish to English.
Is this OK or should I stick with "act" instead?
Thanks once more!
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 | See links |
Eliza Ariadni Kalfa
|
References
| Ref |
Margarita Ezquerra (Smart Translators, S.L.)
|
Proposed translations
8 mins
Eliza Ariadni Kalfa
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
Gobblefunking around with words.
Native in: English , Greek
Works in: Greek to English, Spanish to English, Romanian to English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
See links
There is indeed a difference between law and act. These links might be helpful:
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Note added at 15 mins (2013-01-28 19:47:05 GMT)
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Here's an example posted on differencebetween.com: "Act is a piece of legislation that is more specific and applies on particular circumstances and specific people. For example, there are laws against drunk driving and people are aware of them while DUI is the specific Act that pertains to drunk driving." Buray.net also mentions that "when a legislative body issues a set of rules to fill in the legal gaps, it is referred to as an act, because it will be a secondary source of the law". So an addition that addresses a specific gap/issue in an existing law (e.g. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012) that would be an act.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 mins (2013-01-28 19:47:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Here's an example posted on differencebetween.com: "Act is a piece of legislation that is more specific and applies on particular circumstances and specific people. For example, there are laws against drunk driving and people are aware of them while DUI is the specific Act that pertains to drunk driving." Buray.net also mentions that "when a legislative body issues a set of rules to fill in the legal gaps, it is referred to as an act, because it will be a secondary source of the law". So an addition that addresses a specific gap/issue in an existing law (e.g. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012) that would be an act.
Reference:
http://www.dailywhirl.com/what-is-the-difference-between-an-act-and-a-law/
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_an_act_and_a_law
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Billh
: Spain has codes and leyes. What in your quotation makes a Ley different from an Act??. In practice both are used but I prefer Act for Ley.
57 mins
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you - crystal clear!"
Reference comments
9 mins
Margarita Ezquerra (Smart Translators, S.L.)
Spain
Spain
Native in Spanish
Spain
Margarita Ezquerra (Smart Translators, S.L.)
Accredited translators 20 yrs experience
Native in: Spanish
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, French to Spanish
Related KudoZ points
:
286
Reference:
Ref
What is the difference between an act and a law?
Answer:
.
An "Act" is a "... written ordinance of Parliament, Congress, etc." whereas a law is "a rule or system of rules recognized by a country or community as regulating the actions of its members and enforced by the imposition of penalties."
Acts are made by the consensus between the two parts of a bicameral legislature for example, a law however may (for example in the United Kingdom) be made by an "enabling act" allowing a government minister to make sets of rules sometimes compiled with experts in the field, impractiable to do in Parliament.
An advantage of delegated legislation are that it can include local laws for local people. One disadvantage however is that it is not democratic and so are usually repealed after an Act of Parliament is made.
An "Act" is an action made by a legislature, a "law" is a wider term for any rules of governance
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_an_...
Answer:
.
An "Act" is a "... written ordinance of Parliament, Congress, etc." whereas a law is "a rule or system of rules recognized by a country or community as regulating the actions of its members and enforced by the imposition of penalties."
Acts are made by the consensus between the two parts of a bicameral legislature for example, a law however may (for example in the United Kingdom) be made by an "enabling act" allowing a government minister to make sets of rules sometimes compiled with experts in the field, impractiable to do in Parliament.
An advantage of delegated legislation are that it can include local laws for local people. One disadvantage however is that it is not democratic and so are usually repealed after an Act of Parliament is made.
An "Act" is an action made by a legislature, a "law" is a wider term for any rules of governance
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_an_...
Peer comments on this reference comment:
| agree |
Mariano Wadi Jacobo
46 mins
|
| agree |
Billh
: The quotation is totally valid. I think the question is how best to translate ley - law or act. Personally I think Act is better and your quotation would seem to support this.
59 mins
|
Discussion
An Act (in British English) refers to a specific law, for example the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. It is called this because it is known as an 'Act of Parliament'.