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Dec 13, 2010

FCPA lifts language barriers

DoJ translates FCPA into 14 languages

The full review of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act can now be read in 14 different languages, after the Department of Justice (DoJ) unveiled the  brand new international language addition on its website.

The goal of this initiative serves to ‘increase the general awareness and understanding of the FCPA by both US companies engaging in international business and their foreign counterparts,’ says the DoJ.

Some of the languages include, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Japanese, Bengali and Cantonese. However, for issuers and individuals that are not fluent in the mentioned languages, Arabic, Korean and Urdu are also made available. Even though the FCPA is translated in a variety of languages, the DoJ cautions that the English version continues to serve as the official one.

‘The languages were apparently chosen to reach people in large emerging economies, and others in high-risk compliance environments,’ says Dick Cassin owner and writer of the FCPA Blog, that has been designed to provide updated information about federal law and compliance issues. He estimates that the new statue should cover roughly 2.8 billion people ‘give or take a few hundred million.’

‘Will translating the FCPA into so many languages help other countries understand the law and nudge them to adopt something similar of their own? Let's hope so,’ he adds.

Aarti Maharaj

Aarti is deputy editor at Corporate Secretary magazine