Swedish term (edited): beslutsf�r

i.e. when a quorum is present, the meeting is declared competent to make decisions /pass resolutions

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Note added at 4 hrs 13 mins (2005-05-10 15:30:24 GMT)
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An alternative is quorate, which does exist in the Concise Oxford

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Note added at 7 hrs 13 mins (2005-05-10 18:29:49 GMT)
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For the Danish equivalent (beslutningsdygtig):

Helle Pals Frandsen gives only the \'quorum\' expressions

Lyng Svensson gives quorate,
competent to make decisions
and forming a quorum - depending on how you formulate the rest of the sentence.

I\'m beginning to think Dana is right - and something about a quorum is perhaps more usual.
Thanks for making me check up, Dana!

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Note added at 2 days 19 hrs 15 mins (2005-05-13 06:31:46 GMT)
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The above is a little inconclusive - I think I personally will continue to write \'competent to make decisions /pass resolutions\'

-- as international English for target groups consisting largely of non-native speakers - who may or may not know what a quorum is.
I would not assume that all shareholders reading a report from a major international company would know.

However, in many contexts \'the meeting formed a quorum\' or words to that effect would be correct.

I am going on a course with Sandro Nielsen (the lexicographer) on 17th May - I\'ll bring it up and add a note.


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Note added at 7 days (2005-05-17 20:23:52 GMT) Post-grading
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It was a great course!

\'Competent to make decisions\' for international groups, \'forming a quorum\' for UK etc. if you are writing a \'target language oriented\' translation.

The verdict was: think of the target group. When writing for UK readers, try to use UK conventions and terminology, and likewise, US terminology etc. for US readers. But in general, do not use terms that are not entirely equivalent in legal texts.

Then there is the great \'international\' group who use English as a common language, and here conventions are developing, but not fixed. Many of these readers do not wish to be pushed into the tradtions and conventions of English Law or US Law, because their own are also distinct - and different. What to write depends partly on the target country (if known) - but there are more \'neutral\' options that are easier for non-native speakers of English to understand.

It is always the original text that is legally binding, and the translated version must of course be true to this original, but must also be understood... It was a long general discussion!