Mutatis mutandis is a Latin phrase used in academic and legal disciplines to refer to making necessary changes. It can be used to compare scenarios or modify statements, and is often used in drafting documents. It can be translated as “modified changes” and is sometimes replaced with English phrases.
The Latin phrase mutatis mutandis uses two forms of the Latin verb “to change” to influence a meaning that could be translated as “changing by making the necessary changes” or “all the necessary changes have been made”. It is used in various academic and legal disciplines to talk about the implementation of a number of changes. The sentence generally leaves the reader or listener to compare two different statements or scenarios, or to provide different final forms for a document.
In its technical structure, the sentence mutatis mutandis uses a perfect passive participle and a gerund form to provide the above meaning. In a shorter translation into English, it could be represented as “modified changes” or a similar repeated verb. Regardless of translation, many professionals interpret it as an effective way to refer to the modification of a statement or a set of theoretical or concrete statements.
Hypothetically, someone could say “mutatis mutandis” to alternate between one scenario that doesn’t have a certain condition, and another that does. For example, if someone were referring to the abolition of all existing speed limits in a certain jurisdiction, he might say, in relation to the current situation; “mutatis mutandis, drivers would go much faster”. This type of hypothetical statement is a popular use of the term.
Another important use of the phrase is for drafting a document, not to hide sensitive information, but to reflect a set of given changes. A professional editor might write “mutatis mutandis” to indicate that a series of names, dates or other facts would be changed consistently throughout the document. This use of the phrase can be thought of as the human equivalent of a “search and replace” command for a word processor or other software. It governs a global change or set of changes for a given goal.
In modern systems, this phrase will often be changed to English or another language. Instead of using mutatis mutandis, many officials find it easier to communicate to mass audiences through phrases translated as “making all the above changes” or “considering that the above was in effect”. Others, however, might use the term as a piece of professional jargon, either to rise above an audience unfamiliar with Latin terminology or as a regular habit, for example, learned through a long career in the world academic.
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