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Where a term is not defined in the law, best practice dictates that it be defined in the contract, preferably in a definitions clause. Of course it may be a badly drafted contract, as you suggest, but that would also increase the possibility of missing text. So the bottom line is that we do not really know. So, if it is not possible to clarify the issue with the client, I would add a translator's note. The client is better served by an uncertainty identified than by a possibly misleading certainty.
I have far less experience with legal documents than you do, but enough to know that many aren't nearly as bulletproof as they should be, when it comes to precise language and inarguable interpretation. The best we can do as translators when something is unclear is to infer possible meanings based on context and, obviously, call the client's attention to the ambiguity.
To me, the way in which the source text was written implies that "curto espaço de tempo" is a term that makes sense to whoever wrote it and, perhaps, is a well-known term to whoever works at that company.
The obvious place to look for "curto espaço de tempo" as a Mozambican employment law term is the Mozambican Labour Code (Lei nº 23/2007 De 01 de Agosto). I have done so, and it does not appear once.
The source text only makes sense if "curto spaço de tempo" is a term, but there is no evidence that it is, or of what it might mean, in that case. I think it is more likely that "curto espaço de tempo" it is not a term and that the source text is incomplete.
Having read and re-read the source sentence a few times, I don't think it lacks clarity except in terms of what "curto espaço de tempo" might mean in this context. Can you elaborate a bit more?
Yes, I'm convinced that it is "regime de trabalho" and Laura's suggestion that an equivalent phrase "regime de urgência" would be used in Brazilian hits the nail on the head. Just a suggestion; would "quick turnaround time period" sound apt?
You have little to base your conclusion on, if there is no more context. However, use of the verb implementar could suggest that "curto espaço de tempo" is some sort of "regime de trabalho" but there is nothing to suggest whether more, or less, work in involved. Text could also be missing, given the incorrect syntactic structure of the source text. Ask your client.
My reasoning was that anything that would require a company to enforce a "shorter time frame" to meet its own requirements would involve a sense of urgency. If the source text were in Pt-Br, the term used would probably be "regime de urgência".
From what I understand, it seems that it implies a "period or urgency" in which the work hours stipulated may be subject to change, to suit the business requirements of the company. Hence I believe it may be increased hours of work, or reduction/change in the designated periods for breaks (in this case, lunch break specifically, as mentioned in the previous para). Seems like @Laura 's suggestion comes closest.
Explanation: "Lay-offs and short-time working You can lay off an employee (ask them to stay at home or take unpaid leave) when you temporarily cannot give them paid work - as long as the employment contract allows this.
