法律英语典型句型的翻译

1、第四周改革开放以后，尤其是中国加入世贸组织后，法律翻译成为热点。一方面是为了让世界了解中国的法律制度和具体法律法规，需要将大量的中国的法律文本译成外文。另一方面，为了学习借鉴国外的先进法制建设成果，需要将大量的国外的法律法规法学著作等译成外文。然而，由于法律文本意思艰深晦涩、用词古板守旧、句型复杂冗长等特点，使得法律翻译的难度大大高于其他类型的翻译实践。法律文本用词用语有僵化的倾向，某些句型重复使用的频率非常高；而且，法律翻译的一个重要原则就是保持术语和句型结构在译文中的同一性。因此，如果能掌握此类典型句型的翻译，可以大大提高翻译翻译工作的效率。本讲撷取法律文本中的高频句型并就其典型译法进行讨

2、论。Otherwise 在法律英语中的用法：1.跟unless引导的句子（让步状语从句）连用；2.置放在连词or之后使用；3.与than一起，通常用来否定句子的主语。例 1 In this Ordinance, unless the context otherwise requires, state means a territory or group of territories having its own law of nationality. (Laws of Hong Kong, Cap.30, Wills Ordinance, Art. 2) 在本条例中除文意另有所指外, “国家”

3、指拥有本身国籍法的领域或一组领域。 例 2 A notice under subjection (1) shall, unless it otherwise provides, apply to the income from any property specified therein as it applies to the property itself. 根据第（1）款发出的通知书除其中另有订定外亦适用于通知书内指明的财产的收入一如适用于该项财产本身。例3 Any person who by threats, persuasion or otherwise induces a witn

4、ess or a party not to give evidence in any hearing before the Board commits an offence. 任何人籍恐吓怂恿或以其它手段诱使证人或一方当事人不在仲裁处聆讯中作证即属犯罪。例4If 2 or more persons are defendants to a claim, as partners or otherwise, a process may be served on any of them and an award may be obtained and execution issued against

5、any person so served notwithstanding that any other persons jointly liable may not have been served or been a party or may not be within the jurisdiction of the Board. 如有2名或以上的人以合伙人或其它身分而属同一宗申索的被告人法律程序文件可送达予其中任何一人而判定该收件人败诉的裁定可由申索人获得执行程序亦可向该受件人进行即使任何其它共同有责的人可能未获得送达法律程序文件或不属当事人或不在仲裁处的司法管辖权范围内均无例外。例 5N

6、o will or any part thereof shall be revoked otherwise than - (a) by marriage as provided by section 13; or (b) by another will executed in accordance with section 5; or (c) by a written revocation executed in the manner in which the will was executed; or (d) by the burning, tearing or otherwise dest

7、roying of it by the testator, or by some person in his presence and by his direction, with the intention of revoking it.除籍以下方式外任何遗嘱的全部或任何部分均不得撤销- (a)根据第13条的规定籍缔结婚姻而撤销或 (b)籍按照第5条签立的另一份遗嘱而撤销或 (c)籍依照签立遗嘱方式签立的遗嘱撤销书而撤销或 (d)由立遗嘱人或由其它人在立遗嘱人面前并依其指示将遗嘱烧毁撕毁或以其它方法毁灭而其意愿是撤销该遗嘱。该短语在法律英文中一般都跟 “agreement”, “sectio

8、n”, “contract”等法律文件名或文件中特定条款名配合使用。通常可翻译成“以为条件”、“根据规定”、“ 在符合的情况下”、“除另有规定外”以及“在不抵触下”等。例 6 Subject to this section, an appeal shall be brought in such manner and shall be subject to such conditions as are prescribed by rules made under subsection (5). 在符合本条的规定下,上诉须按根据(5)款订立的规则内订明的方式提出,并须受该规则所订明的条件规限。例7

9、 Subject to subsection (3), the Board shall have jurisdiction to inquire into, hear and determine the claims specified in the Schedule. 除第（3）款另有规定外仲裁处具备查讯聆讯及裁决附表内指明的申索的司法管辖权。这个英文法律短语的功能相当于普通英文中的“without affecting”。与上一节“subject to.”的句法结构相同，跟在“without prejudice to”这个短语之后的通常是一个指代某项法律条款的名词。但对有关事物或条款的规限程

10、度，没有前者那么强硬。前者规限的程度是必须“符合”或“依照”有关条款或规定，后者指不要影响或损害其规限的事物。在汉语中，其意思相当于“在不损害的原则下”、“在不影响的情况下”、“ 不受影响”、“ 不妨碍”、以及“不规限”等等。例 8 Without prejudice to section 24, the following shall be treated as properly executed . 在不影响第24条规定的原则下以下的遗嘱须视为正式签立例 9 Without prejudice to the rights of the Attorney General every comp

11、lainant or informant shall be at liberty to conduct the complaint or information respectively and to have the witnesses examined and cross-examined by him or by counsel on his behalf. 在不损害律政司权利的原则下每名申诉人或告发人可进行其申诉或告发并亲自或由代表律师讯问及盘问证人。 在普通英文中，用where引导的状语从句，一般为地点状语从句。但在法律英文中，where引导的是法律条款中的条件状语从句，相当于“in

12、 the case where”。在香港，其最典型的译法是“凡.” or “如.”。 例如：例 10 Where a defendant is fined and the same is not forthwith paid, the magistrate may order the defendant to be searched. 凡被告人被判处罚款但没有随即缴付罚款裁判官可命令搜查被告人。例 11 Where a claimant has a claim which exceeds the monetary amount mentioned in the Schedule and whi

13、ch, but for the excess, would be within the jurisdiction of the Board, the claimant may abandon the excess, and thereupon the Board shall have jurisdiction to inquire into, hear and determine the claim. 如只因申索人的申索超逾附表所述的款额以致该申索超逾仲裁处的司法管辖权范围则申索人可放弃追讨超额的款项而在此情况下仲裁处有查讯聆讯及裁决该宗申索的司法管辖权。在法律条例中，尤其是在各地的刑法条例中

14、(或类似性质的条例)，“any person who does shall be guilty of an offence”这种句型重复率相当高，因为法律的主要功能是界定何种行为属于违法以及应受到怎样的处罚，而这个句型是其中一个最简明、直接的表达方式。在句法上，这个句型通常会把主语和谓语用逗号分开，中间加插一个定语修饰词。以下是典型的例句及其若干变种：例 12Any person who, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, while having dealings of any kind with any other public

15、body, offers any advantage to any public servant employed by that public body, shall be guilty of an offence. 任何人与其它公共机构进行任何事务往来时无合法权限或合理辩解而向受雇于该公共机构的公职人员提供任何利益即属犯罪。例 13 A person shall not, by reason only of his being an executor of a will, be incompetent to be admitted a witness to prove the execut

16、ion of such will, or a witness to prove the validity or invalidity thereof. 任何人不会仅因为身为遗嘱执行人而没有资格获接受为见证人以证明遗嘱的签立或证明该遗嘱具备或不具备效力。例 14 At the hearing of a complaint or information, a party may be represented by counsel; and an absent party so represented shall be deemed not to be absent. 在申诉或告发案聆讯时任何一方均

17、可由代表律师代表；某一方如有律师代表即使缺席亦不当作缺席。在大部分情况下，普通辞典里“为. .目的”这一解释并不适合法律英语中的“for the purpose(s) of.”如果紧跟这个短语的是某个法律条款的指代编号（如章、条、款、节等），首选的译文是“就（有关）章、条、款、节而言”，其次才是“为了实施该（条法例）”。倘若原英文中的“for the purpose(s) of.”与“章、条、款、节等”无关，而该短语又可以用“for”或“in order to”去取代（这种用法在法律英文中属于少数），则可译成“为了”。例15 For the purposes of subsection (2)

18、,land does not include incorporeal hereditament;就第(2)款而言, “土地”(land) 并不包括无体可继承产； 例16 For the purposes of subsection (3) permission shall be in writing and - 就第（3）款而言许可须为书面形式并且例17 For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section the attestation of a will by a person to whom or to whose spouse there

19、 is given or made any such disposition as is described in that subsection shall be disregarded if the will is duly executed without his attestation and without that of any other such person. 为第（1）款的施行获得该款所述的处置的任何人或其配偶如为遗嘱作见证而该遗嘱没有其见证或任何这些人的见证亦已属妥为签立则该人所作的见证须不予理会。例18 A judge may, on the application o

20、f an appellant who is in custody, order the appellant to be brought up to the court in custody for the purpose of attending his appeal or any application or any proceeding therein. 法官可应在羁押中的上诉人的申请为了使上诉人能出席其上诉或其中任何申请或法律程序而命令将他在羁押下带上法庭。例19 For the purpose of the Landlord and the Tenant Ordinance and f

21、or the purpose of these presents the rent in respect of the said premises shall be deemed to be in arrear if not paid in advance as stipulated by Clause 1 hereof. 基于租务条例并基于这些通知，有关该楼宇的租金，如果未照合约第一条规定的那样提前缴付，就应该被认为是拖欠。 “Provided that”是一个普通英文中很少使用的古旧词，但该句型在法律文书(尤其是合约条款)中广泛使用。其用法与“if” 或 “but”非常类似，汉语中的意思相

22、当于“倘若/如果”或“但”。该短语放在句首，引导出的是法律英语中的一个条件分句，与“if”、“when”或“where”引导的法律条件句没有本质上的差异；但如果该短语之前存在一个主句，则它表示的是一个与之前的陈述相反的“例外”，相当于“with the exception of ”，但英译汉时不能译成“除外”，而是译成“但”或“但是”，所以法律界通常称这类句子为“但书” (proviso)。例如：例 20 Provided that the acceptance of rent or mesne profits by the Landlord after the expiration of t

23、he term of the tenancy hereby created shall not be deemed to operate as a waiver or breach of any of the terms hereof nor as a new periodic tenancy by way of holding over or otherwise. A new Tenancy shall only be created by a fresh tenancy agreement in writing signed by the Landlord and the Tenant.

24、倘若在本合约规定的租期届满后业主接受租金或中间收益不应被认为是起了放弃或违背本合约的任何条件的作用也不应认为是起了作为继续租用或其它的新租期的作用。新租约只能是业主和租户签署的新书面租赁合约。例21 Every broker, dealer or lender who . shall forfeit to the owner of the goods the full value thereof: Provided that no such order shall bar any such broker, dealer or lender from recovering possession

25、of such goods by action from the person into whose possession they may come by virtue of the magistrates order, provided that such action is commenced within 6 months next after such order has been made. 每名被如此命令的经纪商人或贷款人如则须向物主偿付其全部价值 但上述命令并不禁止有关经纪商人或贷款人向凭籍裁判官命令获得管有此等财物的人士提出诉讼以取回其管有权但有关诉讼须在此项命令作出后6个月

26、内展开。例 22The Licensee shall not be entitled to take any proceedings in any of the aforesaid matters; provided, however, that the Licensor may, at its own discretion and cost, prosecute or otherwise stop or prevent such actual or threatened infringement in the name of both the Licensor and the License

27、e or either of them, and in each case the Licensee shall render all reasonable assistance required by the Licensor.被许可方无权就上述任何行为起诉或要求许可方起诉，但许可方可自行决定并自付费用，以许可方和被许可方双方名义或任何一方名义，对实际发生或似将发生的商标侵权行为提起诉讼，或以其它方式阻止或防止该等侵权行为。无论许可方采取前述任何行动，被许可方均应提供许可方所要求的一切合理协助。 介词notwithstanding 在普通英文中的使用极为罕见，可列入古旧废词的行列，但其在法律

28、英文中的使用已经达到“司空见惯”的程度。翻译带有该介词的句子并不难，因为它的译法跟although/though/even if 引导的状语从句没有太大分别，基本上都可以译成“尽管”、“即使.”， 表示一种让步。但该词所引导的并非是一个让步状语从句，因为在习惯用法上该词之后不跟句子，只跟一个名词性短语。虽然该词也可作连词使用，跟一个完整的让步状语从句，例如，He is honest, notwithstanding he is poor. (他虽贫穷，却诚实)，但这种用法并非是法律英语中的典型用法。 例23 Notwithstanding any law or practice to the

29、contrary, it shall be lawful for the court in any proceedings for an offence under Part II to comment on the failure of the accused to give evidence on oath. 即使任何法律或惯例有相反规定在因第II部所订罪行而进行的法律程序中法庭可就被控人不宣誓作供一事加以评论。例 24 Notwithstanding subsection (3) a magistrate may require the police officer, usher or

30、other officer who served a summons to attend before him and give evidence on oath as to its service.尽管有第（3）款的规定裁判官仍可规定送达传票的警务人员传达员或其它人员在他席前就送达传票一事经宣誓而作证。 在法律英文中，它是一个与except（for）相同的介词。词源上这是一个法文词，由于历史的原因，法国人统治英国达相当长一段时间。自然而然，相当数量的、反映法国统治者意志的法语词进入了法律英语的范畴。Save便是其中最典型的、至今仍然保留使用的一个。汉语的译文为“除外”。不管是save 还是

31、except (for) 之后都可跟一个名词性短语，也可以跟一个从句或另一个介词短语。例25 Save as is provided in this Ordinance, no claim within the jurisdiction of the Board shall be actionable in any court. 除非本条例另有规定否则凡属仲裁处司法管辖权范围内的申索不得在任何法庭进行诉讼。例 26 Save under and in accordance with the provisions of this section no action shall lie in an

32、y civil court against a magistrate for any act done in a matter over which by law he has no jurisdiction or in which he has exceeded his jurisdiction. 除根据及按照本条的条文外不得就裁判官在一项他在法律上并无司法管辖权或超越其司法管辖权的事项上所作的任何作为在民事法庭提出针对裁判官的诉讼。注意注意：save/except as (is) provided / stipulated 可以用另一个法律上常用的句式去取代：unless otherwis

33、e provided/stipulated 功能与其相同，可以是一个标准的替代。在普通英文中，倘若要表达一个与某事物有关的概念，最常用的介词莫过于regarding 或concerning。其余表达类似概念的词非常丰富，如in connection with, in relation to, relating 等等。但在法律英文中，这一些常用词似乎都太普通，正式程度欠奉。取而代之的则是in respect of 。不过，由于该词本身灵活性强、黏附性与词俱来，而正式程度又高，故在法律英文中往往被过度使用。习惯普通英语的读者、译者，时常对该词感到头痛：既不好理解，也不好翻译。其实，只要懂得其最常用的替代，理解和翻译都不应该有困难。 例27 Where an employee is granted any period of annual leave, the employer shall pay him annual leave pay in respect of that period not later than the day on which he is next