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Legal English
(revised version for the students)
Ch.1 The Main Features of Legal English
一、法律英语的英译：
David
Mellinkoff
（加州大学洛杉矶分校法学院教授）
：<
/p>
《
The Language of the
Law
》
1963
English
---Lawful English
Legal par
lance
（说法、
用语）
/lega
l lingo
（行话、
隐语）
/le
gal jargon
（行话、
黑话）
/legalese(
法
律八股文
)/language
of jurisprudence(
法理语言
)
2. the English Language of the Law or
shortened as “the language of the law”
3.
法律英语与法学英语
二、法律英语的范围：
是否凡是涉及法律的英语（词汇、表达方法、句子结构??）都是法律英语？
英美法学界所公认的法律英语主要是指普通法国家（
common-law countries
）的法律人所用<
/p>
的习惯语言
（
customary la
nguage
）
，
包括某些词汇、
短语，
或具有特色的一些表达方法
(mod
e
of
expressions)
。
三、法律英语的主要特点：
I.
precise or exact
(
准确
)
正常情况下，起草法律文件
时，用词造句务必十分精准（
with great exactness
）
，因为一旦笔
者的思想、
观点、企图落实成文字，
即成为法庭判断是非的重要依据，
因为
按严格解释原则
(principle of strict constructio
n)
或唯名论原则
(principle of nomina
lism)
，
尽管实践中还存在推测
意
图原则
(principle of presumed intent)
，
但其不占主导地位，
书面文字仍然是法官解释法律
文
件的唯一依据。
实务中鉴于对法律文件中文字的理解不一，也是常有纠纷出现：
e.g. The Charter required that
directors “shall be elected on a vote of the
stockholders representing
not less than
two-thirds of outstanding capital st
ock
of the corporation.”
甲方理解成：被选上董事的人需三分之二的股东投票赞成
(a
candidate to be elected needs the
votes
of two-thirds of the stockholders )
乙方则
认为：
选董事时须有三分之二的股东出席
(two-
thirds of the stockholders must be present
at the meeting at which the election is
held)
What
’
s the
judge
’
s opinion?
e.g.
一个阿肯色州的美国人临终前写了一个遗嘱，遗嘱写道：
The remainder of the testator’s
property should be “divided equally between all of
our nephews
and nieces on my wife’s
side and my niece.”
问题出在对
“between”
一词的理解上。立遗嘱人妻子一边的外甥和外甥女加在一起共有
22
个。这句话是指立遗嘱人的遗产的一半归其妻子方的
22
个外甥和外甥女，另一半归其本人
一方的外甥女？还是指将遗产在双方
的外甥外甥女中平均分配呢？
为达准确之目的，常使用下列招法：
1.
使用专门术语（下文有述）
2.
重复使用具有绝对含义的词汇，如
all , none,
perpetuity, never, unavoidable;
3.
使用具有绝对限制含义的短语：
“and no
more”
（仅此而已）
，
“shall not constitute a waiver” (
不构成对权利的放弃
)
，
“shall
not be deemed a
consent
”
（不应视为同意）等此类表达方式；
4.
使用含义宽泛的短语，
如：
“including but not limited to”
< br>（
包括但不限于）
，
“
or other similar
or dissimilar
cause”
（或其他类似或非类似的原因）
，
“
shall not be deemed to limit
”
（不应视
为限制）
，<
/p>
“
without prejudice
”
（不得损害）等。
5.
使用详细的告知条款，如：
“
on
deposit
in
the
United
States
mail
registered
and
postage
prepaid” (
在美国邮寄挂号函件，邮资预付
)
。
6.
使用特别定义条款，
如：
“
words in the singular include
the plural and vice versa” (
单数形式
的词汇包括复数，反之亦然
)
等表达方式。
7.
反复详细定义法律文件、事实情况、限制性条件、适用条件、例外情形、权利要求，以
< br>及表达不满（
grievances
）等。如：
“
To all to whom
these presents shall come or may come-Greeting:
Know ye that I, _________,
of______,
for and in consideration of ______ Dollars, to me
in hand paid by _____, do by these
presents for myself, my heirs,
executors, and administrators, remise, release and
forever discharge
_______
of
____,
his
heirs,
executors,
and
administrators,
of
and
from
any
and
all
manner
of
action
or
actions,
cause
and
causes
of
action,
suit,
debts,
dues,
sums
of
money,
accounts,
reckonings,
bonds,
bills,
specialties,
covenants,
contracts,
controversies,
agreements,
promises,
trespasses, damages, judgments, claims,
and demands whatsoever, in law or equity, which
against
him I have had, now have, or
which my heirs, executors, or administrators,
hereafter can , shall, or
may have, for
or by reason of any matter, cause, or thing
whatsoever, from the beginning of the
world to the day of the date of these
presents, excepting a claim as to_______. In
witness whereof,
etc.”
II.
formal (
拘谨
)
造成法律英语的拘谨而非大众化，
原因多多，
或出
于传统的职业习惯，
或出于显示自己与众
不同的才华，
或出于维护自己的职业尊严和职业利益圈等等，
常常使用与众不同的词或
表达
方法。如：通常情况下我们说
“come here!”
而律师往往就用
“approach
the bench!”
；我们说
“He has become a judge.”
而法律界常用
“He is on the
bench”
；我们说
“trust
each other”
法学
工作者常用
“repose in
one another”
。凡此等等，请看下面的对照表：
通常人们用：
法学界常用：
Law
teacher
law don
Refer
advert
Tell
advise
Inform
apprise
Begin or
start
commence
Show
demonstrate
Building
edifice
Bring about
effectuate
Use
employ
Unfriendly
inimical
Work
employment
Follow
ensue
For the same reason
by
the same token
律师的此种做法招来各个方面的批评。
美国诸多有关学者著书立说，
在报刊上撰文要求法律
界
进行文字改革，呼吁他们“能用小字时不用大字”
、
“能用短字
时不用长字”
、
“尽量用平实
语言（<
/p>
plain
English
）
”
III.
tough
（费解）
造成法律英语难学、难懂的原因，还有以下几个方面的原因：
（一）经常使用常用词汇的不常用的含义：
常用词汇
不常用含义
1. action
a lawsuit (either civil or criminal)
2. alien
3.
assigns
4. avoid
5.
bill
6.
brief
7. charge
8. clean hands
9. color
10. consideration
11. counterpart
12. covenant
13.
cover
14.
damages
15.
demise
16. depose
17. demur
18.
discovery
19. distress
20.
draft
21. draw
22. endorsement
23. equitable
24. finding
25.
garnish
26. hand
27. honor
28. instrument
29. interest
30. issue
31. majority
32. master
33. motion
34.
note
to transfer property to
another
person to whom a
right or property is assigned
to make void
a draft law
a written statement submitted to a
court
a form of security
without dishonest motives (
as in , “to have clean hands”)
apparent legal right (as
in,
“under color of law”)
the main cause for a contract
a duplicate of a document
to
make a binding promise
to
purchase
goods
to
replace
those
not
delivered
because
of
a
breach of
contract
the
compensation sought for a loss
to lease
to state under oath
not to agree
disclosure of information by the
opposing party in a law suit
the seizure of goods as
security for an obligation
an order for payment of money
to
sign a draft
the
signing of one’s name on
the back of a document
relating to equity as
opposed to law
determination
to
obtain
satisfaction
of
a
debt
from
a
third
party
rather
than
from
the debtor directly
signature
to
pay or accept
a formal legal document
a
right or claim to property
living descendants
legal age (as in, “to reach
majority”)
an employer
a formal request to a court
to seek an order or rule
a written
promise to pay a debt
3
5.
of course
as a matter of right ( as
in, “as a matter of course”)
36. paper
an instrument evidencing a
financial obligation
37. party
a
person engaged in a transaction a litigant in a
lawsuit
38. plead
to file
pleadings
39. pray
request for relief addressed to a court
40. prejudice
a
detriment to legal rights (as in, “without
prejudice”)
41. prescription
the acquisition
of a right over a long period
42.
presents
this formal
legal documents (as in, “by these
presents”)
43. provided
upon condition (word used to create a
proviso)
44. purchase
to
acquire title to land by means other than descent
45. remove
to
transfer to another court
46. said
mentioned above
47. save
to except
48. security
collateral
49. serve
to
deliver legal papers
50. show
to
make clear by evidence
51. specialty
a contract under seal
52.
tender
an
offer of money
53. tenement
estate in land
54. utter
to put something counterfeit into
circulation
55. virtue
authority or
reason (as in, “by virtue of”)
56. waive
to relinquish
(
二
)
经常使用古英语和中世纪英语词汇：
古英语（
old
English
）指公元
450
—
1100
年所流行的英语；中古英语（
middle
English
）指
公元
1100
—
1500
年之间常用的英
语。如：
1. aforesaid
mentioned above; referred to previously
2. hereafter
from now on; at
some future time
3. hereby
by this document; by these
very words
4.
herein
in
this
thing
(such
as
a
document,
section,
or
matter)
5.
hereinabove
in
the
above
thing
(such
as
a
provision
or
document , clause)
6.
hereinafter
later in this document
7. hereof
of this thing (such as a
provision or document)
8.
pursuant to
in compliance with; in accordance with;
under
9. thence
from that place; from that time
10. thereafter
afterward; later
11. therein
in
that place or time
o
to that place, thing, issue, or the
like
13. whereas
while by
contrast; although
14.
whereby
by
which;
through
which;
in
accordance
with
which
15. whereof
of
what; of which; of whom
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