法律语言_四字结构_的特点及其汉英翻译策略
法律英语的句法特点及其汉英翻译策略
法律英语的句法特点及其汉英翻译策略引言法律语言在书面表达上的一个显著特点就是多用长句，这也就是法律的起草者和翻译者所说的“一句话”结构。
在英、汉法律文本中，这种使用长句表达的倾向缘于立法者试图将某一问题的相关信息全部安置于一个完整的句子之内，避免几个分散的句子可能引起的歧义。
立法语言的长句结构可以追溯到古代罗马、希腊以前的时期，当时，由于没有标点符号而导致了“一句话”的长句结构在法律语言的表述中大量使用，有时甚至仅用一个长句来表述某一部法规的整个内容。
随着社会的进步，标点符号出现了；但是，法律法规也变得日趋复杂。
为了让使用者易于理解和掌握，一部法律法规通常被分为数个部分来进行表述，但使用长句结构的表达习惯在法律的起草和翻译中却一直延用至今。
长句结构的构成要素长句结构在法律语言中的应用之所以有如此旺盛的生命力，是因为很多学者认为，一个立法语句应该由三个或更多的主要分句构成，本文对构成法律英语的长句结构的三个要素（条件句、逻辑连接词and 和o r 、修饰限定成分）进行了分析，并提出在汉英法律翻译中如何利用这三个要素来避免在一个长句里出现歧义或错误的解决办法。
主要分句又由几个从属分句修饰限定。
这样的长句不容易产生误解，因为读者不必去核实各个独立句子之间的关系。
此外，他们还认为一系列的短句带来的不可避免的结果是毫无必要的重复或使人厌烦困惑的相互指代，或二者兼而有之，因此很可能会影响交际效果。
所以，大多数学者都坚持在法律的起草和翻译上使用“一句话”的长句结构来进行表述。
例如：例1：第一百一十三条当事人一方不履行合同义务或者履行合同义务不符合约定，给对方造成损失的，损失赔偿额应当相当于因违约所造成的损失，包括合同履行后可以获得的利益，但不得超过违反合同时预见到或者应当预见到的因违反合同可能造成的损失。
Article 113 If either party fails to perform its obligations under the contract or does not perform its obligations as contracted and thus causes losses to the other party, theamount of compensation for the loss shall be equivalent to the loss actually caused by the breach of contract and shall include the profit obtainable after the performance of the contract, but shall not exceed the sum of the loss that might be caused by a breach of contract and has been anticipated or ought to be anticipated by the breaching party in the making of the contract.从上例可以看出，在这则由近百个单词表述的法律条款的英语译文中，只是由一个条件句，逻辑连接词and和or构成的并列形式以及一些修饰限定成分构成。
法律语言的语言特征及其翻译原则(外文翻译资料)
Statutes and contracts: An analysis of legal speech acts inthe English language of the lawThe Aarhus School of Business, Department of English, Fuglesangs All~ 4, DK-8210 Aarhus V, DenmarkAbstractThis paper is concerned with the language used in legal speech acts in legislative texts and contracts in the field of English Contract Law. The central objects of study are regulative functions with a particular view to establishing realization patterns of the rhetorical functions of directive and commissive acts. The findings show that the language of the law characteris-tically selects patterns of regulatives distinct from, for example, the patterns typically selected in everyday conversational English. The characteristics of the language of the law can be interpreted within the adherence to legal institutions, as well as in terms of the face redress required by the socio-pragmatic situation.1. BackgroundThe field of legal language within the written medium is unique with regard to distinctive lexical features, such as technical terms, archaic expressions, etc., and itis renowned for its syntactic complexity, which has given rise to a number of stud-ies of these aspects (see, e.g. Danet, 1985: 278-287). However, with the exceptionof a few studies (e.g. Kurzon, 1986; Werther and Helmersen, 1989), little attentionhas been given to pragmatics and politeness in written legal discourse. In the field of pragmatics (including work on politeness phenomena), research has been concerned primarily with oral discourse, often based on non-sequential hypo-thetical data, and very few studies are concerned with pragmatics and politeness in written discourse (see, e.g. Myers, 1989; Pilegaard, 1990). This paper presents a pragmatic study of a highly specialized discourse, viz. the language of authentic legislative texts and contracts, which are analyzed for socio-pragmatic occurrence and pragmalinguistic realization of regulative acts. Politeness is discussed within a consideration of the imposition of regulative acts. This research has been financed partly by The Danish Research Council for the Humanities and I would like to express my gratitude for their support. The article is based on my findings published inpreliminary versions as Trosborg (1991) and Blom and Trosborg (1992). tionship which exists between the legislative power and the citizens, in which case the former has the authority to make rules for citizens to obey in order to maintainlaw and order. An empirical question to be answered in this connection is whether this difference in authority results in a difference, for example in directness levels, between the two kinds of the law, i.e. between the language used in legislation compared to the lan-guage employed in private law (contracts and deeds).Commission shall be paid on a quarterly basis and shall be based on the previous quarter's nett sales. (4-001 )Employees shall work such overtime as the Company from time to time thinks necessaryaccording to the needs of its business. (4-014)As in (4-001), the illocution is frequently constructed by the application of pas-sivization involving agent suppression, and/or by the use of non-human subject. Those are prominent features of the legal register, and may be explained in terms offace redress in order to reduce the face-threat involved in issuing a directive.4.1.2. ProhibitionsIn the regulation of behaviour by means of prohibitions, the modal shall is usedalmost exclusively (6.0% out of 6.8% of the strategies observed):the Representative shall not be entitled to enter into any contract or obligation on behalf of the Company without the express written consent of the Company being first obtained. (4-016)Nothing in this Clause shall confer any right upon the Distributor to return Products purchased by it pur-suant hereto or to refuse or delay payment for them. (4-068)The officer shall have no entitlement to any further period of holiday with or without remuneration unless expressly agreed between the company and the officer. (4-006)The three examples reflect some of the different types of negation which were men- tioned in 2.2.1.2.4.2. Rights4.2,1. PermissionIn contracts, a symmetrical relation holds between the two parties, either of whichis able to grant permission to the other party:The Hirer may determine the hiring at any time by giving one month's previous notice in writing expir-ing on one of the days appointed for payment of rent (4-015)The Owner hereby grants to the Distributor [...] the sole and exclusive right to licence, sub-licence and generally to market, distribute and support the Software (4-047)The company hereby gives the officer permission to reside with his wife and children in the dwelling-house and premises [...] as the company's representative (4-006) Statements of permission amounted to 5.8% of the total number of strategies.4.2.2. Assignment of benefit~liabilityThe examples below are linguistic manifestations of the subcategories (i) assign-ment of benefits, (ii) negated assignment of benefits, (iii) limitation of liability, and (iv) negated limitation of liability, respectively:the Company shall have power [...] to carry on its business alone or in association with any one or more persons (whether natural or legal) or by any one or more subsidiary companies (4-026)The duty to disclose contained in this clause shall not impose on either party any obligation to develop any such modification or improvement (4-027)The Carrier shall be relieved of its obligation to perform the Contract to the extent that the performance thereof is prevented by failure of the Trader (4-038)no liability whatsoever shall be accepted by the Contractor for any alterations or additions carried out in contravention of this Clause (4-059)4.3. Constitutive rulesConstitutive rules establish the terms of the contract (for example, concerning lia- bility), and spell out conditions relating to price, date, amount, etc. Furthermore, theydefine expressions and terms in the contract or supply information concerning appli- cation of these terms. Examples typically involve lexical main verbs such as mean, apply, include, exclude, and constructions with be + copula."ACCIDENT" includes exposure resulting from a mishap to a conveyance in which the Assured is travelling (4-021)The Agent is responsible for finding out and notifying in detail of Governmental and other requirements in the Territory affecting this Agreement (4-018)Future reference by the use of the modal shall may indicate a constitutive spellingout a rule of the contract with a legal effect. ANY notice required to be served upon the Owner or Hirer hereunder shall be deemed to be duly served 48 hours after posting if sent by first class recorded delivery post (4-053)4.4. CommissivesBy making a promise a party to the contract commits him/herself before the law. Promises were typically expressed by means of performative verbs, such as agree, undertake, acknowledge, warrant, accept:The Supplier warrants to the Customer that the Equipment marketed by the Supplier is believed to be free from defects of workmanship and materials (4-057)The Licensee acknowledges that the copyright in [...] all written, printed and photographed matter sup-plied by the Grantor under this agreement [...] shall belong to and remain vested in the Grantor (4-027)The verbs promise and covenant were observed but they were not in frequent use.5. Discussing the findingsNo detailed comparison of the use of regulatives in legislative texts compared with the use in simple contracts will be provided. A few comments shall suffice. In both types of legal documents, the category of direct directives dominates (leg-islation 47.6%, contracts 46.3%) with mandatory shall as the single most frequently used sub-category (legislation 21.4%, contracts 38.0%). A higher number of consti-tutives in statutes (39.3%) compared with contracts (22.7%) reflects the very func-tion in the former of establishing rules and regulations. Commissives occurred only in contracts. A difference was observed in the use of explicit performatives in directives compared with commissives. Strategies of the prototype I hereby order you to do X were rarely observed, neither in statutes, nor in contracts, whereas strategies of the type I hereby promise to do X amounted to 9.5% in contracts. This difference can be explained with reference to the face-threat (see 1.2.1) involved in the two acts. When trying explicitly to enforce the desired behaviour (which is for the benefit of the sender and normally at the cost of the receiver) onto the receiver, the sender openly threatens the requester's right to remain unimpeded. This explains why explicit performative verbs are avoided. On the contrary, when issuing a promise, the speaker commits him/herself (and not someone else) to carry out the act specified in the proposition, but does not impose on the other party. The promise is at the cost of the sender and believed to be for the benefit of the receiver. For these reasons, a promise is less face-threaten-ing to the receiver and the promise can be emphasized by being made explicit by means of a performative verb.When comparing the directives observed in English Contract Law with directives observed in everyday conversations, the selection of directness levels differs markedly inthe two domains (see Trosborg, 1991).5 The strategies used most fre-quently in everyday conversational English belong to the category of conventionally indirect directives, which finding is in agreement with the findings of previous stud-ies (e.g. Ervin-Tripp, 1976 (American English), Blum-Kulka et al., 1989 (British and American English)). Querying the hearer's ability/willingness to perform a given act (Could you spare me a cigarette ?/Would you mind mailing this package for me?) amounts to 50.6% of the total number of strategies observed in conversational Eng-lish, while statements of the speaker's wishes and desires (1 would like you to send me a parts list) amount to 16.9%, altogether comprising 67.5% of the total number of strategies. These strategies occur neither in contract law, nor in contracts. The most frequent category in the language of the law and in contracts is direct ordering (47.6%, 46.3%, respectively), which is the category employed least fre-quently in the conversational data (9.6%). As for individual strategies, statements5 The data of comparisonderivefromdiadic conversationsbetweennative speakersof Englishelicited by means of roleplay materialconstructedon the basis of anticipatedillocutionaryactswith a directive function. The rolerelationshipsbetweenthe two participantsvaried along two parameters: 'dominance' and 'social distance', and the situationsinvolveda high 'degree of imposition'.5.1. The use of politeness markersIn everyday conversations, the illocutionary force of directives is often hedged or mitigated by the inclusion of politeness markers (I wonder if you could possibly ...).In the language of the law, mitigators are almost absent (unlike the language employed in judgments and mediation, see Maley, this volume). However, one device, which has been observed to occur frequently, is defocalization of agent as well as patient. A preliminary analysis has shown that only 19.4% of the observed directives in contract law have a human subject. Depersonalization is one way of mitigating the impact of a directive on the addressee, as in such sum shall be recov-erable~regard shall be had. Another reason for the high number of directives employing a non-human subject is the fact that the law operates by laying down its own constitutive rules with legal actants as subjects, such as 'this act', 'the provi-sions of this section', 'a statutory instrument', 'the guarantee'. In contracts, subjects pertaining to 'conditions of the contract', such as price, data, amount, license fees, etc. amount to 23.1% of the subjects employed in regulative acts, and as such it is the second largest subject category (only surpassed by 'collective nouns' (35.4%)). Further discussion of this point is postponed to a future paper.5.2. Concluding remarksThis paper has analyzed the occurrence of legal speech acts in English Contract Law. It has pointed to declarations by means of the enactment formula as unique to legislative texts. In contracts, explicit commissive acts occur as affirmative state-ments. Furthermore, an analysis has been presented of directive acts observed in the corpus revealing the communicative acts of statements of obligation, statements ofprohibition, statements of permission (involving 'assignment of rights', 'limitationof liability', and 'assignment of benefits'), as well as constitutive statements as directive acts typical of the language of the law. When comparing the observed directives to directives observed in everyday con-versations, it has been shown that the selectionpatterns, drawn from a continuum of directness levels, differ. Legislative texts and simple contracts of English Contract Law show a predominance of direct strategies (statements of obligation and prohibi-tion), whereas conversational English favours conventionally indirect strategies. It was argued that this difference could be ascribed to the external factors of the social situation, rather than to a difference in medium (written vs. spoken). Further-more, it is not just a matter of the English language of the law being more direct than conversational English (no imperatives were observed); it is a question of selecting strategies to express a specific communicative function in a particular sender/receiver relationship within the considerations of the 'felicity conditions' of the act in question and within the socio-pragmatic requirements of the situation.法规与合同：法律语言行为在法律英语语言中的分析[摘要]：本文研究的是英国合同法领域法律文本与合同中法律语言行为里语言的使用，研究的主要内容是用有特殊视角的规范功能来建立指示与命令行为的修饰功能的实现方式。
法律英语句式特点及翻译策略
法律英语句式特点及翻译策略【摘要】随着全球化的不断发展和中国国际地位的不断提高，我国在政治、经济、文化等各个领域的国际交往也越来越频繁。
在许多情况下，国际交往的顺利进行都需要法律的保驾护航。
当拥有不同语言和不同法律制度的国家之间面对共同的法律问题时，就需要通过翻译进行沟通，达成共识。
因此，对法律翻译的需求也日益迫切。
【关键词】法律英语句式翻译一、法律英语的句式特点法律英语（legal english），在英语国家中被称为legal language 或language of the law，即法律语言，在英语中指表述法律科学概念以及诉讼或非诉讼法律事务时所用的语种或某一语种的部分用语。
从此概念可以看出，法律英语所使用的语言不仅是英语，还包括其他语种，如法语、拉丁语等。
要成功地做好法律英语的翻译，首先必须了解法律英语的语言特点。
作为专门用途英语的一种，法律语言具有与非法律语言明显不同的句式特点。
（一）大量使用结构复杂的长句与科技英语、商务英语相比较而言，法律英语中的句子结构就其长度和使用从句的连续性而言要复杂得多。
法律英语中的长句主要指多重复合句，除主谓结构外，还有许多修饰成分，如从句、短语等，其主从关系有各种连接词贯通以表示逻辑关系，句子结构严谨。
例如：the congress， whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary， shall propose amendments to this constitution，or on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the several states， shall call a convention for proposing amendments， which ， in either case， shall be valid to all intents and purposes， as part of this constitution， when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states， or by conventions in three-fourths thereof， as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the congress； provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year 1808， shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article；and that no state， without its consent， shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the senate.这个句子共有135个单词，其中包含了定语从句、状语从句，而且从句之间相互嵌套，构成了错综复杂的句式结构。
法律文体的汉英句法特点及翻译策略
被理解，而具有相关文化背景的人才能理解 该符号所传达的信息，符号也是如此。
3.5 产品设计中的符号运用有直接和 间接之分
从某些作品中可以直接找到符号性的 元素，而在另一些作品中却似乎很难发现 符号的存在，但这并不意味着这些设计与 符号无涉。实际上符号是无处不在的，只 是根据需要作用方式不同而已。
第一，对符号的直接运用。作品本身 就是以符号的形式出现的。比如标识类设 计，由于这类设计以图形为基础，以达意 为生命，强调小而精，因此被浓缩得几乎 等于符号本身。
参考文献 [1]李幼蒸.理论符号学导论[M].社会科学文献出版 社,1999. [2]何新.艺术现象的符号[M].人民文学出版社,1987. [3]李祖定.中国传统吉祥图案[M].上海科学普及出版 社,1989. [4]李乐山.工业设计思想基础[M].北京:中国建筑工业出 版社,2001. [5]张宪荣.设计符号学[M].北京:化学工业出版社,2003. [6]汪海波.论产品符号设计[J].包装工程,2004,(03).
来，而寻找这种载体的过程就是设计。 4.结束语 设计是为大众服务的，是为了满足人
们对产品的价值需求，同时也满足人们对 产品个性化和高度艺术性的需求，总之， 是为了给人们的生活带来更多的便捷和美 好，而这种目的的实现正是要求我们设计 师对设计符号学的正确运用，理性理解， 与设计完美的结合，用现代的观念去改造 和提炼，从而更好的服务社会，改善生 活，创造出美观大方，质量优良，充满人 性关怀和环保意识的产品。
131 2009年5月 网络财富
网络财富・ 文化研究
Intemet fortune・Cultural Studies
诉。（摘自《判决书》） 例4、例5这两句表禁令的祈使句，表
达语气斩钉截铁，给人深刻的印象。 总之，法律文体句法结构形式灵活多
法律语言程式化与法律翻译
法律语言程式化与法律翻译在法律的领域中，语言不仅仅是交流的工具，更是权利、义务和责任的精确表达。
法律语言的程式化特点，以及在不同法律体系之间进行准确翻译的挑战，是法律工作者和翻译人员共同面临的重要课题。
法律语言程式化的表现形式多种多样。
首先，它在词汇的运用上具有鲜明的特点。
法律术语的精确性和专业性是其核心。
例如，“遗嘱”“侵权”“法人”等术语，在法律语境中有着特定且明确的定义，与日常用语中的含义可能存在差异。
这些术语的准确使用，是确保法律表达严谨和清晰的基础。
其次，法律语言的句式结构也较为固定和程式化。
常常使用长句和复杂的从句结构，以完整、准确地陈述法律规则和条款。
这种结构有助于避免歧义，明确权利和义务的范围及条件。
再者，法律语言在语法和时态的运用上也遵循特定的规则。
例如，在描述法律事实时，往往使用过去时态；而在规定法律义务和权利时，则多使用现在时态和将来时态。
那么，为什么法律语言会呈现出这样高度程式化的特点呢？一方面，这是为了保证法律的权威性和稳定性。
精确的术语和固定的句式能够减少误解和不确定性，使得法律在实施过程中具有更高的可预测性和一致性。
另一方面，法律语言的程式化有助于维护法律的公正性。
相同的情况在法律面前应得到相同的处理，程式化的语言有助于确保这种一致性的实现。
然而，当涉及到法律翻译时，这种程式化的特点带来了巨大的挑战。
首先，不同语言中的法律术语往往没有完全对应的词汇。
例如，某些在英美法系中常见的法律概念，在大陆法系的语言中可能没有直接对应的术语。
这就需要翻译人员深入了解两种法律体系和文化背景，进行恰当的解释和转换。
其次，句式结构的差异也会影响翻译的准确性。
一种语言中复杂的长句结构，在另一种语言中可能需要进行拆分和重组，以符合目标语言的表达习惯，同时又不损失原句的法律意义。
此外，语法和时态的差异也需要特别注意。
翻译时若不能准确把握这些差异，可能会导致法律条款的理解偏差。
为了应对这些挑战，法律翻译人员需要具备深厚的法律知识和出色的语言能力。
[整理]汉语四字格的英译之文献综述
![[整理]汉语四字格的英译之文献综述](https://img.taocdn.com/s3/m/4094caab970590c69ec3d5bbfd0a79563c1ed49e.png)
汉语四字格的英译之文献综述刘雯一、汉语学界对四字格的研究（一）、四字格的概念四字词语古已有之，其出现甚至可以追溯到先秦，如在《诗经》中即已出现了四字结构。
但“四字格”这个概念最初是由陆志韦先生于1954年提出来的。
后来，吕叔湘先生也沿用了这一概念，之后很多学者都进行了较为深入的研究。
然而，对于这个概念的涵义，各位学者却是认识不一。
如陆志韦认为，四个字（音节）在语法上紧密结合在一起，其前后有比它更大、更明显的停顿，在语法上成立而且有意义的就是四字格[1]。
吕叔湘先生认为四音节熟语即四字格[2]。
马国凡则将四字格定义为：“由四个音节组成的单位。
”[3]这个定义显然过于宽泛，但他同时指出：“强调外部形态是确定四字格的主要依据并不意味着四字格可以是无意义的音节拼凑，四字格或是一个词，或是一个语，它是由四音节表意的不同程度的粘合体，而不是其他别的什么。
” [3]陈宏薇给出的定义是：一个包含四字汉语的词组。
[1]而《汉语语法修辞辞典》中的定义是：由四个汉字组成的一个固定的形式。
从以上定义可以看出，各位学者对于四字格的概念认识不一，主要分为狭义的理解和广义的理解两类。
狭义的理解如吕叔湘、陈宏薇等认为四字格主要是四音节组成的短语或词组；而广义的理解如陆志韦、马国凡等则认为，四字格不仅包括词组还应包括词，如盖世太保、歇斯底里等。
（二）、四字格的特点根据马国凡等多位学者的研究，四字格的特点可归纳如下：1.由四个音节组成，外部形态简单，内涵丰富；2.信息容量大，尤其是一些具有文化内涵或典故的四字格，还有一些为了凑成四字格的形式而省略了一些句子成分的四字词组，更是信息密集；3．既可用于口语又可用于书面语，使用面比较广；4．再造性强。
根据现有的四字格的结构或框架，可以通过更改其中一两个字创造很多同类的四字格；5．节奏感强，具有音乐性。
“四音节在声韵调三个方面可以有多种搭配”，这些搭配使得四字格富有音乐性，给人们增添了美感，也增加了它使用的频率。
《中华人民共和国刑法》中四字结构的英译研究
《中华人民共和国刑法》中四字结构的英译研究随着世界经济的飞速发展和全球化进程的日益加快，中国与世界各国的交流愈来愈频繁，法律也成为必不可少的沟通内容。
法律是由我们所遵守得语言规则构成，通过对法律条文的分析，可以明确理解法条字面背后的逻辑原理和学术性的内容。
在对高质量法律翻译的需求日益增多的同时，也要求译者对法律语言进行系统全面的认知。
语言是法律的源泉，其中的四字结构是语言的基本构成单位，国际翻译联合会曾提出：“任何译文都应忠实于原意，准确表达原文的思想和形式，遵守这种忠实的原则是翻译工作者法律上和道德上的义务。
”（国际联译1963《翻译工作者宪章》第一章第4条）标签：翻译；《中华人民共和国刑法》四字结构一、法律翻译的重要性2015年8月29日，十二届全国人大常委会十六次会议表决通过刑法修正案九，对刑法做出进一步的修改和补充，根据我国国情与适当的借鉴国外先进经验相结合，使我国刑法实现统一性和完备性“法律是体现统治阶级意志，由国家制定或认可并由国家强制力保证实施的行为规范的总和。
”（潘庆云，1997）对不同法条的翻译在法律机制的交际活动中充当着不可替代的作用。
在当今社会环境的推动下，各国都希望通过对中文法律条文的翻译，更好的了解中国的法治社会。
罗马时期的著名法学家乌尔比安曾将法律定义为“法律是善良与公正的艺术。
”这种艺术是将与特定社会生活及其文化传统密切相关的行为语言予以翻译，并确保其不失去其规范本质和艺术特征。
因此，如何准确的将行为语言以另一种语言再现就成为一种严肃缜密的艺术，法律翻译实际是一种最忠诚严格的艺术复制。
所有的立法理论必须语言规范，做到“表述准确，结构严谨，条理清楚，直述不曲，字词规范，篇幅力求简洁”（刘红婴，2003）。
二、四字结构的定义及分类（一）四字结构的定义四字结构，又称为四字格，四字结构几乎可见于古今各种文体中，它是汉语词汇中的重要成员，结构匀称对仗，表达言简意赅，具有极强的修辞效果。
法律英语的语言特点及其翻译技巧
法律英语的语言特点及其翻译技巧黄木兰3(福建师范大学 外国语学院,福建 福州 350007)摘 要:法律英语作为普通法国家的专业英语,在其漫长的历史演变过程中形成了包括词汇、词法、句法等方面独特的语言特点。
在法律英语的翻译过程中,充分意识到法律的专业特色之余应当遵循一定的原则,同时也可采取一些翻译技巧。
关键词:法律英语;语言特点;翻译中图分类号:H315.9 文献标识码:A 文章编号:1672-0768(2005)05-0087-03 随着改革开放的不断发展和深入,我国同世界各国的经济、文化、科学技术交往不断扩大和增加,涉外活动日趋频繁,逐渐引起各式各样的涉外法律纠纷。
市场经济迫切需要更多更优秀的既能服务于国内又能服务于国外,既懂法律又懂英语的复合性高级法律人才。
法律英语的重要性不言而喻。
法律英语(Legal English),主要是指英美等普通法国家在立法和司法过程中逐渐形成的具有规约性的民族语言的社团分支。
它包括规范性法律文件用语以及法律工作者在执法过程中使用的一整套规范化的法律公务用语。
[1]法律英语作为一种专业英语(Pr ofessi onal English),区别于普通英语(Common English),具有法律专业技术的特征;其行文严谨,庄重严肃,逻辑严密,为法官、律师、法学家等特殊法律职业群体所使用。
因此,在翻译过程中应当注意其独特的原则,并遵循一定的技巧。
一、法律英语的语言特点英美法系主要以英国和美国两个国家为代表,英国是普通法和英语的发源地,曾经作为英国殖民地的美国继承了英国法律体系。
在其漫长的发展历程中,法律英语形成了自己独特的词汇、词法、句法、表达方式和写作风格。
1、词汇方面,频繁运用中世纪英语、古英语单词和拉丁文,广泛运用常用词的非常用意义,主要是为了显示法律语言的神圣性、权威性和严密性。
通常认为,在诺曼人征服英国之前直到公元1100年的英语为古英语,从公元1100年到1500年的英语为中世纪英语。
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上海翻译Shanghai Journal o f Translator s 2007No .2[收稿日期]2006210210[作者简介]杨海燕(1977-),女,上海电力学院外语系讲师。
法律语言“四字结构”的特点及其汉英翻译策略杨海燕 (上海电力学院外语系,上海200090)[摘要]本文分析了法律文献中不同类型“四字结构”的语言特点,结合具体实例探讨了法律语言“四字结构”翻译时必须理解其内涵意义和语境的作用,最后对一些常用的法律语言“四字结构”的翻译做了归纳总结。
[关键词]法律语言四字结构;特点;翻译[中图分类号]H 315.9[文献标识码]B[文章编号]167229358(2007)022******* “四字结构”是现代汉语中一种常见的语言现象,也是汉语的优势所在。
其显著特征是“由四个音节构成,具有言简意赅、结构紧凑、音节整齐、铿锵有力、富于声韵等特点(潘庆云,2004)”。
“四字结构”的使用符合法律语言精炼、准确、概括、严密等特点,并可以产生一定的修辞效果,在现代的法律语言的运用中占有相当的比例。
因此如何在翻译中有效地传达“四字结构”的意义是法律翻译中值得探讨的一个问题,对法律翻译实践也具有一定的价值。
1 法律语言“四字结构”的特点 根据“四字结构”的性质可以将法律语言“四字结构”划分为“四字成语”、“四字词组”和“四字法律术语”三种类型。
四字成语有假公济私、滥用职权、屡教不改、敲诈勒索、恬不知耻、亡命之徒、畏罪潜逃、徇私舞弊、执迷不悟、罪大恶极等,其特点是结构比较稳固,有自己特定的含义和一定的出处,且大多数为贬义,在句中要作为一个整体来使用。
四字词组是最常见的一种形式如情节严重、审理终结、事实清楚、诉讼请求、提起上诉、维持原判、违法行为、证据确凿等,充分体现了法律语言简明的特点,其结构比较松散,在句中有时可以作为一个整体来使用,有时也可以拆开来用。
四字法律术语如共同犯罪、故意犯罪、紧急避险、取保候审、数罪并罚、诉讼实效、正当防卫等,其特点是结构相当稳固,具有特定的法律含义,使用时不能随意更改。
根据法律语言中“四字结构”的构成要素之间的语法关系,我们可以将“四字结构”划分为联合、偏正、主谓、动宾等结构。
如敲诈勒索、徇私舞弊、取保候审等属于联合结构,亡命之徒、违法行为、正当防卫等属于偏正结构;情节严重、证据确凿、数罪并罚等属于主谓结构,维持原判、提起上诉、侦察终结等属于动宾结构。
掌握法律语言“四字结构”的性质和构成要素之间的语法关系对法律翻译实践至关重要。
2 法律语言“四字结构”汉英翻译策略 (Sarcevic ,1997:229)指出“法律翻译的基本单位不是词而是文本”,“法律翻译从本质上讲是一个翻译法律体系的过程”。
杜金榜(2005)提出“语言从法、求同存异和比照不足”三大法律交流原则,并指出“法律翻译的重点不仅在于语言的转换,更重要的是法律交流”。
因此,虽然“四字结构”的翻译属于词语层面的翻译,但是在翻译“四字结构”的时候,不应该仅仅局限在词语层面,而是要在理解“四字结构”内涵意义、搞清楚其结构构成的基础上,结合具体的语境来寻找“四字结构”的对等翻译。
这种“四字结构”的对等翻译是从语言功能的角度讲的,而不是一对一的逐字对等,其目的是为了达到语言信息的有效传递,推动法律交流的有效开展。
译者在翻译“四字结构”的时候是有一定的自主性和自由度的,但是对于不同类型的“四字结构”其自主性和自由度是不同的,如翻译四字词组时的自主性和自由度就要大于翻译四字成语和四字术语的时候。
2.1 分析结构,理解内涵法律语言中的“四字结构”是一种高度凝炼的语言,而且四字成语和四字词语又有相对固定的含义,因此是绝对不可以望文生义的。
必须在正确理解汉语“四字结构”意义的基础上,用恰当的英语将其内涵意义表达出来。
1)为了兴利除弊,促进我国互联网的健康发展,…译文一:...in order to prom ote what is benef 2icial and eliminate what is harm ful ,prom ote the s ounddevelopment of China ’s com puter w ork...(《刑法》中国法制出版社,2003:p.309)・33・“兴利”和“除弊”是并列关系的两个动词词组,弊指害处,坏处。
整个成语的意思就是兴办对国家人民有利益的事业,除去各种弊端。
因此,译文用what is beneficial指“利”,用what is harm ful指“弊”,整个成语译作prom ote what is beneficial and eliminate what is harm ful,不但结构对称,而且也准确地传达了原成语的内涵,当然,“prom ote what is beneficial and eliminate what is harm ful”这个译文还可做改进,可以用“the+形容词结构”代替“what结构”,因为前者比“what结构”简洁,能更好地体现法律语言凝炼的特点,因此译文可修改如下:译文二:...in order to prom ote the beneficial and eliminate the harm ful,prom ote the s ound devel2 opment of China’s com puter w ork...证据确凿,事实清楚。
译文一:The evidence is certain and the facts are clear.“证据确凿”和“事实清楚”都是主谓结构的四字词组。
四字词组的翻译灵活度最大,在翻译的时,可以把把两个主谓结构的四字词组翻译成由and引导的并列句。
也就是说不是所有的四字结构译成英文后都还是短语,有可能转换成小句。
当然这也不是唯一的译法,如“证据确凿”中的“确凿”还可以译做s olid,The evidence is s olid and the facts are clear。
2.2 “四字结构”翻译依赖其所处的语境“四字结构”的翻译必须考虑“四字结构”所处的上下文,不同的上下文可能造成翻译上的差异,而且根据“四字结构”所处的上下文可以运用增词、减词、调整语序等汉英翻译技巧。
例如:...应当从轻(从重)处罚。
译文:...shall be given a lighter(heavier) punishment.原文:犯罪分子具有本法规定的从重处罚、从轻处罚情节的...In case where the circumstances of a crime call for a heavier or lighter punishment...虽然例四和例五都出现了“从轻(从重)处罚”,但翻译却不尽相同,例四中用的是被动语态,而且加了助动词“be”,而例五中用的却是主动语态。
有关部门要加强对互联网的运行安全和信息安全的宣传教育,依法实施有效的监督管理...译文一:The department in charge shall increase publicity and education in the im portance of the operational and in formation security of the com puternetw ork and exercise effective supervision in accordance with law,...结合上下文,本例中的“宣传教育”和“监督管理”都是联合词组,属于语义重复,目的是为了强调,这是汉语常用的一种手法。
在翻译成英语的时候“宣传教育”用一个单词“publicity”表达,“监督管理”用一个单词“supervision”就可以了,因此应删掉“education”一词。
修改后的译文如下:译文二:The department in charge shall increase publicity in the im portance of the operational and in formation security of the com puter netw ork,and exercise effective supervision in accordance with law,...3 常用“四字结构”的翻译3.1 “予以Π不予”四字词组法律语言中有许多“予以Π不予”组成的四字词组,如“予以Π不予”支持,“予以查封”,“予以没收”,“不予认可”等。
对于此类“四字词组”在句子中通常翻译成“shall(not)be+动词”的形式。
如予以支持可以翻译成“shall be assisted”,“予以查封”可以翻译成“shall be sealed up”,“予以没收”可以翻译成“shall be con fiscated”,不予支持可以翻译成“shall not be assisted”或者是“shall be unassisted”,“不予认可”可以翻译成“shall not be accepted”。
3.2 和“判决”有关的四字词组“做出判决”是一个动宾结构的四字词组,经常可以翻译成renderΠmake a judgment。
“判决如下”是一个主谓结构的四字词组,后面经常跟判决的具体内容,因此该四字词组经常翻译成一句完整的句子,如“The judgment is as follows”。
3.3 驳回上诉,维持原判“驳回上诉,维持原判”是中文判决书中常用的程式化语言。
“驳回上诉,维持原判”是两个动宾结构的四字词组,可以翻译成“reject the appeal and maintain the original judgment”,单独的“维持原判”还可以翻译成“uphold verdict”。
参考文献:[1] 杜金榜.法律交流原则与法律翻译[J].广东外语外贸大学学报,2005,(4).[2] 潘庆云.中国法律语言鉴衡[M].上海:汉语大词典出版社,2004.[3] 刑法[M].北京:中国法制出版社,2003.[4] Sarcevic,Susan.New Approach to Leal Translation[M].TheHague:K luwer,Law International,1997.・43・。