商務英語翻譯之合同翻譯

1、商務英語翻譯之合同翻譯第一節(jié)商務合同的根底知識第二節(jié)合同英語的詞匯特點及翻譯要點第三節(jié)合同英語的句法特點及翻譯要點第四節(jié)合同內容的翻譯第五節(jié)商務合同的翻譯標準第一節(jié) 商務合同的根底知識一、概念與文體 雖然國內外對合同的定義各不相同，但都有一個共同點：A contract is an agreement, which legally binds the parties concerned。比方，99年中國?合同法?規(guī)定，Contacts referred to in this Law are agreements establishing, modifying and terminating t

2、he civil rights and obligations between subjects of equal footing, that is, between natural persons, legal persons or other organizations。 在由Steven H. Gifts編著的“Law Dictionary中，contract被定義為 “a promise, or a set of promises, for breach of which the law gives remedy, or the performance of the which the

3、 law in some way recognize as a duty.根據(jù)這一定義，合同是一種承諾，違反承諾可以得到法律救助，在某種意義上，法律將履行該承諾看作是一種補償。綜上可見，合同是平等主體之間設立確實定民事權利和義務的法律協(xié)議。商務合同是依法成立的法律性文件，自有其特殊的文體特征。通常所謂的“文體style是指人們運用語言時，總是根據(jù)一定的交際內容、交際目的和交際場合，來選取一定的表達形式，即所謂的語言風格；這種風格，既要適應交際對象，又受到特定語言環(huán)境的制約。根據(jù)美國語言學家Martin Joos1962年的分類，合同英語屬于莊重文體the frozen style，是各種英語文

4、體中正式程度最高的一種?？傮w來說，這種正式性表達在內容的專業(yè)性、語言的嚴謹性和結構的完整性等方面。 根據(jù)當事人之間的權利和義務關系，主要可做如下分類： Contracts for International Sale of Goods Contracts for International Technology Transfer Contracts for Sino-foreign Joint Ventures Contracts for Sino-foreign Contractual Joint Ventures Contracts for International Engineerin

5、g Projects Contracts for Compensation Trade Contracts for Sino-foreign Cooperation Development of Natural Resources Contracts for Foreign Labor Services Contracts for International Leasing Affairs Contracts for Sino-foreign Credits and Loans Contracts for International Build-Operate-Transfer，等。二、分類與

6、結構 按照格式的繁簡程度的不同，國際商務合同可以采取正式合同Contract、協(xié)議書Agreement、確認書Confirmation、備忘錄Memorandum、定單Order等書面形式。在合同簽訂和履行過程中，當事人之間往來的信函、電子郵件、電報等也是合同的組成局部，同樣具有一定的法律效力。但是，為了順利、準確無誤地完成合同的履行，保護當事人各方的合法權益，所有商業(yè)往來應以合同、協(xié)議書和確認書的訂立為前提和根底。從結構上看，國際商務合同一般包含如下四個局部1 當然，格式和內容并非一成不變，當事人可以根據(jù)各自交易情況做出調整或增刪。，具體說明如下： 一合同名稱Title：即合同標題，說明合同

7、的內容和性質。 二前文2 從結構上講，本條屬于“前文局部；但從內容上講，又屬于合同的一般條款。Preamble：A. 訂約日期和地點；B. 合同當事人及其國籍、主營業(yè)所或住所；C. 當事人合法依據(jù)；D. 訂約緣由/說明條款 三正文Main Body：A. 一般條款General Terms and Conditions；B. 特殊條款3 所謂“特殊條款，是指只有在某些特定性質的合約中才會出現(xiàn)的條款，例如合資契約中通常會約定當事人合資成立的公司由誰來管理，董事與監(jiān)察人由誰來擔任等等問題，但是抵押契約就不會有這些約定。反過來說，抵押契約中一定要記載的抵押品工程、抵押期限等等，在合資契約中就不會出現(xiàn)

8、。再如，由于當事人雙方來自不同背景，各自對某些關鍵詞的解釋和使用也不完全一樣，就有必要在合同中添加“定義條款Definition Clause，把相關的重要詞匯、專有名詞和術語加以解釋和說明，以確定其含義。Other Conditions。 四結尾條款WITNESS Clause：A. 結尾語；B. 簽名Signature；C. 蓋印Seal。三、商務合同的主要內容 合同的內容由當事人約定；結合1999年中國?合同法?第12條的規(guī)定，合同的主要內容一般包含以下條款：ATitles or names of the parties and the domiciles thereof；BDate a

9、nd place of signature of the contract；CType of the contract and the kind, scope of the subject matter of the contract；DTechnical conditions, quality, standard, specifications and quantities of the subject matter of the contract；ETime limit, place and method of performance；FTerms of price, amount and

10、 way of payment and various additional charges；GWhether the contract could be assigned or conditions for assignment；HCompensation and other liabilities for breach of the contract；IWays of settlement of disputes in case of disputes arising from the contract；JLanguages to be used in the contract and t

11、heir effectiveness。第二節(jié) 合同英語的詞匯特點及翻譯要點商務合同屬于莊重文體，用詞極其考究，具有特定性和嚴肅的風格。總體上看，合同的詞匯特點表達在以下兩大方面： 一、用詞專業(yè)，具有法律意味professional or legal 二、用詞正式、準確formal and accurate1使用正式的法律用詞 The Appendix hereto shall, through the contract period, be deemed (被認為) to be construed (理解)as part of this Contract. 整個合同期間，本合同的附件應被視為合

12、同的一局部予以解釋。 The headings and marginal notes in these conditions shall not be deemed part thereof or be taken into consideration in the interpretation or construction thereof or of the Contract. 本合同條件中的標題和旁注不應視為合同文本的一局部，在合同條件或合同本身的理解或解釋中也不應考慮這些標題和旁注。 Construction 比 explanation 要正式。 The Employer hereby

13、 covenants to pay the Contractor in consideration of the execution and completion of the Works and the remedying of defects therein the Contract Price. 業(yè)主特此立約保證向承包人支付合同總價，以作為本工程施工、竣工及修補工程中缺陷的報酬。 Covenants是法律用詞，意為簽訂有法律約束力的正式合同。2同義詞連用 對一些關鍵性的詞采用同義詞連用以克服由于英語詞一詞多意可能產(chǎn)生的語意不明、防止合同雙方按各自的意圖來理解合同條文。 This agre

14、ement is made and entered into by and between Party A and Party B. 本協(xié)議由甲方和乙方簽訂。 The Contractor shall, without limiting his or the Employees obligations and responsibilities under Clause 20, insure the Works, together with materials and plant for incorporation therein, to the full replacement cost. 在

15、不限制第20條中規(guī)定的承包人和業(yè)主的義務和責任的條件下，承包人應該以全部重置本錢對工程、用于工程中的材料和工程配套設備進行保險。3外語與相關的專業(yè)知識和國際法知識相結合 The Engineer shall have authority to issue to the Contractor, from time to time, such supplementary Drawings and instructions as shall be necessary for the purpose of the proper and adequate execution and completion

16、 of the works and the remedying of any defects therein. 工程師有權隨時向承包人發(fā)出為合理和恰當施工，竣工及修補工程中的缺陷所必須的補充圖紙和指示。 “施工，竣工及修補工程中的缺陷用了兩個and (execution and completion of the works and the remedying of any defects )。 根據(jù)一般國際承包工程的做法以及國際工程承包法規(guī)FIDIC合同條款的規(guī)定，工程分為兩個階段完成： 第一個階段為：設計、施工和竣工。完成后承包人獲得業(yè)主簽發(fā)的移交證書(Taking-over Certif

17、icate)。 第二個階段為修補工程中的缺陷。完成后承包人獲得業(yè)主簽發(fā)的缺陷責任證書(Defects Liability Certificate)。屆時，承包人和業(yè)主雙方的合同義務都已解除。 假設用execution，completion of the works and the remedying of any defects ，那么意味著兩個階段合并為一個階段，使承包人該移交的工程不能交出去。一、用詞專業(yè)，具有法律意味professional or legal一根據(jù)不同的專業(yè)來確定詞義。比方： 1The premium rates vary with differed interests

18、insured. 2If the buyer fails to pay any account when due, the buyer shall be liable to pay the seller overdue interest on such unpaid amount from the due date until the actual date of payment at the rate of five percent per annum, such overdue interest shall be paid upon demand of the seller. 3The a

19、rticles of our immediate interest are your “CHON-HOI brand Agricultural Washing Machines. 以上三句均含有“interest一詞，但是由于行業(yè)背景的不同，其意義也大相徑庭。第一句出自保險業(yè)，意思是“被保險的貨物；第二句源于國際貿(mào)易，意思是“一方由于未能支付到期的應付款項而向另一方支付的利息；而第三句屬于營銷業(yè)，此時的interest那么應譯成“對什么產(chǎn)品、品牌感興趣。由此可見，在合同翻譯過程中，要特別注意專業(yè)性的問題。二注意合同本身的術語 合同自身也有大量具有法律特性的合同術語。比方，“權利和義務right

20、s and obligations)、“仲裁( arbitration、“終止termination、“不可抗力force majeure、“管轄jurisdiction等。這些專業(yè)或法律術語的語義相對固定單一，通常無法用其他詞語代替，任何人在任何情況下都必須對它們作同一解釋。所以在翻譯的過程中，譯者要對這些詞語在一般文體中和法律文體中的意義進行區(qū)分。例如： 請再看以下幾例： 4Contractor shall assure full responsibility for the entire project work until its acceptance. (初始譯文：在工程接收之前，承

21、包方應對工程承當全部責任。) 5Full set clean on board marine Bill of Lading issued to the order of the shipper and blank endorsed. (初始譯文：承運人簽發(fā)的全套整潔、已裝船的海運提單，空白背書。) 6The payment shall be made by confirmed. irrevocable and documentary LC. (初始譯文：付款方式為經(jīng)確認的、不可撤銷的、書面信用證。) 在以上三句中，acceptance、clean、to the order of、confirm

22、ed和documentary的翻譯均未能完全真實表示合同意思，這些詞的中文完整意思分別是“驗收、“清潔、“以為抬頭、“保兌的和“跟單。由以上各例可見，由于對商務合同中專業(yè)詞匯的錯誤理解和翻譯，從而傳達了一種錯誤信息從而可能引發(fā)法律糾紛。 三注意一些以here、there或where等作前綴的副詞。這些虛詞的使用使得句子簡練、嚴謹，從而顯示出該類語言正規(guī)、嚴肅、權威等文體特征。下表中的詞語均是約定俗成的特殊用語。一個簡單的理解方法是：here代表this，there代表that，where代表what/which。比方： 7) We hereby certify to the best of o

23、ur knowledge that the foregoing statement is true and correct and all available information and data has been supplies herein, and that we agree to show you documentary proof upon your request. 從語法的角度分析，本句中hereby的語法功能為副詞，在這句中是強調所說明、證明的內容，因此可譯為“特此。 除了語法分析法之外，還可以運用奈達的動態(tài)等值理論，將前后語篇綜合起來考慮，并尋求適宜的、最對等的詞意，用

24、舊體詞來保持商務合同的莊重、嚴肅的文體風格，比方： 8) The undersigned hereby certify that the goods to be supplied are made in USA.以下簽署人茲保證所供給之貨物系在美國國內制造。 9) The titles to the articles are for convenience of reference only, not part of this contract and shall not in any way effect the interpretation thereof. 在前一句中，“hereby一詞

25、翻譯成了“茲，這是一個經(jīng)常在中文商務合同中使用的詞，符合法律文書的文體特征。另外兩個舊體詞“之和“系顯示合同翻譯風格正式而緊湊的典型特點；在后一個例子中，根據(jù)上下文來看，“thereof一詞的意思是“of the said contract，譯為“本合同的。此句中的“thereof相當于“of that，然而，奈達的動態(tài)等值理論的原那么是用最適宜的對等詞來表達源出語的意義，所以“that可以用“the said contract來代替。如將“the said contract綜合全句來看，那么其最對等的譯文為“上述內容。 進行對外經(jīng)濟合同文件寫作時，在用詞上不但要求準確，而且要求簡潔。 英語中

26、某些副詞如“here和 “where在法律文件中往往當作前綴，與另外一個詞構成一個正式法律詞匯中的副詞，在法律文件中用這些詞，可以防止重復，使行文準確、簡潔。 對外經(jīng)濟合同文件是法律文件，為了維護法律的權威性，在進行此類文件的英文寫作時，常常使用那些我們平時不常用的、法律文件中專用的正式詞匯。herebyHereby: by means of ; by reason of this. 特此，因此，茲。 The Employer hereby covenants to pay the Contractor in consideration of the execution and complet

27、ion of the Works and the remedying of defects therein the Contract Price or such other sum as may become payable under the provisions of the Contract at the time and in the manner prescribed by the Contract. 業(yè)主特立此約保證在合同規(guī)定的期限內，按合同規(guī)定的方式向承包人支付合同價，或合同規(guī)定的其它應支付的款項，以作為本工程施工、竣工及修補工程中缺陷的報酬。 We hereby certify

28、 to the best of our knowledge that the foregoing statement is true and correct and all available information and data have been supplied herein在聲明中, and that we agree to provide documentary proof upon your request. 特此證明，據(jù)我們所知，上述聲明內容真實，正確無誤，并提供了全部現(xiàn)有的資料和數(shù)據(jù)，我們同意，應貴方要求出具證明文件。 This contract is hereby mad

29、e and concluded by and between×××Co. (hereinafter referred to as Party A) and ×××Co. (hereinafter referred to as Party B) on×××(data), in×××(Place), China, on the principle of equality and mutual benefit and through amicable consultation. 本

30、合同雙方，×××公司 (以下稱甲方) 與×××公司(以下稱乙方) 于×××(日期)在中國×××(地點), 本著平等互利和友好協(xié)商的原那么特簽訂本合同。hereofHereof: of this, 關于此點，在本文中。 The terms, conditions and provisions hereof：本合同的條件和條款。 Foreign trade dealers as mentioned in this Law shall, in accordance with the

31、 provisions hereof 本法所稱, cover such legal entities and other organizations as are engaged in foreign trade dealings. 本法所稱的對外貿(mào)易經(jīng)營者是指依照本法規(guī)定從事對外貿(mào)易經(jīng)營活動的法人和其他組織。 This decision shall apply to the crimes committed against Article 9, Article 10 and Article 11 hereof by the staff and workers of enterprises o

32、ther than limited liability companies and companies limited by shares. 有限責任公司和股份以外的企業(yè)職工有本決定第九條、第十條和第十一條規(guī)定的犯罪行為的，適用本決定。heretoHereto: to this, 至此，在此上。在表示上文已提及的“本合同的¼本文件的¼時，使用該詞。 The parties hereto: 本合同雙方 Appendix 4 hereto: 本協(xié)議附件4 All disputes arising from the performance of this Contract sha

33、ll, through amicable negotiations, be settled by the Parties hereto. Should, through negotiation, no settlement be reached, the case in question shall then be submitted for arbitration to the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, Beijing and the arbitration rules of this Com

34、mission shall be applied. The award of this arbitration shall be final and binding upon the Parties hereto. The Arbitration fee shall be borne by the losing party unless otherwise awarded by the Arbitration Commission. 對于因履行本合同所發(fā)生的一切爭議，本合同雙方應通過友好協(xié)商解決，如協(xié)商無法解決爭議，那么應將爭議提交中國國際經(jīng)濟貿(mào)易仲裁委員會北京，依據(jù)其仲裁規(guī)那么進行仲裁。仲裁

35、裁決是終局性的，對雙方都有約束力。仲裁費用應由敗訴方承當，但仲裁委員會另有裁定的除外。 “Patented Technology means such patent, and such applications for the patent as are presently owned or will hereafter be acquired in the future by Party B, or as Party B has or may have the right to control, or as are permitted to be transferred during the

36、 effective period of this Contract in any or all countries of the world, and as are applicable to or may be used in the manufacture of Contract Products specified by the Parties hereto. “專利技術系指乙方目前擁有的或未來獲得的，或乙方有權或可能有控制權的，或在本合同有效期在世界任何國家許可轉讓的，適用于或可能適用制造本合同雙方規(guī)定的本合同產(chǎn)品的專利和專利申請。herein Herein: in this. 此中

37、，于此。在表示上文已提及的“本合同中的¼本文件中的¼時，使用該詞。 The term “company mentioned herein refers to such a limited liability company or such a company limited by shares as are established within the territory of China in accordance with this Law. 本法所稱公司是指依照本法在中國境內設立的有限責任公司和股份。 The term “FOB, “CFR or “CIF shall

38、 be subject to the “International Rules for the Interpretation of Trade Terms (INCOTERMS, 2000) provided by International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) unless otherwise specified herein (in this Contract). 除非本合同另有規(guī)定， “FOB, “CFR 或 “CIF 均應依照國際商會制定的?國際貿(mào)易術語解釋通那么INCOTERMS2000?辦理。“FOB (free on board) (¼N

39、amed port of shipment) 船上交貨(¼<指定裝運港>)“CFR (cost and freight): 本錢加運費“CIF (cost, insurance and fright): 本錢、保險加運費hereinafter Hereinafter: later in the same Contract. 以下，在下文。一般與to be referred to as, referred to as, called 等詞組連用，以防止重復。 When existing Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures, Chine

40、se-foreign cooperative joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned enterprises (hereinafter referred to as “enterprise with foreign investment) apply to reorganize themselves into a company, the enterprises with foreign investment shall have a record of making profits for the recent three consecutive ye

41、ars. 已設立的中外合資企業(yè)、中外合作企業(yè)和外商單獨企業(yè)以下簡稱外商投資企業(yè)，如申請轉變?yōu)楣镜?，應有最近連續(xù)3年的盈利記錄。therein therein: in that, in that particular context, in that respect. 在那里，在那點上，在那方面。在表示上文已提及的“合同中的¼，工程中的¼等時，可以使用該詞。 The contractor shall not, without the prior consent of the Employer, assign the Contract or any part thereof,

42、 or any benefit or interest therein or thereunder, otherwise than by: 沒有業(yè)主的事先同意，承包人不得將合同或合同的任何局部，或合同中或合同名下的任何利益或好處進行轉讓，但以下情況除外： Therein: in the contract Thereunder: under the contractthereof thereof: of that, of it. 由此，其。在表示已提及的“人或事的¼時，可以使用該詞。 “Tests on Completion means such tests specified in

43、the Contract or otherwise agreed by and between the Engineer and the Contractor as shall be made by the Contractor before the Employer takes over the Works or any section or part thereof. 竣工檢驗指合同規(guī)定的或由工程師與承包人另行商定的檢驗。這些檢驗是由承包人在業(yè)主接收工程或工程的任何局部之前進行的。 If this Agreement is terminated for any reason whatsoe

44、ver, all such drawings, transparencies, specifications, and any other manufacturing or engineering information as are supplied by Party A, including all the copies thereof, shall be returned to Party A, and Party B shall cease to manufacture the said Licensed Products or Components, or parts of the

45、Licensed Products. 如本協(xié)議因任何理由而終止，所有甲方提供的圖紙、圖片、規(guī)格以及其他全部生產(chǎn)和操作資料，包括全部復制品，均返還甲方，同時，乙方應停止生產(chǎn)上述許可證產(chǎn)品或部件或零件。thereafter, thereto, therewith, therefor, thereunder Thereafter: after that, 此后，之后Thereto：to that, 隨附，附之Therewith: with that, 與此，與之Therefor,: for that, 因之，為此Thereunder: under that, 在其下，依照 “Contract Pro

46、ducts means the products specified in Appendix 2 to this Contract, together with all improvements and modifications thereof or developments with respect thereto. “合同產(chǎn)品指本合同附件2中規(guī)定的產(chǎn)品及其改良和開發(fā)的產(chǎn)品。 The Borrower fails to pay any amount payable thereunder as and when such amount shall become payable. 借款人未能支

47、付根據(jù)該協(xié)議規(guī)定到期應付的款項。 The decision and award of the arbitration tribunal shall be final, and judgment on the decision and award in question may, under the request of either party to the Contract, be made by any court having jurisdiction. The parties thereto shall, in good faith, comply with the decision

48、and award of the arbitration tribunal. 仲裁庭的仲裁決定或裁決是終局性的，任何一方可以要求任何有管轄權的法院對此做出司法判決。雙方須以良好的誠信態(tài)度遵守仲裁庭的決定。whereas Whareas: considering that, 鑒于，就¼而論。常用于合同協(xié)議書的開頭段落以引出合同雙方訂立合同的理由或依據(jù)。 Whereas Party B has the right and agrees to grant Party A the rights to use, manufacture and sell the Contract Product

49、s of Patented Technology; Whereas Party A desires to use the Patented Technology of Party B to manufacture and sell the Contract Products; The Representatives authorized by the Parties to this Contract have, through friendly negotiation, agreed to enter into this Contract under the terms, conditions

50、 and provisions specified as follows: 鑒于乙方有權并同意將專利技術的合同產(chǎn)品使用權、制造權和銷售權授予甲方； 鑒于甲方希望利用乙方的專利技術制造并銷售合同產(chǎn)品； 雙方授權代表經(jīng)友好協(xié)商，同意就以下條款簽訂本合同：whereby Whareby: by the agreement, by the following terms and conditions, 憑此協(xié)議，憑此條款。常用于合同協(xié)議書中以引出合同當事人應承當?shù)闹饕贤x務。 A sales contract refers to a contract whereby the seller trans

51、fers the ownership of an object to the buyer and the buyer pays the price for the object. 買賣合同是出賣人轉讓標的物的所有權于買受人，買受人支付價款的合同。 A contract for supply and use of electricity refers to a contract whereby the supplier of electricity supplies electricity to the user of electricity, and the user of electrici

52、ty pays the electric fee. 供用電合同是供電人向用電人供電，用電人支付電費的合同。四注意may、shall、should、will、may not、shall not等詞語的法律內涵 May、shall、should、will、may not、shall not等詞確實很常見，但是在合同中這些詞具有特殊的意義，所以翻譯起來要極其謹慎，防止引起糾紛。 a. May：在表示合同上的權利Right、權限Power或特權Privilege的場合中使用。假設表示某種權利在法律上具有強制性的時候，更多的是“be entitled。 b. Shall：在合同中并不是單純的將來時，一般

53、用它來表示法律上可以強制執(zhí)行的義務Obligation。如未履行，即視為違約，并構成某種賠償責任。所以，shall在譯文里，通常表示“應該或“必須，當然，也有不翻譯的時候。例如： 10) The parties hereto shall, first of all, settle any dispute arising from or in connection with the contract by friendly negotiations. Should such negotiations fail, such dispute may be referred to the People

54、's Court having jurisdiction on such dispute for settlement in the absence of any arbitration clause in the disputed contract or in default of agreement reached after such dispute occurs. 雙方首先應通過友好協(xié)商，解決因合同而發(fā)生的或與合同有關的爭議。如果協(xié)商未果，合同中又無仲裁條款約定或爭議發(fā)生后未就仲裁達成協(xié)議的，可將爭議提交有管轄權的人民法院解決。 上句中的shall 和may表達準確。出現(xiàn)爭議后

55、應領先行協(xié)商，所以采用了義務性“約定shall，如果協(xié)商解決不了，作為當事人的權利，那么用選擇性“約定may。 11The quality and prices of the commodities to be exchanged between the ex-importers in the two countries shall be acceptable to both sides. 貨物的質量和價格必須使進出口雙方都能接受。 12The formation of this contract, its validity, interpretation, execution and set

56、tlement of the disputes shall be governed by related laws of the Peoples Republic of China.本合同的訂立、效力、解釋、履行和爭議的解決均受中華人民共和國法律的管轄。shall沒有譯出。 c. Should：在合同中通常只用來表示語氣較弱的假設，多翻譯成“萬一或“如果，極少譯成“應該。 13The board meeting shall be convened and presided over by the Chairman. Should the chairman be absent, the vice

57、-Chairman shall, in principle, convene and preside over the board meeting.董事會會議應由董事長召集、主持；假設董事長缺席，原那么上應由副董事長召集、主持。 d. Will：一般使用在沒有法律強制的情況下，也用做表示承當義務的聲明，但語氣和強制力比Shall弱。 e. May not或shall not：用于禁止性義務，即“不得做什么。 shall 在合同等法律文件中，表示強制性承當法律或合同義務，如表示“應該或“必須做某事時，應用“shall，而決不能用“must或“ should。 在表示“應該或“必須 時，有時也可以用will，但力度要比shall弱。 Should在法律文件中往往用作if, 只表示“如果之意。 The board meeting shall be called and presided over by the Chairman. Should the Chairman be absent, the vice-Ch