资料：英语合同翻译说明

1 Contract 与 Agreement 的有无区别 在英语中 合同一般称为 Contract 协议一般称为 Agreement 何谓 contract 1999 年中国 合同法 第二条对 contract 定义为 A contact in this Law refers to an agreement establishing modifying and terminating the civil rights and obligations between subjects of equal footing that is between natural persons legal persons or other organizations 根据这一定义 合 同平等主体之间设立的确定民事权利和义务的协议 Steven H Gifts 编著的 Law Dictionary 中将 contract 定义为 contract is a promise or a set of promises for breach of which the law gives remedy or the performance of the which the law in some way recognize as a duty 根据这一定义 合同是一种承诺 违反承诺可以得到法律救助 某种意义上法律将履行该承诺看做是一种补偿 L B Curzon 在其编撰的字典 A Dictionary of Law 给 contract 的定义 Contract is a legally binding agreement 根据这一定义 合同就是有法律约束力的协议 综合起来 有一个相同点 就是 Contract is an agreement 即可将合同说成是 An agreement which binds the parties concerned 或者说合同说成是 An agreement which is enforceable by law 也可以说 Contracts are promises that the law will enforce 何谓 Agreement L B A consensus of mind or evidence of such consensus in spoke or written form relating to anything done or to be done 根据这一定义 协议是对已经做或准备做的相关事宜 经过谈判 协商后取得一致意见 以 口头或书面形式做出的约定 Black Law Dictionary 有两个定义 一个是 A concord of understanding and intention between two or more parties with respect to the effect upon their relative rights and duties of certain past or future facts or performance 根据这一定义 协议即双方或多方京某些过去或将来某些事实的相 关权利 义务或相关权利 义务的履行而达成的一致理解和愿望 另一个是 The consent of two or more persons concurring respecting the transmission of some property right or benefits with the view of contacting an obligation a mutual obligation 根据这一 定义 协议即两个或多个当事人 为了约定单方责任或相互责任 就财产权利 利益的转移 取得的一致同意 Contract 合同 和 Agreement 协议 是不是可以互换呢 合同的成立必须具备几个主要因素 它们 要约和承诺构成的 协议 约因 设立法律关系 的愿望和缔约能力四大部分组成 2 L B Curzon 编著的 A Diction of Law 提到 Contract generally involves 1 offer and absolute and unqualified acceptance 要约和绝对接受 2 consensus ad idem 意思表示一致 也叫 meeting of minds 3 intention to create legal relations 建立合同关系的意愿 4 genuineness of consent 同意的真实性 5 contractual capacity of the parties 合同当事人的缔约能力 6 legality of object 标的物的合法性 7 possibility of performance 履行的可能性 8 certainty of terms 条款的确定性 9 valuable consideration 等价有偿 Black Law Dictionary 中解释道 Although often used as synonyms with contract agreement is a broader term e g an agreement might lack an essential element of a contact 即 协议 和 合同 经常用作同义词 但 协议 这一术语含义更广 例如协议可能缺乏合同的 必备条款 essential clauses provisions 实际使用当中 协议可不受必备条款的限制 而称为合同的文体肯定少不了必备条款 有的 合同将其单列 称为一般条款 General provisions 1999 中国 合同法 第十二条规定了八项一般条款 分别是 1 title or name and domicile of the parities 当事人的名称或姓名和住址 2 contract object 标的 3 quantity 数量 4 quality 质量 5 price or remuneration 价款或者报酬 6 time limit place and method of performance 履行期限 地点和方式 7 liability for breach of contract 违约责任 8 methods to settle disputes 解决争议的方法 上述解释说明 contract 合同 和 agreement 协议 的概念虽然接近 但使用范围不同 不能互 换使用 合同是协议的重要组成部分 所有合同一定是协议 而协议不见得都是合同 可以 说具备合同成立要求的具有强制执行力的协议才是合同 结构特点 合同类法律文件用以规定当事人的权利与义务 是预防与解决争议的依据 合同英语行文慎 密而准确 历史悠久 深含法律文化底蕴 中文的合同开头一般先罗列当事人的名称 姓名 住所或营业场所 然后是合同正文 结尾 是当事人印章 授权代表签字 职务及签字日期 而英语合同一般以下面这类句式为开头 3 This agreement contract is made and entered in to this day of month year by and between Party A hereinafter called Party A and Party B hereinafter called Party B 然后是开始陈述 WHEREAS THEREFORE It is hereby agreed as follows 或以 WITNESSETH WHEREAS NOW THEREFORE for and in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein the parties hereby covenant and agree as follows 接着是正文 最后是证明部分 IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have hereunto set their hands the day and years first above written 随后还包括当事人和见证人的签字 签字日期一般在英文合同最搬弄是非是找不到的 下面列出新加坡 美国 香港和日本的合同格式 A 新加坡 Agreement THIS AGREEMENT is made the 9th day of August 2001 between LUCKY INTERNATIONAL LTD a company incorporated in Singapore and having its registered office at Telek Blongar Rise Singapore 19569 hereinfater called The Company of the part and JACK Wong NRIC No A of 108 Orchar Road Singapore 01688 hereinafter called The Mangager of the other part WHEREAS 1 The company is engaged in IT business and requires a person with the necessary qualifications and experience to manage its business 2 NOW IT IS HEREBY AGREED as follows 4 1 The company shall employ the Manager and the Manager shall serve the Company as manager of the Company s IT business for a period of two years commencing on 1st day of September 2 IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have set their hand the day and year first above written THE SCHEDULE ABOVE REFERRED TO Duties of Manger 1 To manage maintain and promote the business of the Company 2 3 SIGNED by Roger Tan For and on behalf of LUCKY INTERANTIONAL LTD In the presence of SIGNED by TERESA WONG In the presence of 新加坡的通用合同分五部分 第一部分 称为 parties 主要介绍合同各方的姓名或名称 注册地国及地址 邮编及各自在 合同的简称 开头框架一般为 THIS AGREEMENT is made the day of month year between A hereinafter called The Company of the part and B hereinafter called The Manager of the other part 句子开头 THIS AGREEMENT 或 CONTRACT 和当事人的姓名和名称 都应大写 当事人是自然人的 用 of 和其后的住 址相连 是法人或非法人单位的 用 having its registered office at 和其后注册地址相连 第二部分 称为 recital 以 WHEREAS 开头 进入叙述部分 用陈述正式说明当事人订立合 同的原因 5 第三部分 称为 habendum 正文 具体约定当事人的权利和义务 正文部分的结束段为 IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have set their hand the day and year first above written 这段作用相当于中文合同的 双方签字盖章 特此为证 第四部分 称为 schedule 或 addendum 附录 是对前述合同部分条款的必要补充 不是所有 合同都有这一项 第五部分 称为 attestation 证明部分 当事人如果自然人 用 SIGNED by 英文写作翻 译 连接后填写见证姓名的表达部分 In the presence of 当事人是法人或非法人单位时 授权代表后接的是 SIGNED for and on behalf of 然后才是 In the presence of 与中文合同的显著不同是签章处除当事人外 多了一个 In the presence of 供证人签字之处 另一不同的是合同订立日期没有放在合同最后 而是出现在开头段的当事 人介绍部分 第五部分在新加坡还有另一种表达 As Witness our Hands this day of in the year of our Lord Tow Thousand and One Signed sealed and delivered by the above named In the presence of Signature Address Occupation 上述合同的格式很有代表性 其它英文格式与之相比大同大异 有的合同中不含附录 B 美国 APPOINTMENT AS CONTRACT FULL TIME SENIOR CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATOR AN AGREEMENT FOR SERVICES made the 1st day of September 2000 between of address hereinafter referred to as the Company as one part and Mr of address hereinafter referred to as the Contractor of the other part WHEREBY IT IS AGREED AND DECLARED AS FOLLOWS 1 THAT the Company shall 6 2 This agreement shall commence on 3 4 IN WITNESS WHEREOF both parties set their hands on the date herein mentioned SIGNED BY Name Designation For and on behalf of signature Contractor Designation For and on behalf of signature 本合同分为四个大部分 缺附录 schedule 与上一合同基本相同 但第一段没有谓语 不 是个完整的句子 个别用词与前一合同有差别 最后落款处还多了了 职务 即 designation 有的合同还惯用 position C 香港 CONTRACT CONTACT NO SIGNING DATE PLACE THE BUYER Name Legal Address Contact THE SELLER Name Legal Address 7 Contact This contract is made by and between the Buyer and the Seller Whereby the Buyer agrees o buy and the Seller agrees to sell the under mentioned commodity according to the terms and conditions 1 NAME OF COMMODITY AND SCOPE OF THE CONTRACT 2 PRICE 3 PAYMENT 译 4 PACKING 5 IN WITHNESS WHEREOF this contract has been executed effective as of the date first above written THE BUYER THE SELLER By By Date Date THE END USER By Date 比起前两个合同 该买卖合同的不同之处于在于 合同开头出现了合同编号和签署日期 当 事人名称或姓名采用简单列举式 证明部分用完成时被动态 最后落款处 SIGNED BY 项目 但增加了最终用户一项 D 日本 SERVICE AGREEMENT This agreement is made and entered into on March 1st 2001 by and between LTD hereinafter referred to as PARTY A and CO LTD hereinafter referred to as 8 PARTY B WITNESSTH WHEREAS PARTY B has requested by PARTY A to dispatch its personal for the purpose of to PARTY b and WHEREAS PARTY A is willing to dispatch its personnel t PARTY B in response to such PARTY B s request NOW THEREFORE in consideration of the mutual promises and covenants herein contained the parties hereto agree as follows 1 2 3 IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respective duly authorized officers as of the date first herinabove written Ltd Co Ltd signature signature MANAGING DIRECTOR MANAGING DIRECTOR 该合同也由四大部分构成 与上述合同最大的不同在于 在叙述部分上端加了一个 WITNESSETH 鉴于 最后落款处也没有 SIGNED BY 项目 但授权签字代表的职位真接 打出来 放在签字的下一行 别外 当事人的简称部分用的都是大写 相比之下 英文合同除个别地方外 整个合同的段落排列 句式和用词大同小异 在草拟英 文合同时 只要仿用上述任何一个 都算是地道的英文表达 用词特点 formal term 合同英语的用词极其考究 具有特定性 要求选词专业化 professional 正式 formal 准 确 accurate 具体体现在下列方面 1 May shall must may not 或 shall not 的使用 May shall must may not 或 shall not 对 学过英语的人再熟悉不过 但在合同中用这些词时要极其谨慎 权利义务的约见定部分构成 了合同的主体 这几个词如选用不当 可能会引起纠纷 may 旨在约定当事人的权利 可以做什么 Shall 约定当事人的义务 应当做什么时候 9 must 用于强制性义务 必须做什么 may not 或 shall not 用于禁止性义务 不得做什么 May do 不能说成 can do shall do 不能说成 should do 或 ought to do may not do 在美国 一些法律文件可以用 shall not 但绝不能用 can not do 或 must not 例如 在约定解决争议的 途径时的 可以说 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 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 本句中的 shall 和 may 表达准确 出现争议后应当先行协商 所以采用了义务性 约定 如 果协商解决不了 作为当事人的权利 用选择性约定 may 也很妥当 如果 may 和 shall 调换 位置会怎么样 前半句的 shall 换用 may 后 意思变成了当事人可以通过协商解决 意思上 说得过去 但后半句的 may 换用 shall 后 变成了应当诉讼解决 好象一出事 就要先见官 这就有些不友好了 本句可译 双方首先应通过友好协商 解决因合同而发生的或与合同有关的争议 如果协商 未果 合同中又无仲裁条款约定或争议发生后未就仲裁达成协方的 可将争议提交有管辖权 的人民法院解决 2 正式用语 formal term 合同英语有着严肃的风格 与其它英语作品有很大不同 例如 因为 的短语多用 by virtue of 远远多于 due to 一般不用 because of 财务年度末 一般用 at the close of the fiscal year 而不用 in the end of the fiscal year 在 之前 一般用 prior to 而不用 before 关于 常用 as regards concerning 或 relating to 而不会用 about 事实上 用 in effect 而不用 in fact 开始 用 commencement 而不用 start 或 begin 停止做 用 cease to do 而不用 stop to do 何时开会并由某某主持 的表述为 The meeting shall be convened and presided by sb 其中 召开 不用 hold 或 call 而用 convene 主持 不用 chair 或 be in charge of 而用 preside 10 其他事项 用 miscellaneous 而不用 other matters events 理解合同 用 construe a contract 或 comprehend a contract 而不用 understand a contract 认为 用 deem 用 consider 少 不用 think 或 believe 愿意做 用 intend to do 或 desire to do 而不用 want to do wish to do 三 用词专业 technical terms 合同用词不以大众是否理解和接受为转移 它是合同语言准确表达的保障 如合同出现的 瑕 疵 救济 不可抗力 管辖 损毁 灭失 等就可能让非行业人士费解 在英语 以上表达分别为 defect remedy force majuere Act of God jurisdiction damage and or loss 另外几乎每个合同都少不了 hereinafter referred to as whereas in witness whereof for and on behalf of hereby thereof 等虚词 这也是合同英语的一大特色 其它例子还有 赔偿 用 indemnities 而不用 compensation 不动产转让 用 conveyance 而不用 transfer of real estate 房屋出租 用 tenancy 而 财产出租 用 lease of property 停业 用 wind up a business 或 cease 名词是 cessation a business 而不用 end stop a business 专利许可中的 特许权使用费 只用 royalities 还款或专利申请的 宽限期 英文 grace 当事人在破产中的和解 用 composition 以实物出资为 investment in kind 依照合同相关规定 一般说 pursuant to provisions contained herein 或 as provided herein 等 不说 according to relevant terms and conditions in the contract 合同任何一方当事人不得转让本合同 英文表述为 Neither party hereto may assign this contract 其中 hereto 表示 to the contract 选用 Neither party to the contract 较少 3 同义词 近义词 相关词的序列 FOR value RECEIVED the undersigned does hereby sell transfer assign and set over to all his right tile and interest in and to a certain contract dated 19 by and between the 11 undersigned and a copy of which is annexed hereto 在这里的同义词和近义词并列 如 sell transfer as