法律英语第九、十课重点翻译.doc

Even societies that do not permit private ownership of wealth to the degree that ours does are likely to recognize the personal rights of individuals to be free from certain kinds of conduct 即使是那些对财产私有权的许可没有达到我们这种程度的社会，也会承认个人的人身权利不受某种行为的侵犯。Infliction of physical injuryOther interferences with freedom or dignity 给人造成身体伤害 其他对个人自由或尊严的侵犯Ownership of property Include the right to use and consume the thing owned 所有权包括对属于自己的物品使用和耗费的权利 be more to the advantage of the owner to transfer the right of the ownership to some other person in exchange for something else of value 有时所有者以所有权与其他人交换有价值的东西可能更有利 Agreements for exchange are the means by which some resources are assembled and put to productive use. 交换的契约是将一些资源组合起来，使之得到有效利用的手段。 Some agreement for exchange call for the immediate and simultaneous exchange of money for goods and services. 有效交换契约要求现金与货物、服务的立即和同时交换。Exchange of significant size涉及到大额交易时 Both the planning and performance to be spread over a considerable period of time 交易的计划和履行都要经历相当长的时间。The law of contracts Legal mechanism for protecting the expectations that arise from the making of agreements for the future exchange of various types of performance. 合同法是保护预期的法律机制，该预期产生于就未来交易各类履行而制定的契约。 Legal problems do not always fit neatly into the pigeonholes that legal theorists have created. 法律问题不可能总是与法理学家所创立的分类完全相符。 Frequently they raise issues involving more than one body of law. 法律问题往往涉及到不止一部法律。The web of the law May not be quite seamless 法律之网可能并非结实无缝 They are not ironclad and unchanging 法律并非打不破和不可改变。 Judge-made law 法官定法 Rules distilled from a composite of court decisions in prior cases. 从以前案件的各种法官判决意见中抽取出来的规则Judicial system of decision-making 司法决策体制 Stare decisis 遵从前例 adherence to past decisions (Precedents) A prior decision with facts sufficiently similar to the case “subjudice”, that the court feels obliged to follow it and to render a similar decision. 以前案例的事实与尚未判决的案件事实非常相似，法院认为有义务按照前例做出类似的判决。从两个方面证明以判例法为主要依据的法律制度的合法性 1. Offers a high degree of predictability of decision 提高了判决的可预见性程度 2. Puts a rein on the nature proclivity of judges to decide cases on the basis of prejudice, personal emotion, or other improper factors. 限制法官在案件判决时以偏见、个人情感或其他不恰当因素为基础的自然癖好。The characteristic of a system Which may sometimes be a virtue, sometimes a defect, of being static and conservative, generally oriented toward preservation of the status quo. 遵从前例的制度的特征是静止和守旧，总体上趋向于保持现状，这有时是优点，有时是缺点。Blind adherence When a common law judge concludes that blind adherence to precedent would produce an unjust result in the case presented for decision. 普通法法官盲目坚持判例，也会导致对当前案例判决的不公正结果。 A precedent is considered to be “binding” on a court only if it was decided by that same court or by an appellate court of higher rank in the same jurisdiction. 避免的方法 同一个管辖区的相同法院或其上级巡回法院作出的先例判决才有约束力。 Other precedents are be “ persuasive”. 其他判例只具有劝导性。 If a precedent of the latter type is in fact unpersuasive, the judge is free to disregard it. 如果后一种类型的判例实际上没有劝导性，法官可以忽视该判例。 If the precedent is not merely persuasive, but binding, it cannot simply be ignored. It may, however, be avoided. 如果判例不仅有劝导性而且有约束力，那么该判例不能简单地被忽视，但却可以被回避。 If the facts of the present case do not include a fact that appears to have been necessary (“material”) to the earlier decision, the court may “distinguish” the precedent, render a different decision. 如果以前判决不包含对当前案例有实质必要影响的事实，那么法院可以“区别”前例，提出不同的判决。 If the earlier precedent is indeed binding, but is difficult or impossible to distinguish, there is one other way to avoid its effect. 如果比较早的判例确实有约束力，但是难以或无法区别，有一个其他方法避免其效力。 If the court of decision is the one that created the precedent (or is a higher court), it can simply “overrule” the early decision. 如果判决的法院与作出先例的法院相同，或者比作出先例的法院等级高，它可以“推翻” 以前的判决。Overruling relatively drastic action Is usually reserved for instances in which the court feels that the rule established by the earlier precedent was ill conceived at the outset or it has been outmoded by the later developments. 推翻前例是个比较激烈的行为，一般在法院觉得以前的判例一开始就设计错误时或者随着以后的发展该判例不合时宜时才采用。 Historically, as common law普通法 Rather than statute 制定法 Exception : “statute of frauds” “欺诈条例”是个例外Requires certain contracts to be evidenced by a signed writing 该条例要求某些合同是书面合同。 The statute of frauds has itself become so overlaid by court decisions that it has more of quality of common law than of a modern statute. 该欺诈条例本身已添加了如此多的法官判决意见，以至于它具有的普通法的品质已经超过其现代制定法的品质。Contract law Essentially a common law system, except be affected by a remarkable modern statute, the Uniform Commercial Code. 除非受到著名的现代制定法统一商法典的影响，合同法至今还保留着普通法体系。 When a court decided a case governed by a statute, its reasoning differs from that used when common law principles are applied. 当法院依照制定法判案时，法院的推论与采用普通法原则时是不同的。 Any court , even the highest court of the jurisdiction, is bound to follow the provisions of a valid statute that apply to the dispute before it. 所有法院甚至最高法院都要依据有效的制定法条款规定来处理提交到它面前的争议。Fundamental political tenet The legislature has ultimate lawmaking power so long as its acts within the bounds of its constitutional authority. 社会基本政治原则：只要在宪法授权的范围之内，立法机关有最终的立法权。对制定法文字有不同的解释 Courts seek to ascertain the legislatures purpose in enacting it, in order to adopt a construction that will best effectuate that purpose. 法院试图确定立法机关的意图，以便采用能最好地实现该意图的解释。 Preparation and promulgation of what purported to be accurate and authoritative summaries of the rules of common law in various fields 美国法律协会准备和发布各领域精确的权威的普通法规则汇编。The Restatement of Contracts合同法注释汇编 Consists of “black-letter” statements of the “general rule” 关于“一般规则”的“黑体字”陈述 Supported with at least some commentary and illustration 至少有几个注释和例证作补充 Dont have the force of law 没有法律效力 Secondary authority 次要法源 Remarkably persuasive 非常有说服力 A court often justify its decision by simply citing and quoting The Restatements rule on a given point. 法院经常通过援引和引用注释汇编的原则来证明自己在某一案例中判决的正确性。In 1962, ALI began to prepare a revised of its Restatement The Restatement (second) of contracts was adopted in 1979. 与第一版比，第二版更强调多样化和灵活性，建议要给予法官更多的自由裁决权。 Have clearly had a powerful effect in shaping judicial views of what the common law of contract ought to be. 合同法注释汇编在有关合同的普通法应该是怎么样的这一司法观念形成方面有强力的作用。Authors of these works Have sought to clarify the law, to propose solutions for unsolved issues, and in some cases to argue for legal change. 这些论著的作者们试图阐明法律，为尚未解决的问题提出解决方案，有时就法律改革进行热烈而有效的争论。 Such legal commentary has been extremely influential in shaping the course of the common law of contract. 这些法律评论大大地影响着有关合同的普通法的发展方向。 The plaintiff in a civil suit is ordinarily entitled to try his claim before a jury which will often rely more on human than on legal considerations 民事诉讼的原告通常有权(要求)由陪审团来审理其索赔主张，这主要是出于人道的考虑而不是法律的考虑。Compensation and damages补偿费和损害赔偿金 Actual loss 实际损害 Intangible damage 无形损害 A plaintiff can play on the human reaction of the jury 原告利用陪审团的人性反应American law permits the participation of the attorney in the plaintiffs recovery (contingent fee) 美国允许律师分享原告所获得的赔偿金（胜诉酬金） Amount to 25 to 33% of the verdict 酬金达到法院判付金额的25-33%。A tort action 侵权诉讼 A lengthy proceeding 诉讼程序时间长 Large expenses honoraria for experts 代价大（专家证人的酬金） A very large verdict （ in excess of $100000） 判决金额非常大（10万美元以上）Conversion非法占有财产 Personal injury人身伤害Implied contract默示合同Personal injury人身伤害Breach of warranty违背保证诺言 3.Everyone is liable for his tort act , 每个人都要对其侵权行为负责， in limited form also children （however, parents only when they acted as the childs agent or did not comply with their duty to supervise）, 在有限的情况下儿童亦然（但是，父母仅当其作为该儿童的代理人或未能按照其监护义务行事时才负此责）， but not the state unless express statutory provision has abolished state immunity . 但国家不在此列，除非法律明文规定取消了国家的豁免权。 4. Everyone is protected against tortious act, including the embryo. 每个人包括胎儿都受保护，免遭侵权行为的伤害。 The heirs or next of kin may have a damage claim for the intentional or negligent death of their relative or testator (wrongful death action ) 继承人或近亲属可以对他们亲属或立遗嘱人因故意或疏忽侵权造成的死亡（非正常死亡之诉）提出损害赔偿要求。“dram- shop acts” 小酒店法令 A party injured as a result of the intoxication of the tortfeasor has a claim against him who contributed to the tortfeasors intoxication. 作为侵权行为人醉酒之结果而受到伤害的当事人有权向造成该侵权行为人醉酒的人提出索赔请求。Part 2: Intentional Torts故意侵权行为 Battery 殴打 Assault 侵犯他人身体 Conversion of property 非法侵占财产 False imprisonment 非法拘禁 Trespass to personal and real property 侵占动产、不动产 Defamation 诽谤 Invasion of privacy 侵犯隐私权 Products liability 产品质量责任Part 3: Liability for Negligence 过失侵权的责任A person is negligent if he has not complied with his “duty of care” and ,has not acted as “a reasonable and prudent man”. The special professional qualification for the tortfeasor 侵权者的特别专业资质 如果一个人没有尽到“照看义务”，没有象“一个理性且谨慎的人”那样行事。 The duty must be owed toward the particular plaintiff . 必须对特定的原告负有照看义务 There is no duty of care to the public at large. 不是对广大公众负有照看义务（某人）对侵犯财产者的照看义务比对被邀请客人的照看义务小 Some states exclude a duty of care by the driver of a motor vehicle toward passengers whom he transports gratuitously. 汽车司机对于他免费搭载的乘客不负照看责任。 has assumed the risk 预计到有危险 共同过失辩护的严格性已经因为一些州采用了“比较过失”原则而得到减弱。 It requires that the respective degree of negligence of both parties be determined and compensation assessed accordingly. 要求确定当事各方的各自疏忽程度，并由此确定补偿金。The doctrine of last clear chance Even the contributorily negligent plaintiff will be compensated if he can prove that the defendant had the “last clear chance” to prevent the damage. 有共同过失的原告如果能证明被告“有最后明显机会”避免伤害，那么该原告就可以The maintenance of dangerous animals 饲养危险的动物 Defamation 诽谤 A rebuttable presumption 可反驳的推定 The doctrine of res ipsa loquitur 不言自明原则 获得赔偿。 Deduced fault or negligence from the nature of the thing or act itself. 从事情或行为本身的特性