词展现,用来描述当下,过去及未来的时间。
时间副词引导的子句一般由“when, before 和 after “引导并广泛的应用于商务英语合约中。如下将举例说明怎样将商务英语合约中时间副词引导的子句翻译成中文。
A)在汉语中, “when" 通常是指 “当…时候", 等等。有某些情况下,用副词“when"引导的子句视为条件从句,这可以翻译面汉语的条件副词子句。例如:
a)When one party to the Joint Venture Company assigns all or part of his investment,
the other party has preemptive right.
如果合资公司一方拟转让其全部或部分出资额,另一方有优先购买权。
B)连接词“before"在汉语中通常被翻译成“在……之前",在商务英语合约中,有时为了着重强调需履行的义务,“before" 在翻译成汉语时被翻译成当“….后, 才能….."。例如:
a)The manufacturers shall, before the goods is delivered over, make a precise and comprehensive inspection of the goods with regard to its quality, specifications, performance and quantity, weight, and issue inspection certificates certifying the technical data and conclusion of the inspection.
制造商应对货物的质量、规格、性能和数量、重量进行一丝不苟和全面的检验,出具检验证明书,证实检验的技术数据和结论后,才能发货。
C)连接词“after "在汉语中通常表示“在……后",在商务英语合约中, “after"有时在汉语中表示“……之日起"之意严谨之意。例如:
a)In case the Buyer finds any document incorrect, the Buyer is obliged to cable the Seller indicating the incorrect items. The cable shall be sent within twenty days after the Bank of China, Beijing Branch has received the Seller's documents.
买方如发现文件有错误时,应在中国银行北京市分行收到卖方文件之日起20天内电告卖方,并指出错误项目。
2.2 副词引导的状语从句
在英语中以副词引导的状语从句通常与例如“as if、in case、unless、once和so long as 等词连用,在汉语中也有类似的连接词例如“如果、万一、除非、一旦、只要"等等。此外,在英语中并不是所有的副词引导的状语从句在翻译成汉语时都作副词。如下例:
A) 一个除非语句即可表示真实状况也可表示非真实情况,在一个真实语句里面除非有时可以用如果不来代替。在商务合同中“除非“经常用"除……另有……者外,“ 译成汉文。并且"除非“经常与"否则“一起用。
a)Unless the Contract provides otherwise, it is the Buyer's legal duty to collect and transport the goods from the Seller's premises.
b)除合同另有规定者外,买方应在卖方的处所提货运输。
Unless otherwise arranged, neither party shall have the right to represent the other party.
除另有安排者外,任何一方无权代表另一方。
B) 连接词“whereas"有时连接两个独立的子句将其变为一个复合句,在汉语中也有类似的连接词如“而"。有时候“whereas" 在商务英语合约中通常被用于介绍背景与用途的序文中,代表已考虑到实际情况,因此在翻译成汉语时由副词引导的状语从句通常被翻译为“鉴于"。
a)Whereas Party B has the right and desires to transfer the aforesaid know-how to Party A, this Contract shall come into force from the date of execution hereof by Party A and Party
鉴于乙方有权并愿意向甲方转让上述专有技术,本合同自甲方和乙方签署之日生效。
C) 在商务英语合约中我们应该特别注意特别连接词如“where"的用法,“where"作为以副词引导的条件从句在汉语中表示“如果、若"的意思。这种类型通常会在法律条文中见到,不过很少在其它的领域中见到。
a)Where there exists a relationship of administrative subordination between the debtor and the third party, as to the creditor, the interests of the debtor and of the third party shall be consistent.
如果债务人与第三者存在隶属关系,相对债权人而言,债务人与第三者的利益应该是
A Brief Introduction to English-Chinese Translation
Techniques of Business Contracts
With China's successful entry into WTO (the World Trade Organization), business English is more widely used. A business English contract is a formal written agreement, which sets forth rights and obligations of the parties concerned. Once entered into, a contract is binding and enforceable by law. Any party who fails to fulfill his obligations must make compensation for the other party's losses. A business contract is an indispensable part for people to carry out international business activities. It is necessary to mention a few English-Chinese translation techniques of business contracts.
When translating, both grammatical and rhetorical considerations are involved. Since Chinese and English belong to two different language families and present a lot of differences in their grammar, lexicon, discourse structure, etc., one of the problems we cannot avoid while translating is how to make the version sound as smooth and natural as possible.
Translating sentences of business English Contracts into Chinese is feasible but not always easy. They are comprehensive, and occasionally complex. The following translation techniques will focus on the passive voice and the adverbial clauses.
Translation Techniques of Passive Voice
Voice is a grammatical category. It is a form of the verb, which shows whether the subject of a sentence acts or is acted on. When the subject is the agent or doer of an action, the verb takes the form of active voice; if, on the other hand, the subject is the recipient of the action, the verb takes the form of passive voice.
Passive voice is widely used in English, especially in formal informative writing, and scientific writing and news reporting. In business English contracts, passive voice is frequently used, too. Most transitive verbs can appear in their passive forms. The passive voice of English transitive verbs is formed by the auxiliary be + -ed participle. A sentence / clause whose predicator (predicate verb) is passive is called a passive sentence / clause. On the contrary, active voice is often used in the Chinese version.
1.1 The Passive Voice Converted into the Active Voice
Since passive voice is used much less frequently in Chinese than in English, and passive meanings are usually expressed by active constructions in Chinese, we can convert the passive voice in English into the active voice in Chinese.
A) When being translated, on the whole, the word order of a passive clause or a sentence is not altered or is changed a little, and the position of the subject of the original sentence is not changed in the target language. This kind of translation technique is often employed in the translation of business English contracts. A few examples are listed below:
a) All the activities shall be governed by the laws of the countries concerned.
一切活动均应遵守有关国家的法律。
b) All disputes arising out of the performance of, or relating to this Contract, shall be settled amicably through negotiation.
凡因执行本合同所发生的或与本合同有关的一切争议,双方应通过友好协商解决。
B) Whether or not a by-phrase is used in a passive sentence is determined by a number of factors. Generally speaking, a by-phrase is indispensable when a draftsman wants to stress the agent or the doer of the action. In this case, we may convert the doer of the action of a by-phrase into the subject of a clause or sentence in the target language.For instance:
All the payments shall be made in the U.S. Currency by the Buyer to the Seller by telegraphic transfer to the Seller's designated account with the Bank of China, Beijing, China.
买方应以美元支付卖方货款,并以电汇的方式汇至卖方指定的中国银行北京分行的帐户。
C) When translating a passive clause or sentence, at whiles one need readjust the sentence elements.
If an adverbial clause of condition does not indicate the doer of the action, we may convert this clause in the passive structure into a subjectless clause. The subject of the original clause is converted into the object of the target sentence. For instance:
If a foreign auditor registered in other country is necessary to be employed to undertake annual financial checking and examination, Party A shall give its consent. All the expenses thereof shall be borne by Party B.
如果需要聘请其他国家的审计师对年度的财务进行审查,甲方应予以同意。其所需费用乙方负担。
If the adverbial and the subject of a sentence in the passive voice have inclusive relationship, we may convert the adverbial of the original sentence into the subject of the target sentence so as to make the translation clear and coherent. For example:
a)The establishment, remuneration and the expenses of the staff of the preparation and construction office, when agreed by both parties, shall be covered in the project budget.
经甲乙双方同意后,工程预算应包括筹建工厂人员的编制、报酬及费用。
b)The conditions for establishment of the Joint Venture Company and the total amount of investment and registered capital are stipulated in this Contract.
本合同规定了设立合资公司的条件以及投资总额与注册资本。