编写一本汉英中国法律词典的念头，早在二十多年前我在麦坚时律师事务所（Baker & McKenzie Chicago Office）工作时就已萌动。当时我的工作牵涉英汉、汉英法律文件的翻译或校译，时常会碰到一些表达上的困难，或是表达不地道，或是不够专业，或是缺少权威性，尤其是校对出自不同译者之手的翻译时，往往会碰到近似但又不甚准确的选择，令人难以确定。当时就觉得很需要一本可资参考的法律词汇手册。
二十多年过去了，随着中国经济的快速发展和中国在国际事务中的作用和地位日渐重要，国际社会对中国法律认识、了解的需求也日益增大。准确翻译中国法律和实践中的法律文件有助于国际社会，包括政治、经济、贸易等方面的组织及个人更好地了解中国的法律制度，更准确地理解和沟通各方在相关法律文件中要表达的意思，更有效率地从事与中国有关的交往和业务。
坊间现有的大多是英汉法律词典，其词条选自英美法律或现成的英语法律词典，也有几本冠名为汉英法律词典者，但词条并不是选自中国法律，而是对应于上述英汉法律词典中的词条，也就是将英美法律中的词条汉译后再还原为英语。此类词典是从事英汉法律翻译不可或缺的重要工具，但仍常常无助于中国法律词汇的英译。因此，便有了编纂本词汇手册的必要。
编者从200多部中国现行法律中选出18000多条主要词汇及其英译，涵盖主要程序法和实体法。中国法律的翻译有不同的版本，有的由不同的非官方机构，例如律师事务所或研究机构翻译，但主要的翻译机构是全国人民代表大会常务委会下的法制工作委员会。本词汇手册的英译主要选自全国人大常委会翻译和公开发行的版本。法律翻译最重要的要求是权威性。全国人大常委会是中国最高的立法机关，也是最高的法律解释机关。翻译在某种意义上来说也是一种解释。故此，全国人大常委会的翻译应该是最权威的翻译。因为受到原文结构的影响，有些翻译看上去并不是完全地道的英文，但却在一定意义上是最贴切的表达。
本词汇手册的主要对象是从事涉外中国法律实务的人员和从事中国法律研究的中外学者和学生，它也可以作为研究生和本科生法律英语教学的参考资料。因此，考虑到它的实用性，编者在选词时并不完全以专业术语为主，而是既包括了专业术语，也收入了表面上看似乎与法律无关但又常用于法律中的说法和词汇，以使它的参考价值范围更为广泛。
於兴中
2017年9月10日
伊萨卡
Forward
The idea of compiling a Chinese-to-English legal dictionary first sprouted over twenty years ago,when I was working at Baker & McKenzie's Chicago office.At that time,my work frequently required translating legal documents from Chinese into English and from English into Chinese,or proofreading such translations.This work was not very easy,as translations sometimes might be inaccurate,lack professionalism,or sounded unauthoritative.When comparing translations produced by different translators,I realized that many translated documents often approximated but rarely fully captured the meaning of the original documents.And I felt a keen need for a vocabulary handbook to reference.
Twenty years later and still no such reference book has appeared.China's economy has rapidly developed,and its place and function in international affairs have become more prominent.Accordingly,the international community—including political,economic,and trade organizations,as well as individuals—now demands more of Chinese law than ever before.Accurate translations of Chinese laws and practical legal documents would aid the international community in better understanding Chinese legal institutions,in more accurately communicating intended meanings in legal documents,and in more efficiently conducting business with China.
At present,the dictionaries available in bookshops are mostly English-to-Chinese dictionaries,with entries taken from British and American law or lifted directly from English legal dictionaries.There are also a few dictionaries styled as Chinese-to-English dictionaries,but the entries in these dictionaries are not drawn directly from Chinese law.Instead,the entries correlate with entries from the aforementioned English-to-Chinese legal dictionaries,which means these dictionaries take Chinese translations of English-language British and American legal concepts and translate those translations back into the original English.These Chinese-to-English dictionaries may be indispensable tools for professional legal translators,but such dictionaries nevertheless have little to do with Chinese legal terms.For this reason,compiling this vocabulary handbook remains essential.
From about two-hundred current Chinese laws,we have selected over eighteen-thousand major lexical items and their English translations,covering the essentials of procedural law and substantive law.Many translations of Chinese laws exist,including some from unofficial organizations such as law firms or research groups.But the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC Standing Committee) publishes official translations of legal documents through its Law Committee.Most of the English translations in this vocabulary handbook are taken from the translations published by the NPC Standing Committee.Above all else,a legal translation must be authoritative.The NPC Standing Committee is China's highest legislative organ,as well as China's highest organ of legal interpretation.In a certain sense,translation is a type of interpretation,too.So the NPC Standing Committee's translations should be the most authoritative.Because of the influence of the original text's structure,some of the English translations are not perfectly authentic.But some authenticity must be sacrificed to attain ideal precision of meaning.
This vocabulary handbook is chiefly designed for attorneys engaged in international practice,as well as scholars and students researching Chinese law.This handbook is also suitable as a reference material for graduate and undergraduate students studying legal English.For this reason,out of consideration for this handbook's practicality,we have not relied exclusively on legal jargon.Instead,we have included both technical legal terms and terms which on their face do not appear to be technical legal terms but which are widely used in legal practice.In this way,we have sought to extend the range of this handbook's reference value.
Xingzhong Yu
September 10,2017
Ithaca