法律英语课件.docx

1、法律英语课件Lesson One Modern Legal Education1 French lawyers are trained in universities, and English barristers, on the other hand, enter the profession as members of one of four Inns of Court, which are combinations of a law school and professional organization法国律师是在大学里培养出来的，而英国的大律师是作为四大律师学院之一的成员进入律师这一

2、行的，这些律师学院是由法学院和专业组织组成的。2 Today, American legal education is almost uniformly postgraduate professional education at a formal law school, usually affiliated with a university. And a degree from an approved law school is common requirement for admission to the bar, although the apprenticeship route is

3、 still open, theoretically, in a number of states.今天，美国的法律教育几乎统一都是在正式的法学院进行大学后职业教育，这所法学院通常隶属于一个大学。得到经美国律师协会批准的法学院的学位是进入律师行业的通常要求，尽管在理论上许多州仍允许存在经过学徒期成为律师这样的路径3 State university law school tend to concentrate on the traditional law courses: contracts, torts, constitutional law, procedure, property, wi

4、lls, trust and estates, corporation, partnerships, agency, international law, maritime law, labor law, administrative law.州立大学法学院往往注重传统课程：合同法，宪法，程序法，财产，遗嘱，信托和财产，公司，合伙，代理，国际法，海商法，劳动法，行政法。4 One reason lawyers are found in so many of the most sensitive spots in American political and economic life is s

5、imply that their legal education has exposed them to a broader range of public problems than any other graduate program.在美国政治经济生活中这么多最敏感的职位上都能发现律师的一个原因只是由于他们的法律教育使他们比其他专业的毕业生更广泛的接触到社会问题。5 More than ever before, law school today offer you a opportunity to apply your legal skills as you require them,

6、to use what you learn as you learn it. School all over the country now have programs under which you can spend time while in law school working for the citys legal aid department or the public defender organization. You are also given opportunities to work with governmental agencies in drafting legi

7、slation, codes and regulations.今天的法学院比以前能提供更多机会让你在获得法律技能的时候能应用它们，当你在学习的时候就能用你所学。全国各地的法学院都有这样的项目，即你可以在法学院读书的时候就为城市的法律援助部门和公设律师组织工作。你还有机会与政府的代理机构一起起草法律法规和规范。6 Most of our law schools do not try to teach you the “law” of one state or another; they concentrate on teaching you legal principles, legal rea

8、soning and something of the philosophy of law.我们的大多数法学院并不教你某一个州或另一个州的法律，他们注重教你法律原则，法律推理和一些法律哲学。7 Minor troubles such as traffic violations or fines for breaking windows during a spree at college will not be held against you. But a conviction for having committed a felony will in all likelihood preve

9、nt your being admitted to practice, as will membership in any subversive group or organization, unless you can explain away as something you did when you were young and foolish and show that you have long since resigned.一些较小的麻烦比如违反交通或因在大学里的一次狂欢中打碎窗户而被罚款都不会阻碍你成为律师，但是因犯重罪而被宣告有罪的话就完全不可能成为律师了，同样的如果你是任何破

10、坏性集团或组织的成员的话也不可能成为律师，除非你能解释清楚你当年的所作所为是因为年少无知而犯的错误并且表明你已经退出很久了。8 Judges in the United States, with exceptions in some minor judiciary, are selected from the ranks of lawyers. In England they are chosen from the select group of barristers known as Queen s Counsel. 美国的法官，除了一些级别较低的法官外，都是从律师中选出来的。在英国法官是从

11、出庭律师当中精选出来的御用大律师中选出来的9 The diverse training and careers of common -and civil -law judges is significant. Similar backgrounds and experience provide a certain feeling of fellowship and mutual sympathy between the common-law bench and bar. 普通法系和大陆法系法官的截然不同的培训和职业生涯的区别是非常重要的。相同的背景和经历使普通法系的法官和律师之间有某种伙伴感情

12、，这使他们能惺惺相惜10 The prestige of the English and American judiciary is greater than that of their civil-law counter-part, partly because of the general feeling that only the better lawyers get judicial posts. 英美国家的法官威望要比大陆法系国家的法官威望更高，部分是因为一般觉得只有好的律师才能做法官的缘故吧。Lesson Two Bases of the Legal SystemKey sente

13、nce:1 The law is the set of rules by which the citizens of a country regulate their conduct in relation to their fellow citizens and to the State.法律是这样的一套规范，即用它来规范一国公民的行为，调整公民与其他公民和国家的关系2 In the United Kingdom there is no written set of rules; whether an action is recognized as being in conformity w

14、ith the law is determined by a consideration of the authorities. These may be statutes, statements by legal experts, or reports of decided cases. If none of these fits the circumstances, the judge makes his decision by analogy with the past decisions made in somewhat similar circumstances. 在英国没有成文的成

15、套法律规范，某个行为是否符合法律规定要由权威来认定。这些权威可能是成文法规，法律专家的评述，或者即判案例的报告。如果以上都不能确定，法官会根据过去相似情况的判例来作出判决。3 The base of the legal system , in historical order, are: common law; case law; statute law.法律制度的基础，按历史顺序是：普通法，判例法，成文法4 The essence of common law is that it grew through judicial decisions recorded by lawyers and

16、is not based on express enactment. It is administered by examination of the decisions made in previous cases of the same kind, known as “precedents”, and arrival at a commonsense decision on that basis.普通法的精髓在于它是随着律师所记录的司法判决而发展起来的，而不是建立在明示的制定法的基础上的。他通过对过去的同样案件的判决（称为先例）的检验来适用，然后在此基础上形成一个合理的判决。5Case l

17、aw is a development of the common law brought about through the process of time.判例法是普通法随着时间的发展而发展的产物。6Reports exist of leading cases raising points of interest to lawyers. These reports give the facts found by the court, the arguments put forward and the reasons given by the judge for coming to his

18、decision. The principles on which these judgments are based are binding on all lesser courts.存在在报告中的作为先例援引的案例给律师提供有兴趣的观点 。这些报告中有法庭确认的事实，有律师的辩论和法官作出判决的理由。这些判决所确定的原则对所有的下级法院有约束力。7Thus, the House of Lords, apex of the judicial system, decided in 1861 that it could not reverse its own previous decision,

19、 so a House of Lords decision is binding on every court. A High court decision is binding on a County court. But it can be disregarded by another High Court judge and can be overruled by the Court of Appeal.因此，上议院这个法院体系中的最高层，在1861年决定它不能推翻自己以前做出的判决。因此，上议院的判决对任何法院都有约束力。高等法院的判决对郡法院有约束力，但是其他高等法院法官可以不理会而

20、且上诉法院可以驳回该判决。8The earliest enacted law was made by the sovereign with the concurrence of his Council. Then , with the establishment of the authority of Parliament, new laws were made or existing laws changed by a statute, or Act of Parliament. 最早的制定法是君主在和他的顾问共同讨论后制定的。然后，随着议会权力的确立，新法的制定或现有法律的修改都是通过成文

21、法或议会法来实现。9 Statute law includes royal proclamations; orders made by Ministers under the delegated power, known as statutory instruments; and the by-law of local authorities or other bodies having statutory powers.成文法包括皇室宣言，大臣在授权下发布的命令，这些被称为授权立法，也包括地方权力机关或其他具有立法权的部门制定的附例。10 Whatever court we turn to

22、in our system, the authoritative sources of the law are confined to statute and reported decisions.在我们的制度中不管哪个法院，权威性的法律渊源限定为成文法和有报告的判决。11 But criminal law and civil law also overlap; and many acts or omissions are not only “wrongs” for which the person injured is entitled to recover compensation for

23、 his own personal injury or damage, but also “offences” for which the offender may be prosecuted and punished in the interest of the State.刑法和民法也会重叠，许多作为或不作为不仅仅是民事过错，即受害人有权因他自己的人身损害得到补偿，同时也是犯罪，即犯罪者可能会因触犯国家的利益而受到起诉和惩罚。12Criminal law , therefore , deals with offences which are deemed to harm the whole

24、 community and thus to be an offence against the Sovereign.刑法调整的是犯罪，这些犯罪被认为危害全社会因此是危害主权的犯罪。13 English criminal law has been classified as “treason, felony and misdemeanour” with a tentative fourth class described as “summary offences”. 英国的刑法（中的犯罪）被划分成叛国罪，重罪和轻罪，同时还有所谓的第四种分类，即决犯罪。14 In the court the b

25、urden of proof is on the prosecution to prove their case. 在法院，举证责任在起诉一方来证明他们的案件。15 The accused throughout is presumed to be innocent unless he admits the offence or until he is proved beyond reasonable doubt to be guilty. 被告人除非承认犯罪或有合理的无可怀疑的证据证明有罪，否则是推定为无罪的。16 There are also so-called “private prose

26、cutions” in which an aggrieved person starts criminal proceedings either because the police are reluctant to prosecute or perhaps because he feels he can put up a more vigorous prosecution.在警察不愿意提起公诉或受害人觉得他自己起诉会更有效的情况下，受害人也可以提起刑事诉讼程序即所谓的自诉。17 Civil law concerns the maintenance of private claims and

27、redress of private wrongs.民法涉及对民事索赔的维护和民事过错的赔偿责任。18The bulk of the work of administering civil law is concerned with breaches of contract, including debt; torts(that is, civil wrongs for which damages are recoverable, such as defamation, enticement, trespass, or cases where negligence is alleged); p

28、roperty relationships(such as bankruptcy, winding up companies and administration of estates); and matrimonial causes( separation and divorce).适用民法的大多数工作涉及违约，包括债，涉及侵权（即民事损害可以得到赔偿的民事过错，比如诽谤，怂恿，侵犯，或过失可构成过错的侵权）; 涉及财产关系（如破产，公司结业和遗产管理）；以及涉及婚姻关系（分居和离婚）Exercises:translatingP9 V1尽管美国刑法起源于英国，当时的刑法主要是判例法，现在刑法

29、的基础是成文法。每个州有它自己的刑法典来规范重罪，轻罪及大量的轻微犯罪。2在法律中存在一个独立的学科用来研究法的性质，法的主导观念和社会目的，以及用来实现法的目的的方法和技术的一般特性。这个学科就是法理学。3普通法的起源迷失在北欧和斯堪的纳维亚历史的薄雾中，它几乎没有被罗马帝国所影响，而北欧人（日耳曼人）经常侵入英国，留下来的北欧人与当地人通婚，极大地影响了英国人的风俗习惯。4科学知识的爆炸及转化成技术深远地影响了法律的内容和程序，他们也影响了一些法律的基本假设。 5刑法和民法作为法律的两大主要部门也会重叠，许多作为和不作为不仅仅是民事过错，因为这个过错受害人有权因他的损失取得损害赔偿。Les

30、son three sources of English law1 Freely-negotiated commercial contracts may bind them to behave in particular way.自由协商的商业合同会约束他们以特定的方式行为。Negotiate谈判; 协商;兑现(支票等)NegotiationNegotiable instrument可转让票据，可流通票据 non-negotiable不可转让，不可流通（只限本人使用的；禁止转让的 ）Non-negotiable bill of lading 不可转让提單 Negotiating bank议付行

31、 Act of Negotiable instrument票据法A negotiable instrument may be a check, a bill of exchange, or a promissory note。可流通票据可以是支票，汇票或本票。2 Every time a purchase is made, a contract is made. 每买一件东西就产生一个合同。3 Here proposals for legislation (bills) are presented to, debated by, and voted upon by the House of c

32、ommons and the House of Lords, finally receiving the assent of the monarch and thus becoming legislation (statutes or Acts).立法提案被提交给上议院和下议院，然后在那里进行讨论和投票，最后经过君主的同意才成为立法。4 Bills proposed in Parliament become Acts.法案提交到议会成为法律。Bill （提交议会讨论的）议案，法案 Bill of Rights 权利法案bill of lading提单 bill of exchange汇票 4 Some of these documents bind the people to whom they are addressed to behave in particular ways.有一些文件约束接受指示的人们以特定的方式来作为。Address向说话 speak to;演说；演讲 give a speech to(图书、文章等)讨论(某主题) This