A Corpus-Based Study on Modal Verbs in the Chinese-English Translation of the Book of Contracts in Chinese Civil Code
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1501.29Keywords:
legal translation, Chinese Civil Code, corpus-based study, modal verbs, terminologyAbstract
The inherent discrepancies and evolving nature of legal knowledge across various legal systems, coupled with the variability of communicative contexts, have long posed significant challenges in both the practice and studies of legal translation. This study adopts a corpus-based approach and examines the uses of modal verbs in the English translation of Book Three: Contracts of the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China. UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts 2016, which has been drafted, revised and applied in English, has been selected as the reference corpus. The analysis investigates typical modal verbs from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Major findings include the overuse of the modal verb shall when referring to the imposition of obligation and inconsistent translation of related terminologies, which causes confusion and inaccuracy. Therefore, particular attention should be paid to the uses of modal verbs as well as the standardization and consistency of terminology in the translation of legislative texts so as to enhance quality and communicative efficiency. This study, through extensive research and corpus-based analysis, aims to provide insights into legal translation to ensure not only linguistic accuracy but also functional clarity, aligning the target text closely with the intended legal meaning and minimizing potential ambiguities in cross-linguistic interpretations.
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