Translation of Business Contracts

Contractual documents are legal in nature and mainly include contracts, agreements, and intentions, etc. These agreements can be informal and of a private nature. A business contract is a written document reached by both parties through negotiation on certain issues.

The translation of business contracts must prioritize accuracy and rigor, conform to the characteristics of legal language, and reflect the features of contractual texts. The translation should comply with the grammatical requirements of the Chinese language.

There are many professional terms in Russian contracts, and the translation of words cannot be assumed or coined arbitrarily. Corresponding expressions should be found in Chinese and then applied in the translation. For example, the word статья is commonly translated as "article," but in business contracts and agreements, it is generally translated as "chapter" or "clause." The word пункт should be translated as "paragraph."

Russian contracts frequently use words like должен, обязан, обязуется, должен быть to express mandatory responsibilities, obligations, suggestions, hopes, possibilities, and desirability. However, not every sentence needs to translate these words. Depending on the context, words like "shall" or "should" can be added as needed.

Contracts also often use gerunds, which should be flexibly transformed into verbs when appropriate to make the translation smoother. For example, передача can be translated as the verb передать to make it easier for Chinese speakers to understand.

It is appropriate to add or omit words as necessary. For instance, the phrase "Факсовые копии настоящего Контракта, приложений и Дополнений к нему имеют силу наравне с оригиналами" can be translated as "The fax copies of this Contract, its attachments, and amendments thereto shall have the same effect as the originals." Here, the phrase "к нему" is omitted to make the translation concise and clear, whereas including it would make the sentence verbose. The sentence "Ни одна из Сторон не имеет права передать третьему лицу права и обязанность по настоящему Контракту без предварительного письменного согласия другой Стороны" is translated as "Neither party shall assign any rights and obligations under this Contract to a third party without the prior written consent of the other party." The word "any" is added in the translation to emphasize and highlight.

Russian contracts typically have long sentences with complex structures, using compound sentences and simple sentences with many modifiers. When translating, it is appropriate to change sentence structures, such as turning passive sentences into active ones, or making objects the subject, to conform to Chinese expression habits. Be flexible and adaptable; overly long sentences without punctuation in the original text can be appropriately broken down into shorter sentences, such as long prepositional phrases or adverbials.

◀️：A Brief Analysis of the Application of Parallel Texts in English-Chinese Translation

▶️：Comparison of Russian and Chinese Syntax