WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1986
2
A MAJOR ISSUE THAT EMERGED WAS THE BEST WAY OF DEALING WITH TRANSLATIONS OF EXISTING LAWS - BY INVOLVING A COMMISSIONER OR A BILINGUAL LAWS ADVISORY COMMITTEE OR SOME OTHER BODY.
+TIME HAS NOW ELAPSED SINCE THE WORKING PARTY ORIGINALLY CONSIDERED THIS MATTER. THE CHINESE LANGUAGE UNIT IS NOW OPERATING,+ HE SAID.
MR THOMAS NOTED THAT A NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE RAISED THE QUESTION OF THE DESIRABILITY AND PRACTICABILITY OF LIAISON WITH EXPERTS IN CHINA ON THE TERMINOLOGY OF HONG KONG'S LAWS.
+THEY POINT TO THE DIFFERENT BASIS OF OUR TWO LEGAL SYSTEMS AND THE FACT THAT HONG KONG'S TECHNICAL TERMS DIFFER FROM THOSE IN USE ON THE MAINLAND, HE SAID.
+ DO NOT THINK ANYONE NEED BE WORRIED ABOUT THE PROPOSALS OF THE WORKING PARTY HERE.
+WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LEGAL TERMINOLOGY IN CHINA SO THAT WE MAY MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION IN CHOOSING TERMS FOR USE IN HONG KONG, TERMS THAT MUST BE UNDERSTOOD BY HONG KONG PEOPLE,+ MR THOMAS SAID.
THERE WERE ALSO MANY DIFFERENT PREFERENCES FOR THE ORDER OF PRIORITIES FOR PRODUCING BILINGUAL TEXTS, HE ADDED.
MR THOMAS SAID HE HAD THE SAME VIEW WITH THAT OF THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL - THAT THE FIRST PRIORITY HAD TO BE CURRENT
LAW.
+ IT REFLECTS THAT FACT, IF NOTHING ELSE, THAT THE BUSINESS OF THIS COUNCIL IS CONDUCTED IN BOTH LANGUAGES,+ HE SAID.
+AS FOR LATER PRIORITIES, THE IMPORTANT THING NOW IS TO DECIDE WHO IS TO DECIDE THESE, NOT TO REACH THE DECISION. WE ARE GIVING THIS MORE THOUGHT,+ HE ADDED.
TURNING TO THE CALL BY MEMBERS FOR A GLOSSARY, MR THOMAS SAID THE DRAFTING OF CHINESE TEXT OF THE LAWS WOULD CREATE ITS OWN GLOSSARY AS A BY-PRODUCT.
HE ADDED THAT TO UNDERTAKE THE PRODUCTION OF A GLOSSARY FOR PUBLICATION WHICH WENT FURTHER THAN THE DRAFTING NEEDS OF HIS CHAMBERS WOULD DIVERT RESOURCES AWAY FROM THE WORK OF DRAFTING THE LAWS.
MR THOMAS SAID THE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAMME LAY WITH THE BILINGUAL DRAFTSMEN.
+DRAFTING IS A SKILL WHICH IS ACQUIRED MORE BY PRACTICE THAN BY INSTRUCTION FOR THE ABILITY TO CREATE FROM DRAFTING INSTRUCTIONS A COHERENT AND PRACTICAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK CANNOT BE READILY TAUGHT IN THE LAW SCHOOLS,+ HE SAID.
/HE SLID