WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1986
13.
LAWS SHOULD ADOPT COMMONLY USED TERMS
*****
THE CHINESE TEXT OF HONG KONG LAWS SHOULD ADOPT COMMONLY USED TERMS TO WHICH HONG KONG PEOPLE ARE ACCUSTOMED.
THIS WAS STATED BY DR THE HON CHIU HIN-KWONG DURING THE DEBATE ON THE DISCUSSION PAPER ON THE LAWS IN CHINESE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
DR CHIU EXPLAINED THAT SUCH TERMS COULD ACCURATELY EXPRESS LEGAL CONCEPTS WITH WHICH HONG KONG PEOPLE WERE FAMILIAR.
HE SAID THIS WOULD BE IN ADDITION TO THE RECOMMENDATION MADE IN THE DISCUSSION PAPER THAT THE CHINESE TEXT WOULD BE WRITTEN IN +GOOD, MODERN AND EDUCATED CHINESE+.
DR CHIU SAID THAT SETTING UP A BILINGUAL LAWS ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN APPOINTING A COMMISSIONER OR SETTING UP A STANDING COMMITTEE WITHIN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO TAKE CHARGE OF THE JOB.
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WHICH WOULD COMPRISE EXPERTS IN VARIOUS RELEVANT FIELDS, MIGHT ALSO OFFER ADVICE ON PRIORITY IN REGARD TO +TRANSLATING EXISTING ORDINANCES ON A SELECTIVE BASIS+.
COMMENTING ON THE PRIORITIES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE BILINGUAL LAWS PROJECT, DR CHIU AGREED THAT THE BILINGUAL DRAFTING OF PRINCIPAL ORDINANCES SHOULD BE FIRST PRIORITY, BUT HE SUGGESTED THAT THE THIRD PRIORITY, TRANSLATING EXISTING ORDINANCES ON A SELECTIVE BASIS, SHOULD BE UPGRADED TO SECOND PRIORITY.
+ALL EXISTING LAWS WHICH ATTRACT PUBLIC ATTENTION AND ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO THE DAILY LIVES OF THE PUBLIC SHOULD BE GIVEN PRIORITY IN TRANSLATION, + HE SAID.
AT THE SAME TIME, IN ORDER TO MAKE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND AND GET ACCUSTOMED TO THE USE OF THE AUTHENTIC CHINESE VERSION, DR CHIU SUGGESTED THAT THE COURTS WHEN GIVING VERDICTS SHOULD REFER TO THE AUTHENTIC CHINESE VERSION AS AND WHEN NECESSARY.
IN REGARD TO THE PRINTING FORMAT OF THE CHINESE AND ENGLISH TEXTS OF THE LAWS, HE SAID THE IDEAL WAY WAS TO ADOPT THE FACING PAGE METHOD SO THAT THE READERS MIGHT SEE BOTH VERSIONS AT A GLANCE.
HE ALSO PROPOSED THAT CORRESPONDING PARAGRAPH NUMBERS SHOULD BE ADDED IN THE MARGIN OF BOTH THE CHINESE AND ENGLISH TEXTS.
/+BY DOING