MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1990
HE SAID THE DEVELOPMENT OF BILINGUAL DRAFTING EXPERTISE WAS THE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE BILINGUAL LEGISLATION PROGRAMME.
A BILINGUAL LAW TEAM WAS SET UP IN THE ATTORNEY CHAMBERS IN 1986.
THE
GENERAL'S
"PRESENTLY THIS TEAM CONSISTS OF NINE DRAFTSMEN AND 18 LAW TRANSLATORS. TO ACHIEVE
OBJECTIVE OF HAVING ALL STATUTE LAW
BOTH AVAILABLE IN
CHINESE AND ENGLISH BEFORE 1997, IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO EXPAND THIS TEAM, MR MATHEWS SAID.
**
LANGUAGE
TURNING TO DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED IN PREPARING CHINESE TEXTS OF LEGISLATION ORIGINALLY DRAFTED IN ENGLISH, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SAID ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WAS LACK OF APPROPRIATE TERMS IN CHINESE TO DESCRIBE CONCEPTS THAT WERE OFTEN PECULIAR TO THE COMMON LAW.
HE CITED THE TERMS "POSSESSION", "RECKLESS" AND "OFFENCE" TO ILLUSTRATE THE DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED.
MR MATHEWS SAID IT WAS NOT ALWAYS APPROPRIATE SIMPLY TO ADOPT - CHINESE TERMS USED IN JURISDICTIONS WHERE LAWS WERE ENACTED IN CHINESE.
rt
WHERE THERE IS A DIFFERENT CHINESE TERM ALREADY IN USE IN HONG KONG IT WILL OFTEN BE PREFERRED, THOUGH IT MAY BE A PECULIARLY LOCAL TERM AND CONSIDERED BY SOME TO BE COLLOQUIAL.
"AFTER ALL, THE LAW MUST SERVE THE NEEDS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE AND BE UNDERSTOOD BY THEM, HE SAID.
[
MR MATHEWS ALSO MENTIONED
THAT ANOTHER ELEMENT IN
A DEVELOPMENT OF
BILINGUAL LEGAL SYSTEM IN HONG KONG WAS ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE USE OF CHINESE IN THE COURTS.
THE
THE
'A WORKING PARTY UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE HAS MADE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS REGARD.
"MORE RECENTLY, ANOTHER WORKING PARTY HAS BEEN FORMED ΤΟ CONSIDER, AMONG OTHER THINGS, MEASURES FOR THE BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF COURT DOCUMENTS, THAT ARE PRESENTLY FRAMED IN ENGLISH, BY PERSONS ON WHOM THEY ARE SERVED WHO ARE NOT LITERATE IN ENGLISH, HE SAID.
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