20
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1992
IN
"THIS IS ESPECIALLY SO WITH LEGISLATION ENACTED MANY YEARS AGO STYLE AND WORDING QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THAT ENACTED TODAY. THE OPPORTUNITY OF ADJUSTING THE LANGUAGE OF THE CHINESE AND ENGLISH VERSIONS OF A NEW LAW DOES NOT EXIST HERE.
"THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACHIEVEMENTS IN THIS AREA HAVE WROUGHT MINOR MIRACLES, AND I SAY THIS BOLDLY IN SPITE CRITICISMS OF SOME WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER, SAID MR FINDLAY.
中暢
SO FAR OF THE
PAYING TRIBUTE TO DR DANIEL TSE AND HIS COLLEAGUES ON THE BILINGUAL LAWS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, MR FINDLAY SAID 50 ORDINANCES COMPRISING 1,400 PAGES OF LEGISLATION HAD ALREADY BEEN EXAMINED BY
THIS COMMITTEE.
HE POINTED OUT THAT CHAPTER 1, THE INTERPRETATION AND GENERAL CLAUSES ORDINANCE, WAS ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT TO TRANSLATE IN VIEW OF ITS TECHNICAL AND CONCEPTUAL NATURE.
THE BILINGUAL LAWS ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS NOW OPERATING WITH TWO SEPARATE SUB-COMMITTEES. A THIRD SUB-COMMITTEE WOULD BE FORMED LATER THIS YEAR IN ORDER TO FURTHER ACCELERATE ITS PROGRESS.
THE 50 ORDINANCES SO FAR EXAMINED BY THE BILINGUAL LAWS ADVISORY COMMITTEE RELATED MAINLY TO LEGISLATION THAT WAS LIKELY TO BE OF USE TO LARGE SECTIONS OF THE PUBLIC AND WHICH WAS MOST FREQUENTLY USED IN THE LOWER COURTS.
IN ADDITION TO THE ORDINANCES ALREADY EXAMINED BY THE BILINGUAL LAWS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, OFFICERS IN THE LAW DRAFTING DIVISION OF THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT WERE HARD AT WORK ON THE CHINESE TEXTS OF ANOTHER 120 ORDINANCES COMPRISING 4,100 PAGES. THESE WERE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF COMPLETION.
IN JULY LAST YEAR, THE LAW DRAFTING DIVISION STARTED A SIX- MONTH PILOT SCHEME FOR PART-TIME LAW TRANSLATION.
UNDER THIS SCHEME, GOVERNMENT CHINESE LANGUAGE OFFICERS WERE INVITED TO ACCEPT ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE TRANSLATION OF THE LESS COMPLEX ORDINANCES OUTSIDE THEIR OFFICE HOURS.
THEIR WORK WAS VETTED BY THE BILINGUAL LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL AND LAW TRANSLATION OFFICERS IN THE LAW DRAFTING DIVISION.
WORK OF A GOOD STANDARD AT A REASONABLE
SPEED HAD BEEN
PRODUCED.
IT HAD BEEN DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITH THIS PART-TIME LAW TRANSLATION PROJECT ON A LONG-TERM BASIS AND ABOUT 70 CHINESE LANGUAGE OFFICERS HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED AS SUITABLE TO DO THE WORK.
THIS HAD ADDED GREAT IMPETUS TO THE LAW TRANSLATION PROGRAMME.
IT WAS
PRODUCTION OF ACHIEVED.
HELP, AN ANNUAL
BELIEVED THAT WITH THIS ADDITIONAL ABOUT 4,500 PAGES OF DRAFT CHINESE TEXTS COULD BE
/THE TARGET