What to Watch Out for When Writing

　　第三部分：撰寫(xiě)時(shí)的注意事項

　　17. Title it “Contract.” Do not leave this one to chance. If your client wants a contract， call it a contract. A judge now sitting on the federal bench once ruled that a document entitled “Proposal” was not a contract even though signed by both parties. The lesson learned is， “Say what you mean.” If you intend the document to be a legally binding contract， use the word “Contract” in the title.

　　17.標題上注明“合同”兩字。不要為碰運氣而忽略這個(gè)。如果你的客戶(hù)需要合同，就要注明是合同。一個(gè)仍在聯(lián)邦法院里任職的法官就曾經(jīng)裁定：有雙方簽字，但標有“建議書(shū)”的文件并非合同。這給我們的教訓就是，你怎么想，就應該怎么說(shuō)。如果你想讓你的文件成為具有法律效力的合同，就要在標題中注明“合同”字樣。

　　18. Write in short sentences. Short sentences are easier to understand than long ones.

　　18.寫(xiě)短句子，因為短句子比長(cháng)句子讓人更容易理解。

　　19. Write in active tense， rather than passive. Active tense sentences are shorter and use words more efficiently， and their meaning is more apparent. Example of active： “Sellers shall sell the Property to Buyer.” Example of passive： “The Property shall be sold to Buyer by Seller.”

　　19.用主動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)而不用被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)。相對而言，主動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)的句子更簡(jiǎn)短，措詞更精練，表達更明白。還是讓我們來(lái)來(lái)看一個(gè)例子吧，主動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)的句子：賣(mài)方將把此物賣(mài)給買(mǎi)方；被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)的句子：此物將被賣(mài)方賣(mài)給買(mǎi)方。

　　20. Don't use the word “biweekly.” It has two meanings： twice a week and every other week. The same applies to “bimonthly.” Instead， write “every other week” or “twice a week.”

　　20.不要用“雙周”之類(lèi)的詞，因為這有可能產(chǎn)生歧義——是兩周還是每隔一周？類(lèi)似的詞還有“雙月”，所以最好這樣寫(xiě)：“兩周”或“每隔一周”。

　　21. Don't say things like “active termites and organisms”。 Avoid ambiguity by writing either “active termites and active organisms” or “organisms and active termites.” When adding a modifier like “active” before a compound of nouns like “termites and organisms”， be sure to clarify whether you intend the modifier to apply to both nouns or just the first one. If you intend it to apply to both， use parallel construction and write the modifier in front of each noun. If you intend it to apply to just one noun， place that one noun at the end of the list and the modifier directly in front of it.

　　21.不要說(shuō)“活動(dòng)著(zhù)的白蟻和有機體”之類(lèi)的話(huà)，為了避免模棱兩可，最好這樣寫(xiě)：“活動(dòng)著(zhù)的白蟻和活動(dòng)著(zhù)的有機體”或是“白蟻和活動(dòng)著(zhù)的有機體”。當一組名詞（如“白蟻和有機體”）前有一個(gè)修飾語(yǔ)（如“活動(dòng)著(zhù)的”）時(shí)，你一定要弄清楚這個(gè)修飾語(yǔ)是修飾兩個(gè)名詞還是僅僅修飾第一個(gè)名詞。如果是修飾兩個(gè)詞，可以用排比的手法分別在這兩個(gè)詞之前加上修飾語(yǔ)，如果你只想修飾一個(gè)名詞，那么你就應該把這個(gè)詞放在這組詞的最后，然后在它的前面加上修飾語(yǔ)。

　　22. Don't say “Lessor” and “Lessee.” These are bad nicknames for a lease because they are easily reversed or mistyped. Use “Landlord” and “Tenant” instead. The same applies to lienor and lienee， mortgagor and mortgagee， grantor and grantee， licensor and licensee， party A and party B. This is where you can use your creativity to come up with a different nickname for a party， as long as you use it consistently throughout the contract.

　　22.不要說(shuō)“出租人”和“承租人”。這對一個(gè)租賃合同來(lái)說(shuō)是些不好的別稱(chēng)，因為他們容易被顛倒或者出現打印錯誤�？梢杂�“房東”和“房客”來(lái)代替他們。同樣，在合同中也不要說(shuō)留置權人和留置人，抵押權人和抵押人，保證人和被保證人，許可人和被許可人，當事人A和當事人B……到底怎么說(shuō)，這就要看你駕馭語(yǔ)言的能力了，不過(guò)，要把握的一條原則，即在整個(gè)合同中，對合同一方只能用一個(gè)別稱(chēng)。

　　23. Watch out when using “herein.” Does “wherever used herein” mean anywhere in the contract or anywhere in the paragraph？ Clarify this ambiguity if it matters.

　　23.使用術(shù)語(yǔ)“本文（herein，也可譯為”“在這里”）時(shí)要當心。為了避免含糊不清，使用“本文”時(shí)最好特別申明一下“本文”是指整個(gè)合同，還是指其所在的某一段落。

　　24. Write numbers as both words and numerals： ten （10）。 This will reduce the chance for errors.

　　24.寫(xiě)數目時(shí)要文字和阿拉伯數字并用，如：拾（10）。這將減少一些不經(jīng)意的錯誤。

　　25. When you write “including” consider adding “but not limited to.” Unless you intend the list to be all-inclusive， you had better clarify your intent that it is merely an example.

　　25.如果你想用“包括”這個(gè)詞，就要考慮在其后加上“但不限于……”的分句。除非你能夠列出所有被包括的項，否則最好用“但不限于……”的分句，來(lái)說(shuō)明你只是想舉個(gè)例子。

　　26. Don't rely on the rules of grammar. The rules of grammar that you learned in school are not universal. The judge or jury interpreting the meaning of your contract may have learned different rules. Write the contract so that no matter what rules they learned， the contract is clear and unambiguous. Follow this test for clear writing： Remove all periods and commas， then read it. Choosing the right words and placing them in the right place makes the writing clear without punctuation.

　　26.不要依賴(lài)于語(yǔ)法規則。那些你在學(xué)校里得到的語(yǔ)法規則并不是放之四海而皆準的東西，因為有權力來(lái)解釋此合同的法官或陪審團成員學(xué)的語(yǔ)法規則可能和你學(xué)的不一樣，但不管學(xué)的是什么規則，撰寫(xiě)合同都要遵循一個(gè)基本原則：簡(jiǎn)潔、明確。檢測你寫(xiě)的東西是否達到這個(gè)要求有個(gè)好辦法，那就是去掉所有的句號和逗號，然后去讀它。在沒(méi)有標點(diǎn)符號的情況下，選擇正確的詞語(yǔ)放在正確的位置上，這將使你寫(xiě)出來(lái)的東西更簡(jiǎn)明，更流暢。

　　27. Don't be creative with words. Contract writing is not creative writing and is not meant to provoke reflective thoughts or controversies about nuances of meaning. Contract writing is clear， direct and precise. Therefore， use common words and common meanings. Write for the common man and the common woman.

　　27.不要創(chuàng )造詞語(yǔ)。合同文書(shū)不是創(chuàng )造性的作品，也就不能因為意思的細微差別而引起思考或爭論。合同文書(shū)應該是清晰、直接而準確的。因此，要使用普通的詞語(yǔ)，表達普通的意思，為普通人撰寫(xiě)合同。

　　28. Be consistent in using words. If you refer to the subject matter of a sales contract as “goods” use that term throughout the contract； do not alternately call them “goods” and “items.” Maintaining consistency is more important than avoiding repetition. Don't worry about putting the reader to sleep； worry about the opposing lawyer a year from now hunting for ambiguities to get your contract into court.

　　28.用詞一致。在一份銷(xiāo)售合同中，如果你想用“貨物”來(lái)指整個(gè)合同的標的物，就不要時(shí)而稱(chēng)它們?yōu)?ldquo;貨物”，時(shí)而又改稱(chēng)它們?yōu)?ldquo;產(chǎn)品”。保持用詞一致性比避免重復更加重要。不要擔心這會(huì )讓讀者打瞌睡；你應該提防的是對方律師會(huì )因為含糊不清的合同而將你告上法庭。

　　29. Be consistent in grammar and punctuation. The rules of grammar and punctuation you learned may differ from others， but you had better be consistent in your use of them. Be aware of such things as where you put ending quote marks， whether you place commas after years and states， and similar variations in style.

　　29.在文法和標點(diǎn)符號上保持一致。你可能學(xué)過(guò)許多不同類(lèi)的文法和標點(diǎn)符號規則，但在使用它們時(shí)最好保持一致。要特別注意句末的引號、時(shí)間和地點(diǎn)之后的逗號以及文風(fēng)的相似性。

　　30. Consider including choice of law， venue selection， and attorneys fee clauses. If your contract gets litigated， you might as well give your client some “ammunition” for the fight. Examples of these clauses appear in Appendices A and C.

　　30.可以在合同中加入準據法、審判地、律師費等條款。有了這些條款，一旦合同引起訴訟，你就已經(jīng)為了你的客戶(hù)打這場(chǎng)訴訟戰準備了一些“彈藥”。類(lèi)似的條款見(jiàn)附錄A和B.

　　Write for the Judge and Jury

　　第四部分：要為法官和陪審團考慮

　　31. Assume the reader is a knowledgeable layman. If your writing is so clear that a layman could understand it， then it is less likely it will end up in court.

　　31.要假設合同的讀者是一個(gè)受過(guò)教育的外行，如果你書(shū)寫(xiě)的合同簡(jiǎn)明得連一個(gè)外行都能理解，那么即使到了法庭上，，你也不用害怕。

　　32. Define a word by capitalizing it and putting it in quotes. Capitalizing a word indicates that you intend it to have a special meaning. The following are two sample clauses for defining terms：Wherever used in this contract， the word “Goods” shall mean the goods that Buyer has agreed to purchase from Seller under this contract.Buyer hereby agrees to purchase from Seller ten （10） frying pans， hereinafter called the “Goods.”

　　32.強調一個(gè)合同術(shù)語(yǔ)可以這樣做：加上雙引號并將其開(kāi)頭的字母大寫(xiě)。將一個(gè)詞語(yǔ)的開(kāi)頭字母大寫(xiě)表明你想讓它有一個(gè)特別的意思。下面有兩個(gè)定義術(shù)語(yǔ)的例子：

　　一。本合同中使用的“貨物”（“Goods”）是指買(mǎi)方已經(jīng)同意向賣(mài)方購買(mǎi)的貨物；

　　二。本合同中買(mǎi)方同意向賣(mài)方購買(mǎi)的拾（10）只平底鍋，即下文中的“貨物”（“Goods”）。

　　33. Define words when first used. Instead of writing a section of definitions at the beginning or end of a contract， consider defining terms and concepts as they first appear in the contract. This will make it easier for the reader to follow.

　　33.第一次使用某個(gè)術(shù)語(yǔ)時(shí)就要下定義。定義合同術(shù)語(yǔ)不是在合同的開(kāi)頭，也不是在合同的結尾，而是在這個(gè)術(shù)語(yǔ)第一次出現的時(shí)候，這樣做，有利于讀者更好地理解合同。

　　34. Explain technical terms and concepts. Remember that the parties might understand technical jargon， but the judge and jury who interpret and apply the contract do not. Therefore， explain the contract's terms and concepts within the contract itself. Let the contract speak for itself from within its four corners.

　　34.勤于解釋合同中的術(shù)語(yǔ)和概念。要記住合同雙方的當事人可能會(huì )理解合同中某些專(zhuān)用術(shù)語(yǔ)，但法官和陪審團卻可能一無(wú)所知。所以撰寫(xiě)合同時(shí)要讓合同自己為自己釋義。

　　Keep Your Client Informed While You Write

　　第五部分：書(shū)寫(xiě)時(shí)要常和你的客戶(hù)溝通

　　35. All contracts should come with a cover letter. This gives you a place to instruct your client on how to use and sign the contract.

　　35.所有的合同都應該有一封說(shuō)明書(shū)——用來(lái)告訴你的客戶(hù)如何使用和簽署合同。

　　36. Tell your client the ideas that come as you write. Many ideas will occur to you as you write： things that could go wrong with the deal， things that might happen in the future， things that happened in the past， ways to structure things better. Write these in your letter to the client.

　　36.告訴客戶(hù)你在撰寫(xiě)過(guò)程中的一些想法。比如：哪些事情可能會(huì )隨著(zhù)交易變得很遭，哪些事可能會(huì )在將來(lái)發(fā)生，哪些事情已經(jīng)發(fā)生了，哪些可以讓事情朝好的方向發(fā)展的方法……你最好在給客戶(hù)的說(shuō)明書(shū)中都將這些都寫(xiě)上。

　　37. Inform your client of the risks. Writing a letter to the client as you write the contract is the perfect way to inform the client of the risks and rewards of entering into the contract. Frequently， problems do not become apparent until time is spent trying to word a contract.

　　37.告訴客戶(hù)合同的風(fēng)險所在。在撰寫(xiě)合同時(shí)，你最好向客戶(hù)說(shuō)訂立合同需要承擔的風(fēng)險和能夠得到的利益。通常情況下，只要你花時(shí)間來(lái)起草合同，你就會(huì )發(fā)現真正的風(fēng)險在哪里。