The Characteristics of Japanese Legal Texts and Their Chinese Translation

Abstract

This study focuses on the translation of Japanese legal texts, conducting an in-depth multidimensional analysis encompassing vocabulary, syntax, sentence patterns, and textual format. Drawing upon the linguistic and normative characteristics of Japanese legal texts and aligning with China’s Legislative Technical Specifications, the study summarizes translation strategies and standardization principles. Focusing on key structures—such as common conjunctions, core obligatory and empowering sentence patterns, and scope-defining expressions—the research clarifies their semantic nuances, pragmatic functions, and standard Chinese equivalents. Furthermore, to address the disparities in legislative styles and numerical norms between China and Japan, the study proposes targeted formatting adjustments. These include converting Japan-specific ordinal symbols, standardizing numerical expressions, and harmonizing the translation of structural hierarchies such as articles, items, and numbers. The findings indicate that the translation of Japanese legal texts requires not only the accurate transmission of literal meaning but also adherence to the stylistic and logical conventions of Chinese legal texts. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that rigor, certainty, and standardization in legal translation are achieved through precise terminology, structural adjustment, and format unification.