什么是律师函？

丁金坤律师在其博客解释过，“律师函是承办律师受到当事人的委托，发给相对方的信。内容一般是主张权利，譬如要求对方支付货款、停止侵权等。”网络上也有人将律师函称为“合法的恐吓信”，虽然有几分道理，但并不完全正确。“律师函的核心是给出善意的解决方案。这是律师函与起诉书的不同。”

中英文的功能对等

在翻译时，切忌直译。应该首先理解中文术语的概念，然后在真实的英文材料中寻得常用表述。

比如在翻译律师函时，就应当阅读英美律师事务所起草的律师函，看他们是如何命名类似文件的。

英文平行文本

英美律师通常将律师函称作 Demand Letter。

"Having your attorney draft a demand letter can be a wise move because it gives the recipient a chance to rectify the situation without facing a lawsuit. In general, these letters lay out a brief history of disputes, demand a specific resolution by a specified deadline, provide legal justification for the demand or refer to a contract provision, and state what the sender plans to do if the demand is not met."

"The term demand letter refers to a formal document sent by one party to another in order to resolve a dispute. The sending party may issue one requesting payment or another action in order to right a wrong or settle some type of grievance. The recipient may be in financial default, may have breached a contract, or may not have followed through with an obligation. They are normally written by lawyers. Demand letters are commonly the first step aggrieved parties turn to before taking legal action against the recipient."

律师函的错误翻译

广东律协涉外法律业务专业委员会收集了典型的涉外法律文书格式，并汇编成书。但是，却将律师函译为Lawyer’s Letter。英美律师通常不会将律师函称作 Lawyer’s Letter。并且，在特定语境中，Lawyer’s Letter另有所指。例如以下语境中，Lawyer’s Letter 指的是在外部审计过程中，法律顾问出具的法律意见书。

"An attorney’s letter, also known as a legal confirmation or lawyer’s letter, is a document issued by a company’s legal counsel to the company’s external auditors during the audit process. This letter is typically requested by the auditors to obtain independent confirmation about the company’s pending litigation, legal claims, contingent liabilities, or any other legal matters that could have a material impact on the company’s financial statements."

这也在某种程度上佐证了我此前的观点，即在查证英文时，不应以”非英语母语人士“起草的材料作准。

参考资料

  1. Five Things You Should Know about ‘Demand Letters’
  2. 发送律师函和警告函的避险指南，瞿淼，金杜律师事务所
  3. 律师签发律师函业务操作指引（2021），上海市律师协会业务研究指导委员会

关于作者

Joey Zhang，译者/法学学士，持有中国法律职业资格，长期从事法律翻译及商业翻译，个人最新简历可点击此处查阅。也可以通过以下平台联系我：LinkedIn、豆瓣、知乎、小红书

博客地址：Joey's Blog

邮箱地址：JoeytheTranslator@foxmail.com

联系电话：+86 18759570730（微信同号）