Abstract: Modal verbs are frequently used in law English, and their translation is always an important issue for experts to research. This essay mainly deals with the usage and translation of modal verb “shall” in law English. By collecting and studying relevant materials, especially those English legal texts from laws of English-speaking countries, this essay focuses on the “shall” in compulsory norms and obligatory norms. When it comes to the translation of “shall”, this paper zeroes in on the translation of affirmative “shall” and negative “shall”, with the affirmative one fully discussing different translation situations. With all those done, the thesis draws a conclusion that the Chinese translation of “shall” is decided by the categorization and contexts of legal texts.    

Key words: law English; modal verb “shall”; usage; translation

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction1

2. Usage of Modal Verb “Shall” in Law English.1

  2.1 Modal Verbs in Law English

  2.2 Function of the Affirmative Form of “Shall”

    2.2.1 Expressing Compulsory Norms

    2.2.2 Expressing Obligatory Norms

  2.3 Function of the Negative Form of “Shall”

3. Translation of Modal Verb “Shall” in Law English.5

  3.1 Principles of Law English Translation

  3.2 Translation of the Affirmative Form of“Shall”

    3.2.1 Omission of Chinese Translation 

    3.2.2 Chinese Translation “须”

    3.2.3 Chinese Translation “应”

  3.3 Translation of the Negative Form of “Shall” 

4. Conclusion

Bibliography.

Acknowledgements