在翻譯以上術(shù)語(yǔ)時(shí)人們經(jīng)常會(huì)犯錯(cuò)誤，故務(wù)必要小心才行。首先應(yīng)注意的是civil court，該詞組除在英、美等國(guó)指“民事法院外”[1]，在其他地區(qū)，如在加拿大，它可用作指具有一般管轄權(quán)（包括具有簡(jiǎn)易審判程序）的刑事法院，其與民事無(wú)任何關(guān)系，civil在此等同ordinary [2]，故應(yīng)譯為“普通刑事法院”。同樣，civil custody也是指警方或其他相關(guān)民政當(dāng)局“對(duì)一般罪犯所作的拘留或關(guān)押”（普通監(jiān)獄“civil prison"或教養(yǎng)所“penitentiary”的關(guān)押均包括在內(nèi)）[3]。civil prison則可指任何關(guān)押由普通刑事法院（civil court) 經(jīng)簡(jiǎn)易審判程序（summary procedure) 審判的罪行較輕刑期在2年以下罪犯之監(jiān)獄（包括jail和其他場(chǎng)所），故為“普通監(jiān)獄”[4]。由此可知，civil prisoner則是指由civil court所判處的被civil prison關(guān)押的刑期為2年以下的 “普通服刑犯”。對(duì)于civil prisoner而言，《英漢法律詞典》的新版本更正了其第一版將該術(shù)語(yǔ)譯為“民事犯”之謬誤，將其譯為了 “普通犯”[5]，然而該詞典援引的《法窗譯話》之解釋, 即“普通犯”是“與政治犯、國(guó)事犯、軍事犯、戰(zhàn)犯等對(duì)稱時(shí)用”的解釋卻仍然應(yīng)為一謬誤，這里的“普通”兩字，實(shí)則應(yīng)為“罪行較輕”的含義。

[1]“ A court with jurisdiction over non-criminal cases. ”Cf. Bryan A. Gamer, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th edition, at p. 357, West Group (1999).

[2]“A court of ordinary criminal jurisdiction in Canada and includes a court of summary jurisdiction. ”Cf. Daphne Dukelow，The Dictionary of Canadian Law, at p. 162 , Thomson Professional Publishing Canada (1991).

[3]“ The holding under arrest or in confinement of a person by the police or other competent civil authority, and includes confinement in a penitentiary or civil prison. ”Id. at p. 162.

[4]“Any prison, jail or other place in Canada in which offenders sentenced by a civil court in Canada to imprisonment for less than two years can be confined, and，if sentenced outside Canada, any prison, jail or other place in which a person, sentenced to that term of imprisonment by a court having jurisdiction in the place where the sentence was passed，can for the time being be confined. " Cf. Canada National Defense Act, R. S. C. 1985，c. N. 5, s. 2.

[5] 參見《英漢法律詞典》編委會(huì)編：《英漢法律詞典》（修訂版），法律出版社1999年版，第131頁(yè)。