法律中經(jīng)常列舉一系列同義詞，其意圖是為了表示窮盡性列舉。如:

賓館、飯店、旅店、招待所、公共浴池、游泳池、理發(fā)店、 美容店、歌舞廳等經(jīng)營單位，應(yīng)組織直接為顧客服務(wù)的人員到市、區(qū)（市)縣以上衛(wèi)生行政管理部門指定的性病、艾滋病防治專業(yè)機構(gòu)進(jìn)行性病、艾滋病項目檢查，取得健康證明后，方可準(zhǔn)予上崗。

Business units such as hotels, restaurants, public baths swimming pools, hairdresserst beauty salons, and song and dance halls shall organize personnel directly serving customers to undergo tests for venereal diseases and AIDS at specialized institutions designated by health administrative departments at or above city, district or county level. Such personnel are not allowed lo work until they pass the tests and receive a health certificate.

這里的“賓館、飯店、旅社、招待所”在英語中無法找到足夠的同義詞與之對應(yīng)，所以譯為兩個詞。這段英文只是普通報告中引用的部分，英語并無法律約束力，所以可以這樣翻譯。有人主張把譯入語表示相似意思的所有同義詞也全部羅列出來（如inn，hotel, boarding house, guesthouse, hostel，roadhouse, motel)，同樣也表示窮盡。（不過細(xì)心的讀者可能會提出疑問：中國也有汽車旅館嗎?)但如果是國際文書，兩種語言具有同等法律效率，就不能像以上例子那樣靈活翻譯，而是要找到同義詞，或進(jìn)行解釋，甚至使用拼音：hotels and restaurants ( binguan, fandian, lushe, and zhaodaisuo ) 。

把英語法律條文翻譯為漢語時，現(xiàn)在的通常做法是每個同義詞都譯出來，努力找到不同的漢語詞（至于漢語同義詞之間的區(qū)別是否相當(dāng)于英語同義詞之間的區(qū)別，則另當(dāng)別論），如：

The WTO Agreement to which China accedes shall be the WTO Agreement as rectified, amended, or otherwise modified by such legal instruments as may have entered into force before the date of accession. (Protocol on the Accession of the People's Republic of China )