Английский язык для юридических специальностей: лексический минимум. Legal English Vocabulary Book

ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЕ БЮДЖЕТНОЕ 
ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЕ ВЫСШЕГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ
РОССИЙСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ  
УНИВЕРСИТЕТ ПРАВОСУДИЯ

Учебное пособие

Москва
2020

АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК 
ДЛЯ ЮРИДИЧЕСКИХ 
СПЕЦИАЛЬНОСТЕЙ:  
ЛЕКСИЧЕСКИЙ МИНИМУМ

LEGAL ENGLISH  
VOCABULARY BOOK

© Туктарова Г. М., 2020
© Российский государственный 
     университет правосудия, 2020

УДК 811.111
ББК 81.2
Т81

Т81

Автор-составитель:
Г. М. Туктарова
доцент кафедры языкознания и иностранных языков  
Казанского филиала РГУП, канд. филол. наук

Рецензент:
А. Г. Садыкова
профессор кафедры теории и практики преподавания  
иностранных языков Высшей школы русской и зарубежной  
филологии им. Льва Толстого Института филологии и межкультурной 
коммуникации Казанского (Приволжского) федерального  
университета, д-р филол. наук, профессор

Туктарова Г. М.
Английский язык для юридических специальностей: лексический минимум. Legal English Vocabulary Book: Учебное пособие. — М.: РГУП, 
2020. — 168 с.

ISBN 978-5-93916-790-1

Учебное пособие направлено на совершенствование навыков и умений чтения и перевода оригинальной юридической литературы посредством расширения лексического запаса студентов в области профессиональной юридической терминологии. Текстовая и языковая информация закрепляются циклом 
лексических упражнений для развития навыков говорения и профессионально-ориентированного перевода в сфере международного права и сравнительного правоведения.
Предназначено для обучающихся по программам бакалавриата, может 
быть полезным магистрантам, изучающим английский язык в сфере юриспруденции, а также может быть использовано как дополнение к учебным изданиям по дисциплине «Профессионально-ориентированный перевод» для практики письменного юридического перевода с английского языка на русский.

ISBN 978-5-93916-790-1

Содержание

Introduction / От составителя  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
Part I. International Law / Международное право . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
Unit 1. International Law: historic perspective /  
Международное право: исторический аспект . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Unit 2. International Court of Justice / Международный Суд ООН . . .14
Unit 3. Rules of International Law / Нормы международного права  . . 17
Part II. Legal System of a state / Правовые системы некоторых государств  . .  25
Unit 1. Legal System of the Russian Federation / Правовая система 
Российской Федерации  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  25
Unit 2. Legal System of Great Britain / Правовая система 
Великобритании  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  27
Unit 3. Legal System of Scandinavian countries / Правовая система 
скандинавских стран  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  32
Part III. Translation Practice / Практика перевода . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  36
Bibliography / Литература  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  51
Appendix 1. Basic Dictionary / Лексический минимум . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  54
Appendix 2. «Verb + Noun» phrases encountered in Legal Literature / 
Английские устойчивые сочетания типа «глагол + существительное», 
встречающиеся в юридической литературе  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Appendix 3. Stylistically neutral verbs frequently encountered  
in Legal Literature / Глаголы нейтрального стиля, имеющие  
широкое употребление в юридической литературе  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Appendix 4. Phrases with tо be. Prepositional phrases. Adverbs, 
prepositions, conjunctions functioning in legal language /  
Юридические выражения, имеющие в своем составе глагол tо be. 
Предложные обороты. Наречия и служебная лексика, характерные 
для юридической литературы  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Appendix 5. International Legal Terms and Terms for Crimes / 
Интернациональные юридические термины и термины,  
обозначающие основные виды преступлений . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Introduction
От составителя

Предлагаемое учебное пособие ставит целью развитие таких языковых навыков, как чтение, профессионально-ориентированный перевод, 
говорение у студентов юридических специальностей, изучающих дисциплину «Английский язык в сфере юриспруденции». Лексический минимум юридической терминологии включает в себя термины, часто 
встречающиеся в специальной литературе по отраслям права: уголовный и гражданский процесс, уголовное право, крими нология, криминалистика, пенитенциарное право, семейное право.
Основная цель пособия — расширение профессионально-ориентированного словарного запаса студентов в сфере юридического английского языка.
Пособие состоит из практикума, включающего два раздела с циклами заданий по темам: Раздел I «International Law (Международное право)» и Раздел II «Legal System of a state (Правовые системы некоторых государств)». Раздел II «Legal System of a state», в свою очередь, может 
представлять информационный интерес для студентов при подготовке 
к написанию исследования и выступлению с докладами на студенческих конференциях по темам сравнительного правоведения. Раздел III 
«Translation Practice» представляет собой комплект предложений для перевода с английского языка на русский, направленный на развитие и закрепление навыка юридического перевода. Источником материала, 
включенного в данный раздел, послужил как учебный материал (учебники 
для студентов юридических специальностей, монографии по юриспруденции), так и официальные сайты Парламента Соединенного Королевства Великобритании и Северной Ирландии (UK Parliament. Official website; The Official Home of UK Legislation). В учебное пособие включены 
следующие приложения: Англо-русский юридический словарь, а также 
широко употреб ляющиеся в английской юридической литературе некоторые интернациональные юридические термины и принятые в юридическом языке названия правонарушений, юридические выражения, имеющие в своем составе глагол «to be», английские устойчивые сочетания 
типа «глагол + существительное», глаголы нейтрального стиля, широко 

4

От составителя

употребляющиеся в юридической литературе, список предложных сочетаний, а также список наречий и служебной лексики, характерных 
для юридической литературы.
Данное пособие предназначено для студентов (бакалавров и магистров), изучающих английский язык в сфере юриспруденции, также 
может быть использовано как дополнение к учебным изданиям по дисциплине «Профессионально-ориентированный перевод» для практики 
письменного юридического перевода с английского языка на русский 
на всех этапах изучения английского языка как языка для специальных целей.

PART I

INTERNATIONAL LAW
МЕЖДУНАРОДНОЕ ПРАВО

UNIT 1. INTERNATIONAL LAW: HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE
МЕЖДУНАРОДНОЕ ПРАВО: ИСТОРИЧЕСКИЙ АСПЕКТ

TASK 1. Study the information given below as an introduction to definition 
and scope of International Law, translate it in a written form (refer to Appendixes 1,3, 4, 5):
International law (also called PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW, or LAW 
OF NATIONS) is the body of legal rules that apply between sovereign states 
and such other entities as have been granted international personality (status 
acknowledged by the international community).
Like precepts of international morality, the rules of international law 
are of a normative character; that is, they prescribe standards of conduct. 
They distinguish themselves, however, from moral rules by being, at least 
potentially, designed for authoritative interpretation by an independent 
judicial authority and by being capable of enforcement by the application of 
external sanctions.
International law forms a contrast to municipal law. While international 
law applies only between entities that can claim international personality, 
municipal law is the internal law of states that regulates the conduct of 
individuals and other legal entities within their jurisdiction.
International law should also be distinguished from quasi-international 
law, which is the law governing relations similar to those covered by international law but outside the pale of international law because at least one of 
the parties lacks international personality. Concession agreements between 
oil companies and sovereign states fall into this category. In case of doubt, 
they are subject to the municipal law of the state granting the concession.
Transnational law is a purely negative term. It is intended to convey 
that, in accordance with the intention of contracting parties, a transaction 
of a consensual character is not or should not be subject to municipal law.

TASK 2. Make up sentences using words and word combinations given 
below (refer to Appendix 1 if necessary):
1. law (2), forms, international, municipal, contrast, to, a

6

Part I

7

2. law, forms, which, these in, rules, are, international, the, into, existence, 
of, come
3. instant, self-defense, be, the, must, need, compelling, for, and

TASK 3. Read the text, then render its content in 2–3 sentences in English 
and Russian (refer to Appendixes 1, 4, 5):

Text 1. International law: historic perspective
Since the down of history different systems of international law have come 
into existence in many parts of the world. International law is the product 
of a threefold process which organized in the Western world: the integration 
of the medieval European community into a European society, the expansion 
of this European society, and concentration of power in a developing world 
society in the hands of a rapidly declining number of major world powers.
The premises of medieval international law were simple:
(1) In the absence of an agreed state of truce of peace, war was the basic 
state of international relations even between independent Christian communities.
(2) Unless exceptions were made by means of individual safe conduct 
or treaty, rulers saw themselves entitled to treat foreigners at their absolute 
discretion.
(3) The high seas were no-man›s-land, where anyone might do as he pleased.
Treaty law was the predominant feature of medieval international law. 
Sanctions varied from the exchange of hostages, the pledging of towns, castles 
and territories, and the mortgaging of the personal property of kings, or their 
subjects, to the appointment of guardians or the addition of the signatures 
of powerful dignitaries representing the various estates of a prince›s realm. 
Super natural sanctions such as solemn oaths or excommunications of guilty 
party, were also employed. The observance of treaties and other engagements 
rested on the same basis as it did in subsequent phases of international law: 
self-interest and the value attached by an obligated party to his moral credit 
and his respect for the principle of good faith.
With the expansion of European society the spiritual basis of interChristian international law was weakened but not eliminated. International 
law primarily served the purposes of assisting in the process of Western 
expansion.
In the process of transformation of international law into a world law, 
international law exchanged its Christian foundation for that of a law among 
states that were civilized in a highly formal sense. Civilization was understood 
as compliance with the minimum requirements of the rule of law, as this term, 
or its continental equivalents, was used in pre-1914 days in the Western world, 

Английский язык для юридических специальностей: лексический минимум

8

especially regarding the treatment of the persons and property of foreign 
nationals. It merely a further step to make sovereignty the decisive test of full 
international personality. In the pre-1939 era of the coexistence of democratic 
communities with totalitarian states such as The soviet Union, Fascist Italy, 
Nazi Germany, and militaristic Japan, international law had become a law 
among sovereign states.
While the coexistence of sovereign states in a legal system postulates 
equality, this equality in international law is of a purely formal character. 
For example, since the formation of the United Nations in 1945, membership 
has increased threefold. Eve though the number of sovereign and equal states 
has sharply increased, real influence still rests with only a handful of nations. 
The veto power of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, 
the weighting of votes according to the financial interest taken in the International Monetary Fund, and the special position accorded to states of 
chief industrial importance (as in the International Labour Organisation) 
are indicative of this trend.
The development of the doctrine of international law followed only slowly in 
the wake of the practice of international law. In the early days of international 
law it sufficed to have lawyers trained in canon and civil law. They tended 
to apply to nobel situations the concepts of municipal law with which they 
were familiar. This accounts for the long-continued overemphasis in the doctrine 
of international law on analogies from these familiar systems of internal community law to systems developed by societies with very different cultural traditions.
Vocabulary
threefold
тройной
disintegration
превращение
expansion
расширение
to decline
ухудшаться
truce
перемирие
discretion
скрытность

TASK 4. Explain the meaning of the words given above (vocabulary), refer 
to Appendix 1 if necessary.

TASK 5. Find in the text above the Russian equivalents for the following 
words and expressions:
1. product of a threefold process
2. medieval community
3. the doctrine of international law
4. coexistence of sovereign states

Part I

5. veto power
6. compliance
7. observance of treaties
8. treaty law
9. mortgaging
10. powerful dignitaries
11. process of transformation of international law
12. solemn oaths

TASK 6. Match the words with their definitions, then use the words from 
the right column in sentences of your own (refer to Appendix 5):

1. property
a) the system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties.
2. community
b) a formal written agreement entered into by actors  
in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. It may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention,  
pact, or exchange of letters, among other terms.
3. totalitarian state
c) a solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness, 
regarding one‘s future action or behaviour.
4. sanctions
d) a thing or things belonging to someone; possessions 
collectively.
5. law
e) a group of people living in the same place or having  
a particular characteristic in common.
6. International 
Monetary Fund
f) it refers to entities endowed with rights and obligations 
under public international law. The term includes both 
human and non-human entities. Generally, international 
legal entities are states, international organizations,  
nongovernmental organizations, and to a limited extent 
private individuals and corporations within a state.
7. international personality
g) an international organization headquartered in 
Washington, D. C., consisting of 189 countries working  
to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial 
stability, facilitate international trade, promote high  
employment and sustainable economic growth, and  
reduce poverty around the world while periodically  
depending on World Bank for its resources.
8. oath
h) a threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule;  
official permission or approval for an action.

Английский язык для юридических специальностей: лексический минимум

10

9. treaty
i) a government that subordinates the individual to the 
state and strictly controls all aspects of life by coercive 
measures

10. financial interest
j) means any economic interest of a particular individual that is not shared with a substantial segment  
of the population of the municipality.

TASK 7. Read the text and give Russian equivalents to the underlined word 
combinations (refer to Appendixes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5):

Text 2. The role of the United Nations Organisation  
in the Development of International Law
The United nations, like the League of Nations, has played a major 
role in defining, codifying and expanding the realm of international law. 
The International Law Commission, established by the General Assembly 
in 1947, is the primary institution responsible for developing and codifying 
international law. The Sixth Committee of the General Assembly receives 
the commission›s reports and debates its recommendations; it may then 
either convene and international conference to draw up formal conventions based on the draft or merely commend it to states. The International 
Court of Justice reinforces legal norms through its judgments. The commission and assembly have influenced international law in several important domains, including laws of war, law of the sea, treaty law, and human 
rights law.
The work of the United Nations on developing and codifying laws of war 
has built on the previous accomplishments of the Hague Conference, 
the League of Nations, and the Kellog-Briand Pact (Pact of Paris). The organisation’s first concern after World War II was the punishment of Nazi war 
criminals. As a result, the General Assembly directed the International 
Law Commission to formulate the principles of international law recognized 
at the Nurnberg trials and to prepare a draft court of offences against 
the peace and security of mankind. In 1950 the commission submitted its 
formulation of the Nurnberg principles, which covered crimes against peace, 
war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
The following year, the commission presented its draft articles to the General Assembly. These enumerated crimes against international law, including 
any act of aggression, threat of or preparation for aggression, annexation 
of territory, and genocide. Although the General Assembly did not adopt 
these reports, the commissions work in formulating the Nurnberg principle 
also influenced the development of human rights law.

Part I

The United Nations also took up the problem of defining aggression,  
a task attempted unsuccessfully by the League of Nations. Both the International Law Commission and the General Assembly undertook prolonged 
efforts that eventually resulted in agreement in 1974. The definition of 
aggression, passed without dissent at that time, includes military attacks, 
sending armed mercenaries against another state, and allowing ones territory to be used for perpetrating an act of aggression against another state. 
Finally, in 1987, the General Assembly adopted a series of resolutions to 
strengthen legal norms in favour of the peaceful resolution of disputes 
and against the use of force.
The United Nations has made considerable progress in developing and 
codifying the law of the sea as well. The International Law Commission took 
up the law of the sea as one of its earliest concerns, and in 1958 and 1960, respectively, the General Assembly convened the First and the Second United 
Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The First Conference 
approved conventions on the continental shelf, fishing, the high seas, and 
the territorial sea and contiguous zones; these were ratified by the mid-1960s. 
During the 1970s, however, the notion grew that the deep seabed should be 
declared the «common heritage of mankind» and should be administered 
by an international authority. The General Assembly called UNCLOS III 
in 1973 to discuss the conflicting positions on this issue, navigation, pollution, and the breadth of territorial waters.
The United Nations also has worked to advance the law of treaties and 
laws regulating between states. In 1989 the assembly passed resolution declaring 1990–99 the UN Decade of International Law, to be dedicated to promoting acceptance and respect for the principles and institutions of international law.
Vocabulary
to convene
созывать
draft
набросок, черновой вариант
to reinforce
усилить, сделать более действенными
mankind
человечество
aggression
агрессия
dissent
несогласие, неодобрение
mercenary
наемник
to ratify
ратифицировать, одобрить
heritage
наследие, достояние

TASK 8. Explain the meaning of the words given above (vocabulary), refer 
to Appendix 1 if necessary.