合同中有很多我们日常并不常见的词组，这些看似生僻又奇怪搭配，为我们阅读、理解、乃至翻译合同带来不小的阻碍，今天我们就来积累一些日常不常见但在英文合同中频繁使用的词组，掀开英文合同神秘的面纱。

表示原因时，英文合同中较少使用because of, owning to以及due to这些较不正式的表达，而常用来表原因的词组有：in view of，attributable to，on account of，considering，in consideration of等。

实例：

In view of the problems with the contractors in Stage I, some Panel members urged the Administration to improve the drafting of its tender/contract documents and to adopt a more effective project management system for subsequent stages of SSDS in order to better safeguard the public interests.

（鉴于第一期工程的承建商问题，事务委员会若干委员促请政府当局改善标书/合约文件的草拟方式，并对污水排放计划以后各期工程采用更有效的工程管理制度，使公众利益可获较佳保障。）

Efforts to measure the net enrollment rate have been impeded by lack of data, which is attributable to the fact that some children have no birth certificates and children of varying ages gain admission.

（由于缺乏数据，衡量净入学率的努力受到阻碍，这是因为一些儿童没有出生证明，且儿童的入学年龄不一。）

表示“依照……规定”时，英文合同中很少用according to，因为according to属于普通英语表达，英文合同中表达“依照合同的约定”、“根据法律的规定”、“如……所述”等意思的常用词组有：in accordance with，by virtue of，as per，as provided in，pursuant to，subject to，under or in compliance with等等。

实例：

A bill would be submitted to restrict the competence of military courts and reform the military justice code in accordance with international human rights standards.

（将提交一项法案，根据国际人权标准限制军事法庭的职能，改革军事司法法。）

To succeed with a claim, the third party must show that he is either the inventor or co-inventor of the patented invention or that he has a right to it by virtue of an agreement or operation of law.

（索赔的成功取决于第三方必须表明他要么是发明人，要么是该专利发明的合作发明人，要么根据协定或法律他对该发明享有权利。）

At the same time, it was recalled that the main purpose of the exercise was not to provide the State acting in self-defence with all the tools to do so, but rather, as per draft article 3, to preserve the stability of treaty relations in times of armed conflict.

（同时有人指出，研究的主要目的不是向行使自卫的国家提供自卫的全部手段，而是如第3条草案所述，在武装冲突期间维护条约关系的稳定。 ）

The Human Rights Committee has considered the present communication in the light of all the information made available to it by the parties, as provided in article 5, paragraph 1, of the Optional Protocol.

（人权事务委员会依据《任择议定书》第五条第1款，参照当事各方提供的所有资料，审议了本来文。）

表示“涉及”、“至于”、“在……方面”时，英文合同中常用respect相关的短语，如：in respect of/thereof，with respect to，或者pertaining to，pertaining thereto。这些词组比日常常用的about，concerning，和as regards正式。

实例：

 Any person entitled under Article 53 to be registered as the holder of any shares may vote at any general meeting in respect thereof in the same manner as if he were the registered holder of such shares, provided that forty-eight (48) hours at least before the time of the holding of the meeting or adjourned meeting, as the case may be, at which he proposes to vote, he shall satisfy the Board of his entitlement to such shares, or the Board shall have previously admitted his right to vote at such meeting in respect thereof.

（根据细则第53条有权登记为任何股份持有人的任何人士，可于任何股东大会以相同方式就该等股份表决，犹如彼为该等股份的登记持有人，惟其须于拟表决的大会或续会（视情况而定）举行时间至少四十八(48)小时前，令董事会信纳彼于有关股份的权利，或董事会已事先承认其就有关股份于该大会表决的权利。）

Broker is the business of brokering real estate loans and engages sales representative to perform services pertaining to such business.

（经纪人是在房地产贷款经纪业务中聘用销售代表进行有关该业务的服务。）

The adopted child is recognized as a full member of the adoptive family and enjoys all the rights pertaining thereto.

（通过收养，被收养人取得收养人子女之地位及享有所有相关权利。）

表示“在考虑或讨论当中的”这一意思时，英文合同中常用under consideration，in question，或者being talked about来表示。

实例：

Plans for an alternative pipeline have been talked about for decades; numerous options are under consideration, most of which are destined for seaports in Kenya or Djibouti (via Ethiopia).

（修建另一条替代石油管道的计划已被谈论了很多年；无数的选择都在考虑之中，其中大多是去往肯尼亚或吉布提的海港（经埃塞俄比亚）。）

The Advisory Committee points out that some of the activities in question, such as the implementation of the secondary data centre, the migration of the applications for the transfer of the primary data centre to the North Lawn Conference Building and the construction of the permanent broadcast facility are on the critical path of the capital master plan project timeline, and that any delays could have significant cost implications.

（咨询委员会指出，一些有关的活动，如二级数据中心的建立、为将一级数据中心搬迁到北草坪会议大楼而进行的应用程序迁移，以及永久广播设施的建造，都处于基本建设总计划项目时间表的关键路径上，任何延误都可能会引起重大的费用问题。）

这些不常见的表达虽然就几个字，但如果错译，就会造成合同条款内容的误读，甚至引发不可预估的损失。因此我们在英文合同中如果遇到拿不准的表达，一定要有意识地去查阅，去积累，切勿望文生义，自以为是地去解读。