在大多数国家,“高等法院”被称为“higher court”,如美国、中国。我国的“高级人民法院”被译为“higher people’s court”。
但英国的“高等法院”却被称为“high court”,如:
高等法院The High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as Her Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC for legal citation purposes.
高等海事法院High Court of Admiralty
High Court of Admiralty, in England, formerly the court presided over by the deputy of the admiral of the fleet.
因此,翻译高等法院,特别是涉及到国外的高等法院时,一定要根据具体情况进行选词,同时由于各国的司法制度不同,还要查询该国对于其各级法院的特定说法,比如,法国的最高法院就为The Court of Cassation,而非我们常见的The Supreme Court之类的表述。
此外,值得注意的是关于美国的法院中,也有出现“the high court”。这里的“high court”指的可不是“高等法院”,而是美国联邦最高法院,下列引文可以向我们证明这一点:
(1)The high court’s ruling Monday was accompanied by a dissenting opinion from Justice Clarence Thomas, Joined by Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justice Antonia Scalia.
---International Herald Tribune, March 24, 1998,p.3
(2)Jone’s case had to wait until the end of Clinton’s presidency.
--- Time June 9, 1997, p.35
上述两例充分证明了“最高法院”在美国称“the supreme court”,但有时也称“the high (而不是highest) court”。
