美国称“律师”为“attorney”；但“attorney”却未必是“律师”而亦可指并非律师的事实上的代理人。

语言这东西有时候挺怪：美国律师名片上出现的“律师”不是“lawyer”（但此词却出现在中国律师的英文名片上！) 而是“ attorney-at-law”——虽然人们说起“老王是个律师”，英语似乎一般没有什么人会说“ George is an attorney-at-law”而往往会说“George's a lawyer”的。现在我们中国律师不问是否办理涉外法律事务，他们的名片大都中英对照，几乎都已经涉外了。扫兴的是，名片上同“律师” 对照的，有时却往往是人家名片上所不用的“lawyer”。下列引文，就是在这一层意义上出现的：

1. Attorney-at-law is perhaps the most common term for a lawyer.

                                              - You and the Law, Reader's Digest 

                                                        Association. Inc., 1980, p.722

但是离开名片以及法律文件来说，“lawyer”就用得更泛了。比如说，“家庭律师”、“公司律师”或“诉讼律师”的“律师”就不是“attorney”而是“lawyer”：

2. The so-called family lawyer is a generalist in much the same sense as the old family doctor.

                                                                                                           一Ibid., p.723

3. The corporation lawyer is a salaried employee of a company. …

                                                                                                              -Ibid.

4. Although some successful lawyers never appear in court, many individuals and firms make a specialty of representing parties in litigation. The trial lawyer does not necessarily limit himself to courtroom work, but his greater experience in it makes him alert to procedural points and nuances in the presentation of evidence that might escape a competent attorney whose major interests lie elsewhere.

                                                                                                              -Ibid.

最后一例中的“attorney”与“lawyers”同义（当然，其数有单复之异）其所以如此，是因为此词从词的构成上来说，乃是“ attorney-at-law”之略，意为“法律上的代理人”而不是“事实的代理人” 即“attorney-in-fact”;

5. As disunguished from an attorney-at-fact, who is authorized to act for another person in a specific situation (for example, the person to whom you give a power of attorney to sign a contract in your absence), an attorney-at-law represents you in lawsuits and other legal matters.

                                                                                                               -Ibid.

本文开宗明义就已经指出：美国称“律师”为“attorney”，但“attorney”......亦可指......“事实上的代理人”。但是其所以然在哪儿呢？

在于“attorney”既是“attorney-in-fact”的剪截词，也是“ attorney-at-law”的剪截词。剪截后的“attorney”不但兼具“ attorney-at-law”或“attorney-in-fact”之意，而且也获得了其独立的生命。因此，只有“ district attorney”, “attorney General”之类的词而没有“ district attorney-at-law”或 “Attorney-at-law General”之类的词。

附带提一句，“attorney-at-law”还有个同义词，那就是“counselor-at-law” ；

6. Counselor-at-law means the same thing as attorney-at-law:

正如“ attorney-at-law”和“attorney-in-fact”均可剪截为“attorney”，“counselor-at-law”亦可剪截为“counselor”。在这一意义上，“counselor”又与“attorney”同义了。

本文所述，主要是美国的情况。了解这一点很有必要，否则在译校中涉及选词用语而意见不一时就没有共同语言而很难讨论了。

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