证据有人证与物证之分，“物证”，顾名思义大概是“物质的证据”吧。于是就有人望文生义，把“物证”译为“material 〔物质的〕evidence〔证据〕” 了。

但是，从语言实践看，“物证”并不是什么“material evidence”而是“physical evidence”;

1. On the other hand, police have never found a body or any physical evidence connecting him to the crimes he confessed to —— and later recented.

                                                         ——Master Detective, July 1989, p.38

2. The crime scene team located the knife used in the slaying along with some of Holland's bloody clothing and other physical evidence

                                                         ——True Detective, May 1989, p.31

如果不用“physical evidence”，也可用“real evidence”表示“物证”如：

3. evidence, real. Known also as "demonstrative" and "objective" evidence. That which is afforded by production and inspection of material objects.

                                                        ——L. B. Burzon, A Dictionary of Law

4. Evidence.  ...

The kinds of evidence usually produced are physical objects (real evidence), writtenstatements and documents (documentary evidence), testimony of the parties (personal evidence), and testimony of expert witnesses on the conclusions or inferences to be drawn from facts found by measurement, testing or other examination (expert or opinion evidence).

                                                       ——The Oxford Companion to Law

那末，“material evidence”不是“物证”又是什么呢？请看：

5. material evidence 实质性证据，物证，对审理的事实有影响的证据

                                                       ——《英汉法律词典》

其中的“物证”—解，显然是对“material”一词望文生义而误解其实质涵义的结果——在这里， “ material”并非什么“物质”！那么这个“material”在法律文字中的实质涵义又是什么呢？请看：

6. MATERIAL important, necessary：relating to a given matter; generally speaking, any evidence is relevant and material which tends to prove or disprove any ultimate issue...

                                                      ——Steven H, Gifts. Law Dictionary

据此，上引例5中的“物证”一义就被否定了而其中的其他两义则被肯定了。这（指上引例6）可不是孤证，因为下列两例还将进一步作出同样的肯定和否定：

7. Material evidence 实质上的证据：主要证据

                                                     ——香港洪上豪：《英汉法律辞典新编》

8. material evidence 实质性证据

                                                     ——《英汉国际经济法律词汇》 

                                                            （中国对外翻译出版公司）

综上所引，不难看出：“物证”在英语习惯中尚未见有作 "material evidence" 的。“物证”在英语中常见的表达为 "physical evidence" 和 "real evidence" 以及 "demonstrative evidence" 和 "objective evidence" ；偶尔也有用 "autoptic preference" 的，但殊属罕见。

厦门翻译公司