Article 467
For a contract not explicitly provided in this Code or other laws, the General Provisions of this Book shall be applied, and the provisions provided in this Book and other laws on a contract which is most similar to the said contact may be applied mutatis mutandis.
The laws of the People's Republic of China shall apply to the contracts of Sino-foreign equity joint venture, contracts of Sino-foreign contractual joint venture, or contracts of Sino-foreign cooperation in the exploration and exploitation of natural resources that to be performed within the territory of the People's Republic of China.
我们可以看出joint venture大致是指一种经营方式,要根据具体语境判断它的含义,进而作出准确的翻译。另外,法律档经常用到enterprise这个词。enterprise也有企业、事业的意思。不过我们不能望文生义地认为joint enterprise就是joint venture的同义词。
参见《元照英美法词典》:joint enterprise
(1)共谋犯罪
(2)共同侵权;共同行为
指两人或多人共同实施的行为,并从行为中共同受益,并且其中某一人的疏忽和过失可以由其他人承担责任。
(3)合营;联合经营
两个或两个以上的人为了共同利益所组成的单一商业企业。它包括以下必要条件:1明示或默示的协议;2共同的目标;3同享收益、共担风险;4合营或合伙各方在管理和控制企业上拥有平等的权利。
(4) 非商业性合营(企业)
布莱克法律词典的解释更为清楚。参见Black’s Law Dictionary (Eighth edition): joint enterprise. ① Criminal Law. An undertaking by two or more persons who set out to commit an offense they have conspired to. ② Torts. An undertaking by two or more persons with an equal right to direct and benefit from the endeavor, as a result of which one participant’s negligence may be imputed to the others. Also termed (in senses 1 & 2) common enterprise. ③ JOINT VENTURE. ④ A joint venture for noncommercial purposes.
由此可见,在英文法律件中读到joint enterprise这个词,我们不能想当然地认为它就是joint venture。
joint enterprise首先是指刑法中的“共谋犯罪”。还指侵权法上的“共同侵权行为”。joint enterprise的第三个义项与joint venture是同义词。joint enterprise的第四个义项是指非商业性质的合作。
Black’s Law Dictionary (Eighth edition)有一段引文对我们理解这两个词非常有帮助:
“A business relationship is needed for a joint venture but not for a joint enterprise. Thus, a joint enterprise may be defined as a non-commercial joint venture.”
46 Am. Jur. 2d Joint Venture §6, at 27 (1994).
也就是说,joint venture必须具备商业关系,joint enterprise则未必。由此,可以将joint enterprise定义为一种非商业的joint venture。
基于上面对病句的分析和对重点词汇的了解,我们可以尝试翻译修改后的条文。
【参考译文】
按照本联营协议的规定,凡因违反本方在本联营协议之下的义务而使其他当事人遭受损害或承担损失,违反本方义务的当事人应当对各该其他当事人予以赔偿,使之免受损害及损失。