Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

4. Operative period of this agreement

4.1The Agreement shall come into force from the moment it is signed by the Parties and shall remain in force until the Parties have fully discharged the obligations stipulated in this Agreement .

4.2This Agreement may be terminated by mutual consent of the [two] Parties .

5. Force majeure

5.1Neither Party is responsible in the event that it fails to fulfil any obligation imposed [upon it] by this Agreement, or fails to fulfil any obligation on time or in the proper way, if the failure to fulfil the obligation or the failure to fulfil it on time or in the proper way is due exclusively to the onset and/or operation of circumstances outside its control (force majeure) .

5.2The Party affected by force majeure shall inform the other Party of these circumstances and their consequences in writing without delay and no later than 3 (three) banking days after the onset of the circumstances [in question] and shall take all possible steps to limit as far as possible the adverse consequences of the specified circumstances outside its control .

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2

Passages illustrating register

6. Special conditions

6.1Changes and additions may be made to this Agreement on condition that both Parties consent to them and they must be formally recorded in Addenda to this Agreement .

6.2The Agreement is made in two copies, which have equal legal force .

6.3All disputes arising out of the application and interpretation of this Agreement shall be dealt with by the Court of Arbitration of St Petersburg and Leningrad Province .

This text, being drawn from a contractual document about sale and

purchase, exemplifies language used for the sole purpose of providing an unambiguous record of a binding agreement between two parties.

Like the legislative text presented in 2.7 above, it is therefore devoid of linguistic features that convey emotional nuance. It also resembles the legislative text, and the academic and scientific texts at 2.5 and 2.6

respectively, by virtue of its grammatical accuracy, syntactic complexity and great precision. At the same time it has certain distinctive features that are characteristic of legal usage, besides specialised terminology, e.g.:

r numbered clauses;

r repeated cross-referencing;

r use of capital letters and bold type to highlight headings and key terms; r use (albeit sparing) of initial capital letters (as in English legalese) in nouns denoting certain documents or persons, e.g. догово´р, Cторонa´; r the use of conventional abbreviations, e.g. п. for пункт, point (translated in this context as clause );

r rendering of monetary sums both with numerals and in full written

form in brackets. (Note the absence of commas where

English-speakers would expect them, to indicate units of thousands or millions, and the use of the comma instead of the full stop to indicate a decimal point (12, 14). See 6.3 for further examples.) We have tried to adhere in our translation of this text to usage in the equivalent English register. Note in particular that in English the

modal verb shall is used (e.g. in this passage shall sell, shall assume, shall come ) in order to express contractual obligation that is conveyed in Russian by a verb in the present tense (продaёт, приобрeтaéт,

вступaéт) or, in some instances, by some part of the verb обязa´ть, to bind, oblige (обязуéтся, обя´зaн).

Other points of note, including features indicative of high register: r

vocabulary

specialised financial or legal terminology, much of it of Western origin, e.g. вe´ксeль (2, etc.), рaсчётный счёт (13), бa´нковский дeнь (17), блa´нковый индоссaмe´нт (18);

56

2.9

R3c: political journalism (reporting)

r other official parlance: прeдусмо´трeнный (22, 29), нeнaдлeжa´щий

(40, 42), оформля´ться (54);

r abundance of verbal nouns, especially with the suffix -ниe:

пeрeчислe´ниe (13), подписa´ниe (17, 33), зaключe´ниe (20),

исполнe´ниe (21, 34), выполнe´ниe (40, 42), нaступлe´ниe (43, 47),

промeдлe´ниe (46), измeнe´ниe (53), дополнe´ниe (53), примeнe´ниe

(58), толковa´ниe (58), рaссмотрe´ниe (59). Some of these verbal nouns are negated forms, e.g. нeсоблюдe´ниe (28), нeвыполнe´ниe (39, 42);

r

phraseology

formulaic phrases, especially certain combinations of verb + noun, e.g.

приобрeтa´ть в со´бствeнность (7), имe´ть всe полномо´чия (23),

вступa´ть в си´лу (33), по взaи´мному соглa´сию (35–6), нeсти´

отвe´тствeнность (39), в пи´сьмeнной фо´рмe (47–8), принимa´ть всe

возмо´жныe мe´ры (49), имe´ть рa´вную юриди´чeскую си´лу (56–7),

подлeжa´ть рaссмотрe´нию (59);

r formal prepositional phrases, e.g. в случae нeсоблюдe´ния (28),

с цe´лью (49), при усло´вии (54);

r

grammatical

present active participles, which lend the text a very formal flavour, forms

e.g. явля´ющиeся (6), нaходя´щиeся (6), состоя´щиe (7), имe´ющих (56), вытeкa´ющиe (58);

r numerous past passive participles: укa´зaнныe (5, 11, 16),

прeдусмо´трeнных (22), обрeмeнённыe (25), нaдeлeны´ (27),

прeкрaщeно´ (36), обусло´влeны (43), зaтро´нутaя (45), вы´звaнныe

(50), состa´влeн (56);

syntax

r use of reflexive imperfectives in a passive sense, e.g. обязуéтся (8), пeрeдaю´тся (26), должны´ оформля´ться (54);

r complex adjectival phrase preceding noun: зaтро´нутaя форс-

мaжо´рными обстоя´тeльствaми сторонa´ (45);

r use of явля´ться as copula (9).

2.9

R3c: political journalism (reporting)

B MOCКBE

ÓTКPыBAÉTCЯ CA´MMиT POCCи´Я-EC

Ha нём рeши´тся вопро´с вхождe´ния в BTO

Прeзидe´нт Pосси´и Bлaди´мир Пу´тин сeго´дня в Крeмлe´ бу´дeт

обсуждa´ть с руково´дством Eвросою´зa отношe´ния Mосквы´ и

5

Брюссe´ля.

Tрaдицио´нный

сa´ммит

Pосси´я-EC,

проводя´щийся

двa´жды в год, нa э´тот рaз ‘бу´дeт нeрядовы´м’. Э

´то – пe´рвaя встрe´чa

нa вы´сшeм у´ровнe по´слe рaсширe´ния Eвросою´зa.

У глaвы´ росси´йского госудa´рствa нe плaни´руeтся отдe´льных

двусторо´нних встрeч с учa´стникaми сa´ммитa. Ha пeрeгово´ры

10

в Mоскву´ при´были двa прeдстaви´тeля ирлa´ндии – стрaны´,

прeдсeдa´тeльствующeй ны´нe в EC, a тa´кжe глaвaÉврокоми´ссии.