Company与Corporation

　此两词均可作“公司”解。通说认为“company”乃英国英语，而美国英语则用“corporation”公司。引自美国人写、在美国出版、讲美国法律的专著的下列句子——

　　1.

　　/ Your federal trademark application must be made to the Commissioner of Patents in Washington, D.C. / It should include your name, home address, citizenship and the location of your company （or those of a corporation if you have formed one to sell your product）.

　　——You and the Law, the Reader's Digest Association. Inc. 1980, p. 193

　　上列句中圆括弧内的“corporation”与圆括弧外的“company”显然是不同的概念、具有不同的含义（而决非都指“公司”这一概念）。试想一位因任务紧迫而信笔译来的译者已逐词把“company”译做“公司”于先，则随后读到圆括弧里的“corporation”又如何译才好呢？

　　其实，句子的“company”并非“公司”，“商行”是也。有书为证：

　　2.

　　Company, a flexible term. （1）A corporation. （2）An unincorporated association organized for commercial purposes.

　　——Cochran's Law Lexicon. 1977, Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72—95860

　　最后，必须指出：即使是美国英语，“corporation”也未“公司”而已。此词还可以有一个较“公司”更广的内涵——“法人”。请看：

　　3.

　　Corporation, an artificial person[法人]composed of individuals. It usually has a corporate name and perpetual duration. Sometimes its duration is a fixed term of years. It substitutes for the individuals who compose it. See also Municipal Corporation

　　——Ibid

　　附带提一句：就上列有关词义而论，不妨说“company”与“corporation”是一对反义词——你说是吗？是的，你会说，因为“company”是unincorporated的，而“corporation”则是incorporated的。再说，如果要把“公司法”译成英语，得根据情况分别译作“corporate law”（以美国英语读者为对象）或“company law”（以英国英语读者为对象）。但美国英语中，“公司法”偶尔也有作“corporation law”的：

　　4.

　　The usual term in the U.S. for the law of corporations is corporate law. The equivalent in G.B. is company law. Corporation law is a variant phrase occasionally used.