interprété

French translation: an unambiguous law must be applied as is

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	interprété
Selected answer:	an unambiguous law must be applied as is
Entered by:	Jana Cole

14:22 Sep 7, 2016

French language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Law/Patents - Law (general) / judgement

French term or phrase: interprété

What is the meaning of
"Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété."
Is it saying that this text is not precise?

This is the very beginning of a judgment

-------------------------------------------------------

Company A vs Company B, Court of Appeal

***Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété.***

Le législateur a clairement signifié dans l'article 1er de la loi to 1 Mai 1990 que l'arbitrage peut s'appliquer aux contrats administratifs. ...

Jana Cole KudoZ activity Questions: 656 (none open) (67 closed without grading) Answers: 7 United States
Local time: 03:12

an unambiguous law must be applied as is

Explanation:
probably not the usual wording for this principle, but definitely the meaning of it.
IOW
if the wording of the law leaves no ambiguity, "interpreting the law" i.e. searching for some implied/intended meaning is not permitted.

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Note added at 1 day15 mins (2016-09-08 14:37:40 GMT)
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or as the best explanation so far in French says:

"quand une loi est claire, il ne faut pas en éluder la lettre sous prétexte d'en pénétrer l'esprit"

Selected response from:

Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:12

Grading comment

4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

principe juridique

Jean-Christophe Vieillard

4 +1

an unambiguous law must be applied as is

Daryo

A clear enactment need not be (law) interpreted > (doc.) construed

Adrian MM. (X)

no interpretation is needed to understand a clearly written (legal) text

Francois Boye

The meaning of a text may not be twisted

Philippe ROUSSEAU

Summary of reference entries provided

Ce que ça veut dire...

Germaine

Need not be interpreted [by the enactor]

Odile Raymond

Discussion entries: 9

Jean-Christophe Vieillard

16:36 Sep 8, 2016

dans le cas présent, il s'agit d'une épigraphe qui permet au juriste d'entrer en matière. Il s'appuie sur l'autorité des ancêtres (Justinien) et signifie simplement : il n'y a pas à discuter si le texte est clair.
La suite, rapportée par Musilang, va de soi : Le législateur a clairement signifié...

Odile Raymond

France

16:15 Sep 8, 2016

If one looks at it from the point of view of the enactor/law-interpreting authority, a law is not to be interpreted; but if one stands from the view point of the Court that is referring to it (as in this example), the law need not be interpreted since it has been definitively declared as clear by the law-interpreting authority ("l'interprétation authentique est donc une décision qui met fin au débat"), hence "need not".
Interestingly enough, this very rule actually provides a justification for a Court to develop their own interpretation.

Jean-Christophe Vieillard

:-))

15:55 Sep 8, 2016

« Ce qui n'est pas clair n'est pas français; ce qui n'est pas clair est encore anglais, italien, grec ou latin »
Antoine de Rivarol, De l'universalité de la langue française: discours qui a remporté le prix de l'Académie de Berlin, Berlin et Paris, Bailly et Dessenne, 1784, p. 49.
Cité par w...conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/francais/nouveaux-cahiers-du-conseil/cahier-n-21/le-principe-de-clarte-de-la-loi-ou-l-ambiguite-d-un-ideal.50557.html

Daryo

United Kingdom

I am really amazed how

14:34 Sep 8, 2016

using the right building blocks it's possible to produce so many completely distorted explanations!

"quand une loi est claire, il ne faut pas en éluder la lettre sous prétexte d'en pénétrer l'esprit"

how "you must not" can be turned into "there is no need" - which implicitly also means "you still can do it if you really insist"????

Tony M

France

@ VJC

06:45 Sep 8, 2016

It is simply nonsensical for someone to post a question with a FR source text, with a question worded in EN, appearing to ask for an EN translation of the FR term, and to class it as a FR monolingual question — what about all those FR people reading it who might not even speak EN?
Asker's original language pair selection was clearly an error, or else she should formulate her question in FR.
And especially since several answers have already been posted in EN!

Tony M

France

@ ALL

21:26 Sep 7, 2016

Please note: if the question is about a FR term, but asked in EN, then there is really no choice but for this to be a FR > EN question — which indeed certainly seems to be what Asker is seeking.

Germaine

Canada

20:31 Sep 7, 2016

Ici, on parle d'un texte de loi, mais la règle s'applique en fait à tout texte "clair" dont le sens/la portée est contesté.

Francois Boye

United States

14:46 Sep 7, 2016

not open to interpretation = there is no way any two persons can understand differently the message in the text in question

writeaway

You've misunderstood it

14:33 Sep 7, 2016

It means if the text is clear and there is no need to interpret its meaning or intent.

Answers

1 hr confidence:

Un texte (acte) clair ne doit pas être interprété A clear enactment need not be (law) interpreted > (doc.) construed

Explanation:
Howbeit, how this question can be answered without reference to the doctrine of 'un acte clair' in EU law beats me.

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Note added at 1 hr (2016-09-07 16:13:36 GMT)
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A(EU Law) = acte clair (EU law).

Alt: there is no need to interpret an enactment that (on the face of it) is clear and obvious.

Example sentence(s):

A(EU Law) the idea that there is no need to refer a point of law which is reasonably clear and free from doubt to the ECJ

Reference: http://www.proz.com/kudoz/french_to_english/law_contracts/11...
Reference: http://https://www.translegal.com/legal-english-dictionary/a...

Adrian MM. (X)
Local time: 12:12
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

neutral

Germaine: 1. shall not be? 2. can't find a "construed" that is not followed by "as" or "to". 3. Isn't this a FR-FR question? // This is such a basic question. Why make it a Ph.D. thesis?

4 hrs

-> 1. if you are in Canada, then be heedful of the 'acte clair' doctrine: it shall not precludes scrutiny & review 2. a construction summons in EN and Canada is to construe docs & deeds, not as to anything and 3. it should have been to save me this aggro.

neutral

Daryo: it's more than just "there is no need" the idea is "it must not be (interpreted)" // of course, not always, but only on the condition that the wording is "clear"

6 hrs

-> nno. The enactment need not be referred onwards. It would be an illogical constraint to stop any 'text' being interpreted: http://law.maastrichtuniversity.nl/newsandviews/the-acte-cla...

3 hrs confidence:

no interpretation is needed to understand a clearly written (legal) text

Explanation:
my take on the sentence

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 06:12
Native speaker of:

French

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

disagree

Germaine: Not only is it not needed, there must not be any interpretation at all since meaning is clear in any aspect. // See... you're interpreting again!... ;-)

1 hr

-> ROFLOL

disagree

Tony M: Have to agree vehemently with Germaine here! 'ne doit pas' means 'MUST NOT be' (not 'no need to')!

3 hrs

disagree

Daryo: you turned the ST on its head - it's NOT about needing to interpret the text it's about not being allowed to interpret the text // you combined the right building blocks in the wrong way.

4 hrs

agree

Adrian MM. (X): This is indeed in line with the 'doctrine of acte clair' in EU law that other commentators may not have studied.

16 hrs

agree

Jean-Christophe Vieillard

18 hrs

agree

Ria van Eil

21 hrs

1 hr confidence:

The meaning of a text may not be twisted

Explanation:
*

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Note added at 16 heures (2016-09-08 06:52:39 GMT)
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Or "misunderstood" instead of "twisted".

Philippe ROUSSEAU
France
Local time: 12:12
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

French

16 hrs confidence:

principe juridique

Explanation:
Il s'agit d'un principe juridique qui s'applique à tout texte de loi, je cite :
Comme le stipule le principe juridique, bien établi en doctrine et jurisprudence, un texte clair ne s'interprète pas: "quand une loi est claire, il ne faut pas en éluder la lettre sous prétexte d'en pénétrer l'esprit" enseignaient déjà les Pandectes."

In: 2. La doctrine et la jurisprudence
http://www.uvcw.be/articles/3,17,2,0,686.htm

clara non sunt interpretenda
in claris non fit interpretatio
Le "texte" dont il est question est donc "tout texte de loi".
http://latin.topword.net/?Legal=261
279. When [the law] is clear, it does not need interpretation.

Jean-Christophe Vieillard
Local time: 12:12
Native speaker of:

French
PRO pts in category: 4

7 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

"Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété"

an unambiguous law must be applied as is

Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:12
Native speaker of:

Serbian,

French
PRO pts in category: 4

Reference comments

5 hrs peer agreement (net): +3

Reference: Ce que ça veut dire...

Reference information:
« Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété » = on ne doit pas chercher à donner à un texte clair un sens qu’il n’a pas en spéculant sur un contexte ou une intention quelconques qui ne figurent pas dans le texte en question. Exemple :

Énoncé parfaitement clair : « Le chien couche dehors »
Interprétation : Pas aujourd’hui : il pleut! Son maître a dû oublier cette exception.
On ne doit pas interpréter un texte clair : on ne se demande pas si le maître a oublié quelque chose, si la règle s’applique seulement aux fins de semaine ou seulement quand il fait beau ou seulement si le chien veut bien. Le chien couche dehors. Point.

Cette cause en est un parfait exemple :

Application de la règle d’interprétation à l’effet qu’un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété… Le premier juge a statué que le texte est clair et ne permet pas quelque interprétation que ce soit. Force nous est de faire de même car: «(...) la règle fondamentale d’interprétation: rechercher le sens des mots dont le législateur s’est servis au lieu de spéculer sur des intentions. »… De même: « (...) il faut tenir pour suspecte une interprétation qui conduirait soit à ajouter des termes ou des dispositions, soit… Or, ici le texte est, on ne peut plus clair et rien ne nous autorise, serait-ce au nom de l’équité dont du reste l’application en l’espèce ne s’impose pas, à le modifier.
http://www.canlii.org/fr/qc/qcca/doc/1989/1989canlii834/1989...

La même règle existe aux États-Unis:
In American law, the clear statement rule is a guideline for statutory construction, instructing courts to not interpret a statute in a way that will have particular consequences unless the statute makes unmistakably clear its intent to achieve that result. Such rules "insist that a particular result can be achieved only if the text (and not legislative history) says so in no uncertain terms." Popkin, Statutes in Court 201 (1999).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_statement_rule

Germaine
Canada
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 4

8 hrs

Reference: Need not be interpreted [by the enactor]

Reference information:
La philosophie du droit: « Que sais-je ? » n° 857
https://books.google.fr/books?isbn=2130733115

L'idée qu'un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété est seulement un moyen de dissimuler un pouvoir d'interprétation. [...]
[...] Il lui suffit alors d'affirmer qu'un texte est clair et qu'il ne doit donc pas être interprété, pour pouvoir en déterminer elle-même la signification.

Odile Raymond
France
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: French

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