With 2013 drawing to an end, I'm sure people will be far to engrossed in their festivities to bother with advice on points of written English. Instead, I thought I'd take examples of real-life phrases taken from legal documents in English; these exemplify exactly the type of language I try to encourage people to avoid. They actually come from translations from Russian into English by native English speakers, but they're overly literal and horribly stilted. In the New Year, I'll post more advice and techniques to help people not to write like this.
TO BE AVOIDED:
1. The evidence submitted in the case file confirms in full the actual provision of services by the Defendant to the Claimant
2. The failure to perform an expert examination did not result in the incorrect conclusion of the court
3. In the event of the invalidity of the power of attorney …
4. The court drew the unsubstantiated conclusion on the approval by the parties to the Contract of the amendments
5. The assertion by the claimant on the improper transfer of RUB 140 million was rebutted by the defendant
6. The agreement entered into force as of the date of its conclusion by the parties
SAY THIS INSTEAD:
1. The evidence submitted in the case file fully confirms that the Defendant actually provided the services to the Claimant
2. The court did not reach an incorrect conclusion as a result of the failure to perform an expert examination
3. If the power of attorney is invalid …
4. With no justification, the court concluded that the parties to the Contract had approved the amendments
5. The defendant rebutted the claimant’s assertion that RUB 140 million had been improperly transferred
6. The agreement entered into force on the date when the parties concluded it
* * *
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. SEE YOU IN 2014.
