The Chinese expression “犯罪竞合” can be translated into the English “Duplicity” and other terms. A translation guide for various contexts is provided below.
Contexts
Criminal Law
Translation Equivalents
- Duplicity
- Multiplicity
Evidence for Translation Approach
According to Wang Zhongqiu et. al. in the Jiangsu Courts journal:
“竞合犯，又称犯罪的竞合，是指不同的犯罪彼此交织在一起。竞合犯是由两个以上具体罪名的犯罪构成要件同时适用于同一具体的犯罪事实，发生评价范围上的交叉、重合或者包容而形成的一种复杂犯罪形态，其基本特征是部分或者全部事实要素被数个刑法规范重复评价。在司法实践中，竞合犯是形成“疑难案件”的一个重要原因。法条竞合是竞合犯的一种，指一个犯罪行为同时触犯数个具有包容关系的具体犯罪条文，依法只适用其中一个法条定罪量刑的情况。”
According to US DOJ Criminal Resource Manual:
“Duplicity is the joining in a single count of two or more distinct and separate offenses;Duplicity is generally not fatal to the indictment (United States v. Droms, 566 F.2d 361, 3633 n.1 (2d Cir. 1977)(duplicity only a pleading rule and would in no event be fatal to count)), but in some cases a duplicitous indictment may obscure the specific charges and violate the defendant’s constitutional right to notice of the allegations. ”
Analysis
The English translation has several morphological possibilities for the same Chinese source, such as duplicitous and duplicitousness. See United States v. Droms 566 F.2d 361, 3633 for good examples of how to use the English in a sentence. English makes a distinction between duplicity and multiplicity depending on the context; Chinese does not. The Chinese source, word-for-word, is “Criminal Duplicity;” if the text clearly references criminal law or an indictment, the word “criminal” is omitted from English. In less clear contexts, English writers say “Duplicity (Law)” or “duplicity in criminal law.” Avoid using a one-size-fits-all translation approach; English has a half dozen common target translations for this Chinese expression.
Further Research
The above contexts are not necessarily exhaustive and an appropriate English translation for the source Chinese may differ in different social contexts.