在翻译以上术语时人们经常会犯错误，故务必要小心才行。首先应注意的是civil court，该词组除在英、美等国指“民事法院外”[1]，在其他地区，如在加拿大，它可用作指具有一般管辖权（包括具有简易审判程序）的刑事法院，其与民事无任何关系，civil在此等同ordinary [2]，故应译为“普通刑事法院”。同样，civil custody也是指警方或其他相关民政当局“对一般罪犯所作的拘留或关押”（普通监狱“civil prison"或教养所“penitentiary”的关押均包括在内）[3]。civil prison则可指任何关押由普通刑事法院（civil court) 经简易审判程序（summary procedure) 审判的罪行较轻刑期在2年以下罪犯之监狱（包括jail和其他场所），故为“普通监狱”[4]。由此可知，civil prisoner则是指由civil court所判处的被civil prison关押的刑期为2年以下的 “普通服刑犯”。对于civil prisoner而言，《英汉法律词典》的新版本更正了其第一版将该术语译为“民事犯”之谬误，将其译为了 “普通犯”[5]，然而该词典援引的《法窗译话》之解释, 即“普通犯”是“与政治犯、国事犯、军事犯、战犯等对称时用”的解释却仍然应为一谬误，这里的“普通”两字，实则应为“罪行较轻”的含义。

[1]“ A court with jurisdiction over non-criminal cases. ”Cf. Bryan A. Gamer, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th edition, at p. 357, West Group (1999).

[2]“A court of ordinary criminal jurisdiction in Canada and includes a court of summary jurisdiction. ”Cf. Daphne Dukelow，The Dictionary of Canadian Law, at p. 162 , Thomson Professional Publishing Canada (1991).

[3]“ The holding under arrest or in confinement of a person by the police or other competent civil authority, and includes confinement in a penitentiary or civil prison. ”Id. at p. 162.

[4]“Any prison, jail or other place in Canada in which offenders sentenced by a civil court in Canada to imprisonment for less than two years can be confined, and，if sentenced outside Canada, any prison, jail or other place in which a person, sentenced to that term of imprisonment by a court having jurisdiction in the place where the sentence was passed，can for the time being be confined. " Cf. Canada National Defense Act, R. S. C. 1985，c. N. 5, s. 2.

[5] 参见《英汉法律词典》编委会编：《英汉法律词典》（修订版），法律出版社1999年版，第131页。