通常情况下，damage和其复数形式damages的区别应当较大。一般说来，单数形式的damage为损害，指对人身、财产或名誉等的伤害[1]；而damages则为损害赔偿（金），指在民事诉讼中法院判处的责令侵权人等对一受害当事人所受损害的金钱补偿[2] 。但逐渐地，damages也经常在英文词典或著述中被用作当“损失”或“灭失”，即可望得到损害赔偿金补偿的损失或灭失，其等同 losses for which damages are recoverable，尽管“Black's Law Dictionary”仍对damages作有较严格界定，说其是“compensation in money for a loss or damage"，但就在该词典内， 仍有诸如“diminution of damages”和“mitigation of damages”等词组，其中的damages均为“损失”或“损害”[3]。笔者认为，尽管很多英、美人士将这两个术语混用，但读者在做汉译英时， 还是应遵循其区别原则⑷。
[1] "Loss or harm resulting from injury to person, property, or reputation. ”Cf. Linda Picard Wood, J. D.，Merriam Webster's Dictionary of Law, at p. 119, Merriam-Webster, Incorporated (1996).
[2]“ The money awarded to a party in a civil suit as reputation for the loss or injury for which another is liable. Id. at p. 119.
[3] 这两术语同义，它们具有两种定义：一是“减轻损失责任学说”，在此含义中， damage的含义为“损失”；另一定义为“减少对仿害人惩处的损害金”，在此含义中，的含义是“损害赔偿金”。Cf. The Publisher's Editorial Staff, Black's Law Dictionary, abridged 6th edition，at p. 693，West Publishing Co. (1991).
[4 ] "The word damage，meaning loss，injury，or deterioration, is to be distinguished from its plural, . . . damages. . . which means a compensation in money for a loss or damage. " Cf. American Stevedores, Inc. v. Porello, 530 U. S. 446，450 n. 6 (1947) (quoting Blacks).