法律文本中使用大量的修饰限定成分来明确对主体或核心词的规范，以达到结构严密、规范、精确的目的。这个特点决定了英文法律文本中定语从句的频繁使用。在处理定语的翻译时，我们通常选用“such...（as)”或which作为关系词。法律文本中“such...(as）”引导的定语从句较“which/that”而言更加准确、严密，被修饰限定的成分通常位于such和as之间。在被限定词的内容不易产生歧义时，我们也可以选用“which/that”作为引导词。请看下面例子：

例1：中华人民共和国副主席协助主席工作。中华人民共和国副主席受主席的委托，可以代行主席的职权。

参考译文：The Vice-President of the People's Republic of China assists the President in his work. The Vice-President of the People's Republic of China may exercise such functions and powers of the President as the President may entrust to him.

译文分析：原文的第二部分“受主席的委托代行主席的部分职权”，选用关系代词“such...(as)”来引导限制性定语从句。原文译为“exercise such parts of the functions and powers of the President as the President may entrust to him”意思明确，不会引起误解。如选用“which”或“that”把句子译成“exercise parts of the functions and powers of the

President which/that the President may entrust to him”会使译文产生歧义。引文后一种译法可能会有两种理解：一个认为定语从句只修饰“powers of the President”；而另一个则认为该定语从句是修饰“functions and powers of the President”。

例2：业主对建筑物内的住宅、经营性用房等专有部分享有所有权，对专有部分以外的共有部分享有共有和共同管理的权利。

参考译文：As regards such exclusive parts within the buildings as the residential houses or the houses used for business purposes, an owner shall enjoy the ownership thereof, while as regards the common parts other than the exclusive parts, the owner shall have common ownership and the common management right thereof.

译文分析：（1）原文“建筑物内的住宅、经营性用房等专有部分”可以选用“such...（as）”来引导定语从句对“专有部分”进行限制性修饰。原文译作“such exclusive parts within the buildings as the residential houses or the houses used for business purposes。

（2）原文中“业主对……享受所有权”和“对……享有共有和共同管理的权利”中宾语的部分内容与前文重复，因此使用“thereof”代替；否则译文将变成“an owner shall enjoy the ownership of such exclusive parts within the buildings as the residential houses or the houses used for business purposes”和“the owner shall have common ownership and the common management right of the common parts other than the exclusive parts”。可见,

“thereof”的使用可使译文行文更加简洁、正式。

例3：建筑物及其附属设施的费用分摊、收益分配等事项，有约定的，按照约定；没有约定或者约定不明确的，按照业主专有部分占建筑物总面积的比例确定。

参考译文：As regards such matters as the expenses allocation and the proceeds distribution of a building or any of'its affiliated facilities, in case there exists any stipulation for these, such stipulation shall apply; in case of no stipulation or unclear stipulation, these matters shall be determined in accordance with the proportion of each owner's exclusive parts to the total area of the building.

译文分析：（1）原文“建筑物及其附属设施的费用分摊、收益分配等”可理解为“事项”的限制性规范，故选用“such...（as）”。将所修饰的内容“事项”置于 such和as之间, 原文译为“such matters as the expenses allocation and the proceeds distribution of a building or any of its affiliated facilities"。

（2）原文对“……事项”的处理分两种情况作了规定，我们可以理解为“关于……的事项”，因此译文中应补出“As regards”。

（3）原文列举了针对建筑物及其附属设施的费用分摊、收益分配等事项的两种处理情况：“有约定的……；没有约定或者约定不明确的……”，这种表达方式的英译通常选用“in case...”。