Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

interprété

French answer:

an unambiguous law must be applied as is

Added to glossary by Jana Cole
Sep 7, 2016 14:22
7 yrs ago
5 viewers *
French term

interprété

Non-PRO French Law/Patents Law (general) judgement
What is the meaning of
"Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété."
Is it saying that this text is not precise?

This is the very beginning of a judgment

-------------------------------------------------------


Company A vs Company B, Court of Appeal

***Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété.***

Le législateur a clairement signifié dans l'article 1er de la loi to 1 Mai 1990 que l'arbitrage peut s'appliquer aux contrats administratifs. ...
Change log

Sep 7, 2016 14:25: writeaway changed "Language pair" from "French" to "French to English"

Sep 7, 2016 16:41: Jean-Christophe Vieillard changed "Language pair" from "French to English" to "French"

Sep 7, 2016 20:38: Germaine changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Sep 7, 2016 21:25: Tony M changed "Language pair" from "French" to "French to English"

Sep 8, 2016 06:38: Jean-Christophe Vieillard changed "Language pair" from "French to English" to "French"

Sep 8, 2016 06:46: Tony M changed "Language pair" from "French" to "French to English"

Sep 8, 2016 17:53: Paula Durrosier changed "Language pair" from "French to English" to "French" , "Term Context" from "What is the meaning of \"Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété.\" Is it saying that this text is not precise? This is the very beginning of a judgment ------------------------------------------------------- Company A vs Company B, Court of Appeal ***Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété.*** Le législateur a clairement signifié dans l\'article 1er de la loi to 1 Mai 1990 que l\'arbitrage peut s\'appliquer aux contrats administratifs. ..." to "What is the meaning of \\\"Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété.\\\" Is it saying that this text is not precise? This is the very beginning of a judgment ------------------------------------------------------- Company A vs Company B, Court of Appeal ***Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété.*** Le législateur a clairement signifié dans l\\\'article 1er de la loi to 1 Mai 1990 que l\\\'arbitrage peut s\\\'appliquer aux contrats administratifs. ..."

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

PRO (1): Jean-Christophe Vieillard

Non-PRO (3): writeaway, mchd, Germaine

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Discussion

dans le cas présent, il s'agit d'une épigraphe qui permet au juriste d'entrer en matière. Il s'appuie sur l'autorité des ancêtres (Justinien) et signifie simplement : il n'y a pas à discuter si le texte est clair.
La suite, rapportée par Musilang, va de soi : Le législateur a clairement signifié...
Odile Raymond Sep 8, 2016:
If one looks at it from the point of view of the enactor/law-interpreting authority, a law is not to be interpreted; but if one stands from the view point of the Court that is referring to it (as in this example), the law need not be interpreted since it has been definitively declared as clear by the law-interpreting authority ("l'interprétation authentique est donc une décision qui met fin au débat"), hence "need not".
Interestingly enough, this very rule actually provides a justification for a Court to develop their own interpretation.
:-)) « Ce qui n'est pas clair n'est pas français; ce qui n'est pas clair est encore anglais, italien, grec ou latin »
Antoine de Rivarol, De l'universalité de la langue française: discours qui a remporté le prix de l'Académie de Berlin, Berlin et Paris, Bailly et Dessenne, 1784, p. 49.
Cité par w...conseil-constitutionnel.fr/conseil-constitutionnel/francais/nouveaux-cahiers-du-conseil/cahier-n-21/le-principe-de-clarte-de-la-loi-ou-l-ambiguite-d-un-ideal.50557.html
Daryo Sep 8, 2016:
I am really amazed how using the right building blocks it's possible to produce so many completely distorted explanations!

"quand une loi est claire, il ne faut pas en éluder la lettre sous prétexte d'en pénétrer l'esprit"

how "you must not" can be turned into "there is no need" - which implicitly also means "you still can do it if you really insist"????

Tony M Sep 8, 2016:
@ VJC It is simply nonsensical for someone to post a question with a FR source text, with a question worded in EN, appearing to ask for an EN translation of the FR term, and to class it as a FR monolingual question — what about all those FR people reading it who might not even speak EN?
Asker's original language pair selection was clearly an error, or else she should formulate her question in FR.
And especially since several answers have already been posted in EN!
Tony M Sep 7, 2016:
@ ALL Please note: if the question is about a FR term, but asked in EN, then there is really no choice but for this to be a FR > EN question — which indeed certainly seems to be what Asker is seeking.
Germaine Sep 7, 2016:
Ici, on parle d'un texte de loi, mais la règle s'applique en fait à tout texte "clair" dont le sens/la portée est contesté.
Francois Boye Sep 7, 2016:
not open to interpretation = there is no way any two persons can understand differently the message in the text in question
writeaway Sep 7, 2016:
You've misunderstood it It means if the text is clear and there is no need to interpret its meaning or intent.

Responses

+1
7 hrs
French term (edited): "Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété"
Selected

an unambiguous law must be applied as is

probably not the usual wording for this principle, but definitely the meaning of it.
IOW
if the wording of the law leaves no ambiguity, "interpreting the law" i.e. searching for some implied/intended meaning is not permitted.

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Note added at 1 day15 mins (2016-09-08 14:37:40 GMT)
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or as the best explanation so far in French says:

"quand une loi est claire, il ne faut pas en éluder la lettre sous prétexte d'en pénétrer l'esprit"
Peer comment(s):

agree Jean-Christophe Vieillard
16 hrs
Merci!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
1 hr
French term (edited): Un texte (acte) clair ne doit pas être interprété

A clear enactment need not be (law) interpreted > (doc.) construed

Howbeit, how this question can be answered without reference to the doctrine of 'un acte clair' in EU law beats me.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2016-09-07 16:13:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

A(EU Law) = acte clair (EU law).

Alt: there is no need to interpret an enactment that (on the face of it) is clear and obvious.
Example sentence:

A(EU Law) the idea that there is no need to refer a point of law which is reasonably clear and free from doubt to the ECJ

Peer comment(s):

neutral Germaine : 1. shall not be? 2. can't find a "construed" that is not followed by "as" or "to". 3. Isn't this a FR-FR question? // This is such a basic question. Why make it a Ph.D. thesis?
4 hrs
1. if you are in Canada, then be heedful of the 'acte clair' doctrine: it shall not precludes scrutiny & review 2. a construction summons in EN and Canada is to construe docs & deeds, not as to anything and 3. it should have been to save me this aggro.
neutral Daryo : it's more than just "there is no need" the idea is "it must not be (interpreted)" // of course, not always, but only on the condition that the wording is "clear"
6 hrs
nno. The enactment need not be referred onwards. It would be an illogical constraint to stop any 'text' being interpreted: http://law.maastrichtuniversity.nl/newsandviews/the-acte-cla...
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

no interpretation is needed to understand a clearly written (legal) text

my take on the sentence
Peer comment(s):

disagree Germaine : Not only is it not needed, there must not be any interpretation at all since meaning is clear in any aspect. // See... you're interpreting again!... ;-)
1 hr
ROFLOL
disagree Tony M : Have to agree vehemently with Germaine here! 'ne doit pas' means 'MUST NOT be' (not 'no need to')!
3 hrs
disagree Daryo : you turned the ST on its head - it's NOT about needing to interpret the text it's about not being allowed to interpret the text // you combined the right building blocks in the wrong way.
4 hrs
agree Adrian MM. (X) : This is indeed in line with the 'doctrine of acte clair' in EU law that other commentators may not have studied.
16 hrs
agree Jean-Christophe Vieillard
18 hrs
agree Ria van Eil
21 hrs
Something went wrong...
1 hr

The meaning of a text may not be twisted

*

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Note added at 16 heures (2016-09-08 06:52:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or "misunderstood" instead of "twisted".
Peer comment(s):

neutral Germaine : dans une traduction juridique?! et un jugement en particulier??!!
3 hrs
Oui. Quand un texte juridique est clair, il ne peut pas prêter à Interpretation, etre déformé. Or, les spécialistes du droit savent rendre un texte nuancé ou ambigu pour se donner une marge d'interprétation.
neutral Daryo : The meaning of a clear text ... + "to interpret" is not necessarily "to twist"
7 hrs
neutral AllegroTrans : "twisted" is not the appropriate register here
8 hrs
Something went wrong...
16 hrs

principe juridique

Il s'agit d'un principe juridique qui s'applique à tout texte de loi, je cite :
Comme le stipule le principe juridique, bien établi en doctrine et jurisprudence, un texte clair ne s'interprète pas: "quand une loi est claire, il ne faut pas en éluder la lettre sous prétexte d'en pénétrer l'esprit" enseignaient déjà les Pandectes."

In: 2. La doctrine et la jurisprudence
http://www.uvcw.be/articles/3,17,2,0,686.htm

clara non sunt interpretenda
in claris non fit interpretatio
Le "texte" dont il est question est donc "tout texte de loi".
http://latin.topword.net/?Legal=261
279. When [the law] is clear, it does not need interpretation.
Peer comment(s):

neutral Daryo : you find a perfect explanation "quand une loi est claire, il ne faut pas en éluder la lettre sous prétexte d'en pénétrer l'esprit" and then you agree with a totally distorted one ???
7 hrs
oui !
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

5 hrs
Reference:

Ce que ça veut dire...

« Un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété » = on ne doit pas chercher à donner à un texte clair un sens qu’il n’a pas en spéculant sur un contexte ou une intention quelconques qui ne figurent pas dans le texte en question. Exemple :

Énoncé parfaitement clair : « Le chien couche dehors »
Interprétation : Pas aujourd’hui : il pleut! Son maître a dû oublier cette exception.
On ne doit pas interpréter un texte clair : on ne se demande pas si le maître a oublié quelque chose, si la règle s’applique seulement aux fins de semaine ou seulement quand il fait beau ou seulement si le chien veut bien. Le chien couche dehors. Point.

Cette cause en est un parfait exemple :

Application de la règle d’interprétation à l’effet qu’un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété… Le premier juge a statué que le texte est clair et ne permet pas quelque interprétation que ce soit. Force nous est de faire de même car: «(...) la règle fondamentale d’interprétation: rechercher le sens des mots dont le législateur s’est servis au lieu de spéculer sur des intentions. »… De même: « (...) il faut tenir pour suspecte une interprétation qui conduirait soit à ajouter des termes ou des dispositions, soit… Or, ici le texte est, on ne peut plus clair et rien ne nous autorise, serait-ce au nom de l’équité dont du reste l’application en l’espèce ne s’impose pas, à le modifier.
http://www.canlii.org/fr/qc/qcca/doc/1989/1989canlii834/1989...

La même règle existe aux États-Unis:
In American law, the clear statement rule is a guideline for statutory construction, instructing courts to not interpret a statute in a way that will have particular consequences unless the statute makes unmistakably clear its intent to achieve that result. Such rules "insist that a particular result can be achieved only if the text (and not legislative history) says so in no uncertain terms." Popkin, Statutes in Court 201 (1999).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_statement_rule
Peer comments on this reference comment:

agree writeaway
1 hr
Merci, writeaway.
agree Tony M
11 hrs
Merci, Tony.
agree Daryo : well explained
18 hrs
Merci, Daryo.
Something went wrong...
8 hrs
Reference:

Need not be interpreted [by the enactor]

La philosophie du droit: « Que sais-je ? » n° 857
https://books.google.fr/books?isbn=2130733115

L'idée qu'un texte clair ne doit pas être interprété est seulement un moyen de dissimuler un pouvoir d'interprétation. [...]
[...] Il lui suffit alors d'affirmer qu'un texte est clair et qu'il ne doit donc pas être interprété, pour pouvoir en déterminer elle-même la signification.
Something went wrong...
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