双语交流：英国最荒唐的法律(图)

　　2007-2008 学年 第15期

　　秦毅忠 译

　　LONDON (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II’s speech in the British parliament Tuesday may have been routine but at least nobody got bored to death. That would have been against the law.

　　Dying in parliament is an offence and is also by far the most absurd law in Britain, according to a survey of nearly 4,000 people by a television channel.

　　And though the lords were clad in their red and white ermine cloaks and ambassadors from around the world wore colourful national costumes, at least nobody turned up in a suit of armour. Illegal.

　　Other rules deemed utterly stupid included one that permits a pregnant woman to urinate in a policeman’s hat and murdering bow-and-arrow-carrying Scotsmen within the city walls of York, northern England.

　　A law stating that in Liverpool, only a clerk in a tropical fish store is allowed to be publicly topless, was also ridiculous, said a poll of 3,931 people for UKTV Gold television out Tuesday.

　　Nearly half of those surveyed admitted to breaking the ban on eating mince pies on Christmas Day, which dates back to the 17th century and was originally designed to outlaw gluttony during the rule of the Puritan Oliver Crowmell.

　　The laws and other regulations were culled from published research into ancient legislation that has never been repealed although subsequent statutes have rendered them obsolete.

　　Respondents were given a shortlist and asked to vote.

　　Most ridiculous British law:

　　1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27 percent)

　　2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (seven percent)

　　3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (six percent)

　　4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day (five percent)

　　5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (four percent)

　　6. A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman’s helmet (four percent)

　　7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (3.5 percent)

　　8. It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (three percent)

　　9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour (three percent)

　　10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (two percent)

　　参考译文：

　　伦敦(法新社)消息：英国女王伊丽莎白二世本周二在英国议会的讲演可能枯燥乏味，但至少没有人厌烦得要死，因为那样会违反法律。

　　一家英国电视频道对近4000人开展的一项调查表明，死在议会是一种违法行为，同时也是英国最为荒唐的法律规定。

　　虽然英国议会上议院的议员身穿红白相间的貂皮大衣，来自世界各地的大使们也都穿着五颜六色的民族服装，但至少没有人身披一副盔甲出现在这里，因为这同样违法。

　　其它一些被认为极其荒唐的法律规定包括，孕妇可以在警察的帽子里小便；在英格兰北部约克郡的古城墙内，人们可以随意杀死手持¹箭的苏格兰人等。

　　英国电视黄金台本周二公布的一项对3931人的民意调查说，

　　近一半的被调查者坦称，他们因为在圣诞节那一天吃肉馅饼而违反了禁令。这项禁令起源于17世纪，当时的英国统治者 —— 清教徒奥利弗·克劳梅尔制定了这项法令，其最初目的是宣布饕餮贪食者违法。

　　这些法律及其它法规都是从那些关于古代立法研究的出版物中精选出来的，从来没有被废除过，但后来的法律认为它们实际上已¾过时了。

　　被调查者要求为这些法律列出一份入围名单，并进行投票。

　　英国最荒唐的十大法律包括：

　　1、死在议会大厦内属违法行为。(27%)

　　2、将印有英国国王头像的邮票倒贴在信封上是一种叛国行为。

　　(7%)

　　3、在利物浦，女性不得在公共场合袒胸露背，但热带鱼商店的店员除外。(6%)

　　4、不得在圣诞节那一天吃肉馅

　　饼。(5%)

　　5、在苏格兰，如果有人敲你的家门，要求使用你的

　　(她)进入。(4%)

　　6、孕妇可以随地大小便，这属合法行为，包括便溺在警察的帽子里。(4%)

　　7、在英国海岸发现的任何已死亡的鲸鱼，其头部自动归国王所有，而尾部则归女王所有。(3.5%)

　　8、向税收官隐瞒你不想让他知道的内容属违法行为，但不告诉他你不介意他知道的内容则属合法行为。(3%)

　　9、身披盔甲进入议会大厦是一种违法行为。(3%)

　　10、在(英国)约克郡，在古城墙内杀死苏格兰人属合法行为，但前提条件是该苏格兰人必须手持¹箭。(2%)