第十二章 ICC跟单信用证统一惯例（UCP600）
教学目标
了解UCP600的语言特点，例解其条款内涵。
比较UCP600中专业术语与普通英语词汇意义、用法的异同。
掌握UCP600这类规则性文本的翻译方法与技巧。
导入
UCP600这类规则性文本的翻译对译者是一个挑战，难就难在其涉及的专业术语内涵远不是词典意义所能表达的。
主课文
原文：
1. The Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, 2007 Revision, ICC Publication no. 600 (“UCP”) are rules that apply to any documentary credit (“credit”)(including, to the extent to which they may be applicable, any standby letter of credit) when the text of the credit expressly indicates that it is subject to these rules. They are binding on
all parties thereto unless expressly modified or excluded by the credit.
2. Confirmation means a definite undertaking of the confirming bank, in addition to that of the issuing bank, to honour or negotiate a complying presentation.
Honour means:
a. to pay at sight if the credit is available by sight payment.
b. to incur a deferred payment undertaking and pay at maturity if the credit is available by deferred payment.
c. to accept a bill of exchange (“draft”) drawn by the beneficiary and pay at maturity if the credit is available by acceptance.
3. A credit by its nature is a separate transaction from the sale or other contract on which it may be based. Banks are in no way concerned with or bound by such contract, even if any reference whatsoever to it is included in the credit. Consequently, the undertaking of a bank to honour, to negotiate or to fulfil any other obligation under the credit is not subject to claims or defences by the applicant resulting from its relationships with the issuing bank or the beneficiary.
4. A credit and any amendment may be advised to a beneficiary through an advising bank. An advising bank that is not a confirming bank advises the credit and any amendment without any undertaking to honour or negotiate.
By advising the credit or amendment, the advising bank signifies that it has satisfied itself as to the apparent authenticity of the credit or amendment and that the advice accurately reflects the terms and conditions of the credit or amendment received.
5. The terms and conditions of the original credit (or a credit incorporating previously accepted amendments) will remain in force for the beneficiary until the beneficiary communicates its acceptance of the amendment to the bank that advised such amendment. The beneficiary should give notification of acceptance or rejection of an amendment. If the beneficiary fails to give such notification, a presentation that complies with the credit and to any not yet accepted amendment will be deemed to be notification of acceptance by the beneficiary of such amendment. As of that moment the credit will be amended.
6. A nominated bank acting on its nomination, a confirming bank, if any, and the issuing bank must examine a presentation to determine, on the basis of the documents alone, whether or not the documents appear on their face to constitute a complying presentation.
A nominated bank acting on its nomination, a confirming bank, if any, and the issuing bank shall each have a maximum of five banking days following the day of presentation to determine if a presentation is complying. This period is not curtailed or otherwise affected by the occurrence on or after the date of presentation of any expiry date or last day for presentation.
注解[1]：
1. 本段来自UCP600第一条“UCP的适用范围”（Application of UCP）。
对有些初入行的商务人士或学生而言，看UCP的条款犹如看天书，即使对照中文看，有些条款也看不明白，难就难在其规则性语言的复杂句子结构、逻辑关系、多层次修饰关系，更难的是读者对信用证业务的生疏。本课的目的就是从语言及内容上深入解析UCP600的代表性条款，帮助有需要的读者举一反三，理解UCP全文，充分利用国际惯例为进出口业务的顺利开展服务。
本条款中Documentary Credits 和standby letter of credit是国际商务中的专业术语，译为“跟单信用证”和“备用信用证”。“跟单信用证”有效的前提是出口商提交与信用证条款要求相符的装运单据给银行，银行承诺付款。“备用信用证”也称为“担保信用证”，它不要求受益人提交装运单据，而是出具关于开证申请人违约的声明或证明，它是以贷款、融资或担保偿还债务为目的而开立的信用证，在国际商务中使用广泛。
credit这一用法的作用是给前述两种信用证规定一个统一的简称，在规则性文本中此用法很典型；credit一词的含义也不同于普通英语或其他文本中的“信用”、“学分”等，在此专指“信用证”。
短语to the extent to which they may be applicable、从句when the text of the credit expressly indicates that it is subject to these rules 和 unless expressly modified or excluded by the credit所表达的内涵是，按本条的规定，如果“信用证”在其正文中规定适用UCP600，那么各方就按照UCP600的条款行事，如果没有明文规定适用本惯例，则就不适用。UCP作为国际惯例而非法律，对当事人的约束是选择性的，如各方当事人可在信用证中约定某些UCP条款不适用，或在信用证中约定对某些UCP条款内容做些修改。在商务英语中，含有to the extent to (that, which) 的句式也是常用句，表达的含义是“在……范围内，只要，如果”等。
binding on sb. 是固定搭配，译为“对……有约束力”。binding 在此作形容词，其英文定义是used to describe an agreement, contract, etc. that cannot be changed or stopped。thereto指to the credit。
2. 本段来自UCP600中的第二条对“保兑”和“承付”两个词的定义。定义中涉及信用证的专业术语有：
confirmation和confirming，是指银行的“保兑”业务，而不是普通英语中的“确认”。confirming bank即“保兑行”，是指根据开证行的授权或要求对信用证加具保兑的银行。以上定义表明，保兑是一种确定承诺，承诺的内容是要进行“承付”或“议付”；保兑银行的保兑须获开证行的保兑授权，如在信用证中有此措词 Please add your confirmation。
undertaking是一个法律用词，指行为人单方自行承担的义务，无须对价支持即具有可执行性，是行为人的允诺和责任。按本句的含义译为“承诺”。
honour译为“承付”实为临时性的组词，《现代汉语词典》中并未收录“承付”一词，第二句规定了honour的三层含义，普通英语词典中仅有“荣誉，信守承诺”的译法，显然不能与之对应。“承付”概括了开证行、保兑行、指定行在信用证项下除议付以外的一切与支付相关的行为，包括即期付款、延期付款、承兑汇票。
negotiate此处表示“议付”，俗称“押汇”、“买单”，也是银行的业务之一，通常指出口商所在地的银行先买下出口商的汇票及/或全套装运单据、向其垫付货款的业务，议付行随后向开证行或指定银行索偿。议付是开证行给指定银行的授权而不是义务。
complying presentation，“相符交单”，是信用证交易的原则之一。另一个原则是本课下文提到的“独立性原则”。单证一致是银行付款的前提。
动词accept和名词acceptance都表示“承兑”，而不译为“接受”，承兑是指远期汇票的受票人承诺在汇票到期时履行兑付的责任。
3. 本条款摘自UCP600的第四条“信用证与合同”，阐明了信用证与合同的关系。
separate transaction 明确了信用证与合同的关系是独立的，即信用证的“独立性原则”（the autonomy principle）。假如信用证与合同有矛盾，有关各方必须按信用证条款执行，比如银行在审核单据时决定“相符交单”的依据是信用证，银行不会依据合同来审单。
reference一词在UCP600中多次出现，而在不同的条款中其内涵也有所不同，是翻译中的难点。UCP600中文版译者有时将其译为“援引”，有时译为“参见”或“提及”，采用任一种译法译者都认为词义有殊，未尽妥帖，或口语化。本条款译文采用了“援引”的译法也仅仅基于以前的译本时有使用之故，未能兼顾文风与词义。原文中的Banks are in no way concerned with or bound by such contract, even if any reference to it (the contract) is included in the credit. 真实内涵是，在银行实务中，如果信用证的某个条款中提到了合同，比如：
“DESCRIPTION OF GOODS AND/OR SERVICES: CEILING HALOGEN, DETAILS ACCORDING TO S/C NO. 186877”
（“商品及/或服务名称：卤素吸顶灯，具体细节按第186877号销售合同执行）
银行收到受益人交来的单据后，判断单据上品名的具体描述是否满足“相符交单”的条件，依据的仅仅是信用证，只要单据上注明品名是“CEILING HALOGEN”，即满足了相符交单的条件，至于单据中注明的其他细节是否与销售合同一致，银行并不审核，也不会要求出口商随附合同。这就是信用证的独立性原则。此例的信用证中只提到了合同，并未“引用”合同中的具体条款或细节，看似节省了信用证的字数，实则等同于未规定任何细节，完全由出口商自觉按照合同规定的品名发货、制作有关单据，即使出口商未满足此要求，银行也视为“相符交单”。由此看来，将reference译为“援引”的确是未尽妥帖的无奈之举。笔者以为用“参阅”似乎更妥，改译为“即使信用证中含有参阅此类合同的任何表述”。
undertaking和undertake在UCP600中有时偏向描述行为人的行为，如本段中的语境，译为“承诺”；有时该词侧重描述法律后果，如Issuing Bank Undertaking 就译为“开证行责任”。
4. 本条摘自UCP600第九条“信用证及其修改的通知”（Advising of Credits and Amendments）中的a款和b款。
本条款中的amendment指信用证的“修改通知书”。在UCP600中该词既指修改的行为和内容，又指体现该行为和内容、记载其内容的文据，如信函、电文等。在信用证业务中，由于信用证的“独立性原则”（Autonomy Principle），受益人收到信用证后必须审核信用证内容是否与合同相符，如发现有不符之处，须与开证申请人联系，请其去开证行申请修改信用证，以保障受益人的权益。受益人自己因发货时遇到困难，如船期太紧等问题，也会主动提出修改信用证。发货前信用证可经多次修改。
apparent authenticity，“表面真实性”，指文件或讯息表面看来为其表明的制作者所为，非冒名者所为，不包括文件或讯息内容的真实性。确定表面真实性是UCP对通知行限定的责任，同时也是免责条款。责任，指通知行本着审慎的原则，并根据代理行关系、银行实务等，通过信开信用证或修改书表面上的印鉴、或电开信用证或其修改书的密押来判断其真伪；免责，指如银行采取了以上方法仍不能发现信用证有假或系伪造，银行概不负责。
advice指通知行按照收到的信用证修改内容，以通知行名义发给受益人的“信用证修改通知书”，不含任何“劝告”之意。
terms and conditions用来指信用证中的所有规定，其英文意义更加准确、严谨，最大可能地避免了歧义和疏漏，因为信用证中有些规定属于“条款”，有些属于“先决条件”，比如信用证中的“非单据化条件”（non-documentary conditions），而汉译时习惯上都把该词组合译为“条款”，而省译“条件”。就信用证而言，不省译会更符合原文的严谨。
5. 本条款摘自UCP600第十条“修改”（Amendments）中的c款。本款规定了对信用证修改内容的处理方式，即受益人须书面表示同意或反对；修改书生效的条件是受益人书面或用行动（提交与修改内容相符单据）表示同意。
UCP600中多次出现original一词，而意义各不相同，有时译为“正本，正本的”，如original transport document“正本运输单据”；有时译为“原始的”。但在此条款中original credit译为“原信用证”，是针对信用证修改书而言。本条款规定了对信用证修改的处理。在实际业务操作中，信用证可以经多次修改，修改后的条款按修改书执行，未修改的条款仍按原信用证执行。
in force表示“有效”（being used），如：
The notice lists the import duties and taxes currently in force.
类似的搭配还有，come into force, 表示“生效”(start being used)，如：
The final stage of measures to improve access to work for disabled employees comes into force tomorrow.
本条款中的fails可以使用从反面着笔的翻译技巧，将fails“失败”译为“未能”。此翻译方法可避免译文拗口，更符合汉语的表达习惯。
6. 本条摘自UCP600第十四条“单据审核标准”（Standard for Examination of Documents）中的a款和b款。
银行审核单据是否为“相符交单”有两个标准，一是on the basis of the documents alone，二是appear on their face。前者的内涵是银行只审核受益人交来的规定单据，并不、也无义务审核其他文件、合同或货物，也不受其他各方如受益人或开证申请人的左右。后者的内涵是银行的免责声明，即银行只以自己的行业标准或知识水准审核单据的“表面”，如果单据表面上看起来是信用证所要求的单据，表面上看起来是由所要求的人出具或表面上看起来与信用证要求的内容一致，银行就视为“单证相符”，至于单据的“背后”是否存在欺诈、伪造单据、货物与单据所述不符等等问题，如果银行从单据表面审核不出什么问题，则银行不承担任何责任。
第二段是关于银行审单时间的规定。five banking days following the day of presentation 是“指定银行”、“开证行”或“保兑行”这三家银行各自的审单时间，用以确定本次交单是否相符。UCP中对银行审单的时间规定既给予了银行合理的工作时间，同时又是对受益人和收货人的保护，它限制了银行无故拖延审单从而导致受益人收款延误或收货人拿不到提单而延误提货等后果。银行如违反此规定，会丧失声称单证不符的权利。如本条规定的五个审单工作日是UCP允许的最大限度，如超过五天才通知交单人“单证不符”的情况，交单人可据此项规定要求银行履行其付款责任。
本段第二句对审单工作日与“信用证有效期”（expiry date）和“交单日”（date of presentation）之间的冲突作出了明确的规定，即当：
1）the occurrence of any expiry date on the date of presentation
（交单当日也是信用证有效期届满之日）
2）the occurrence of any expiry date after the date of presentation
（交单日后信用证有效期届满）
3）the occurrence of any last day for presentation on the date of presentation
（交单日当日也是交单期限的最后一日）
4）the occurrence of any last day for presentation after the date of presentation
（交单日后交单有效期限届满）
出现以上四种情况中的任一种，银行仍然有五个工作日来审单，从交单日的翌日起算，不缩减，不受影响。换言之，信用证的有效期和交单有效期限是针对受益人的交单行为，而不是银行的审单行为。针对银行的时间限制就是本条规定的五个工作日。
参考译文：
1. UCP的适用范围《跟单信用证统一惯例——2007年修订本，国际商会第600号出版物》（简称“UCP”）乃一套规则，适用于所有的其文本中明确表明受本惯例约束的跟单信用证（下称信用证）（在其可适用的范围内，包括备用信用证）。除非信用证明确修改或排除，本惯例各条文对信用证所有当事人均具有约束力。
2. 保兑指保兑行在开证行承诺之外做出的承付或议付相符交单的确定承诺。
承付指：
a. 如果信用证为即期付款信用证，则即期付款。
b. 如果信用证为延期付款信用证，则承诺延期付款并在承诺到期日付款。
c. 如果信用证为承兑信用证，则承兑受益人开出的汇票并在汇票到期日付款。
3. 就其性质而言，信用证与可能作为其开立基础的销售合同或其他合同是相互独立的交易，即使信用证中含有对此类合同的任何援引，银行也与该合同无关，且不受其约束。因此，银行关于承付、议付或履行信用证项下其他义务的承诺，不受申请人基于与开证行或与受益人之间的关系而产生的任何请求或抗辩的影响。
4. 信用证及其任何修改可以经由通知行通知给受益人。非保兑行的通知行通知信用证及修改时不承担承付或议付的责任。
通知行通知信用证或修改的行为表示其已确信信用证或修改的表面真实性，而且其通知准确地反映了其收到的信用证或修改的条款。
5. 在受益人告知通知修改的银行其接受该修改之前，原信用证（或含有先前被接受的修改的信用证）的条款对受益人仍然有效。受益人应提供接受或拒绝修改的通知。如果受益人未能给予通知，当交单与信用证以及尚未表示接受的修改的要求一致时，即视为受益人已作出接受修改的通知，并且从此时起，该信用证被修改。
6. 按指定行事的指定银行、保兑行（如果有的话）及开证行须审核交单，并仅基于单据本身确定其是否在表面上构成相符交单。
按指定行事的指定银行、保兑行（如有的话）及开证行各有从交单次日起至多五个银行工作日用以确定交单是否相符。这一期限不因在交单日当天或之后信用证截止日或最迟交单日届至而受到缩减或影响。
练习
1. Credit means any arrangement, however named or described, that is irrevocable and thereby constitutes a definite undertaking of the issuing bank to honour a complying presentation.
2. Presentation means either the delivery of documents under a credit to the issuing bank or nominated bank or the documents so delivered.
Presenter means a beneficiary, bank or other party that makes a presentation.
3. If a bank is requested to advise a credit or amendment but cannot satisfy itself as to the apparent authenticity of the credit, the amendment or the advice, it must so inform, without delay, the bank from which the instructions appear to have been received. If the advising bank or second advising bank elects nonetheless to advise the credit or amendment, it must inform the beneficiary or second advising bank that it has not been able to satisfy itself as to the apparent authenticity of the credit, the amendment or the advice.
4. A bank that advises an amendment should inform the bank from which it received the amendment of any notification of acceptance or rejection.
Partial acceptance of an amendment is not allowed and will be deemed to be notification of rejection of the amendment.
A provision in an amendment to the effect that the amendment shall enter into force unless rejected by the beneficiary within a certain time shall be disregarded.
5. Data in a document, when read in context with the credit, the document itself and international standard banking practice, need not be identical to, but must not conflict with, data in that document, any other stipulated document or the credit.
In documents other than the commercial invoice, the description of the goods, services or performance, if stated, may be in general terms not conflicting with their description in the credit.
6. A nominated bank acting on its nomination, a confirming bank, if any, or the issuing bank may accept a commercial invoice issued for an amount in excess of the amount permitted by the credit, and its decision will be binding upon all parties, provided the bank in question has not honoured or negotiated for an amount in excess of that permitted by the credit.
补充材料
UCP—A Brief Outline
The Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits (UCP[2]) is a set of rules on the issuance and use of letters of credit. The UCP is utilized by bankers and commercial parties in more than 175 countries in trade finance. Some 11-15% of international trade utilizes letters of credit, totaling over a trillion US dollars each year.[3]
Historically, the commercial parties, particularly banks, have developed the techniques and methods for handling letters of credit in international trade finance. This practice has been standardized by the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) by publishing the UCP in 1933 and subsequently updating it throughout the years. The ICC has developed and moulded the UCP by regular revisions, the current version being the UCP600. The result is the most successful international attempt at unifying rules ever, as the UCP has substantially universal effect. The latest revision was approved by the Banking Commission of the ICC at its meeting in Paris on 25 October 2006. This latest version, called the UCP600, formally commenced on 1 July 2007. It is the fruit of more than three years of work by the ICC’s Commission on Banking Technique and Practice[4].
The UCP remains the most successful set of private rules[5] for trade ever developed. A range of individuals and groups contributed to the current revision including 130 ICC National Committees worldwide which took an active role in consolidating comments from their members.
During the revision process, notice was taken of the considerable work that had been completed in creating the International Standard Banking Practice for the Examination of Documents under Documentary Credits (ISBP[6]), ICC Publication 681 as an updated version to replace Publication 645. This publication has evolved into a necessary companion to the UCP for determining compliance of documents with the terms of letters of credit. Since UCP600 may not be understood by the L/C community and can easily lead to mis-interpretations that would lead to disputes and discrepancies, ISBP 681 is for interpretation of new articles in UCP600, giving further definitions, detailed explanations and examples.
According to Schulze[7], an important feature of documentary credits is that they are autonomous, i.e., the credit and the related sales contract are separate transactions. A failure by the seller fully to comply with the terms of the contract of sale would consequently not entitle the buyer or one of the banks involved in the documentary credit to refuse to pay the seller, provided that all the requirements for gaining the entitlement to be paid under the credit are met by the seller.
In addition, the documentary credit system relies entirely on documents (which no longer have to be paper documents), and the parties to the credit will only deal with each other on the basis of documents. The buyer therefore needs to specify clearly not only the conditions that need to be met by the seller before payment should be made, but also the documents that need to be presented by the seller to demonstrate compliance with such conditions. In the UCP, there are four categories of documents: transport documents, insurance documents, invoices, and other documents (e.g. warehouse receipts, certificates of origin, certificates of quality etc.). The seller, having been advised of the opening of the credit, and having shipped the goods, will submit the documents required under the credit to the advising/confirming bank. The bank is required to check within a reasonable time that the documents submitted by the seller comply, on their face, with the terms and conditions of the credit. In carrying out this process, banks should take “reasonable care”, and compliance is to be determined by international standard banking practice.
The risk of non-compliance of the documents tendered by the seller with the conditions of the credit is a high one—indeed, in the majority of cases, documents are rejected by banks when first presented by the seller. UCP600 seeks to reduce the instance of finding non-compliance by clarifying that the information in the documents need not be identical to that in the credit provided that it does not conflict with it, which should reduce the number of discrepancies.
【注释】
[1] 本课选用的UCP600条款中英文均摘自：国际商会中国国家委员会编译. ICC跟单信用证统一惯例(UCP600), 2006.
[2] UCP: 《跟单信用证统一惯例》于1951年、1962年、1974年、1978年、1983年、1993年进行了六次修订，被各国银行和贸易界所广泛采用，成为信用证业务的国际惯例。
[3] Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, 2013.
[4] Commission on Banking Technique and Practice: 银行技术与惯例委员会。
[5] private rules: UCP属国际私法，由当事人自愿选择是否对其适用。
[6] ISBP: 国际标准银行实务。
[7] Schulze, 2007:332.
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