📚 SQA Law Terminology Quick Reference Guide | SQA法律词汇术语速记指南
Legal terminology can feel like learning a completely new language. For SQA Law students at Year 11 level, mastering the core vocabulary is the first critical step toward success in assessments and exams. This guide breaks down essential legal terms into logical categories, pairing each concept with clear explanations and practical memory aids. Whether you are tackling Criminal Law, the Scottish court system, or the law of delict, having a firm grasp of the terminology will boost your confidence and improve the precision of your written answers. Use this reference as a starting point for building your legal lexicon, and revisit it regularly to reinforce your understanding.
法律术语学起来就像在学一门全新的语言。对于 Year 11 阶段的 SQA 法律学生来说，掌握核心词汇是迈向评估和考试成功的关键第一步。本指南将基本法律术语按逻辑分类，为每个概念配上清晰的解释和实用的记忆辅助。无论你正在学习刑法、苏格兰法院体系还是侵权法，扎实掌握术语都能提升你的自信心，并提高书面答案的精确度。请将本参考指南作为构建法律词汇库的起点，并定期回顾以巩固理解。
1. Foundations of the Scottish Legal System | 苏格兰法律体系基础
Scotland has a distinct legal system that is separate from England and Wales, rooted in a mixed tradition of Roman law and common law. The term jurisdiction refers to the official power to make legal decisions and judgements within a defined territory. Scotland’s jurisdiction covers its own geographical area, with its own courts, legal profession, and procedures. The Scottish Parliament holds devolved powers to pass legislation — known as Acts of the Scottish Parliament — on matters such as education, health, and criminal law. The United Kingdom Supreme Court remains the highest court of appeal for Scottish civil cases, but the High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court in Scotland.
苏格兰拥有独立于英格兰和威尔士的法律体系，植根于罗马法和普通法的混合传统。管辖权 (jurisdiction) 一词指在特定领土内作出法律裁决和判决的官方权力。苏格兰的管辖权涵盖其自身地理区域，拥有自己的法院、法律职业和程序。苏格兰议会 (Scottish Parliament) 拥有下放权力，可就教育、卫生和刑法等事务通过立法——称为苏格兰议会法案。联合王国最高法院仍是苏格兰民事案件的最高上诉法院，但高等刑事法院 (High Court of Justiciary) 是苏格兰的最高刑事法院。
A key constitutional document is the Scotland Act 1998, which established the devolved Scottish Parliament and defined the limits of its legislative competence. Any Act passed by the Scottish Parliament must stay within these devolved matters. Reserved matters — such as immigration, defence, and foreign policy — remain under the control of the UK Parliament at Westminster. The principle of parliamentary sovereignty means that the UK Parliament can, in theory, legislate on any matter, but the Sewel Convention states that it will not normally do so on devolved matters without the consent of the Scottish Parliament.
一份关键的宪法文件是《1998年苏格兰法》，该法建立了下放的苏格兰议会并界定了其立法权限范围。苏格兰议会通过的任何法案都必须限定在这些下放事项 (devolved matters) 之内。保留事项——如移民、国防和外交政策——仍由威斯敏斯特的英国议会管辖。议会主权 (parliamentary sovereignty) 原则意味着英国议会理论上可就任何事项立法，但塞维尔公约 (Sewel Convention) 规定，未经苏格兰议会同意，英国议会不会就下放事项”正常地”立法。
2. Core Criminal Law Terms | 刑法核心术语
Criminal law in Scotland is primarily concerned with acts that harm society as a whole, rather than just individual victims. The two fundamental building blocks of a crime are actus reus (the guilty act) and mens rea (the guilty mind). Actus reus refers to the physical element of the crime — the action, omission, or conduct that constitutes the offence. Mens rea refers to the mental state of the accused at the time of the act, such as intention, recklessness, or knowledge. Both must generally be present for criminal liability to be established, and they must coincide in time.
苏格兰刑法主要关注危害整个社会而不仅仅是个人受害者的行为。犯罪的两个基本构成要件是犯罪行为 (actus reus) 和犯罪意图 (mens rea)。Actus reus 指犯罪的物理要素——构成罪行的行为、不作为或举止。Mens rea 指被告在行为时的心理状态，如故意、轻率或明知。通常两者必须同时存在才能确立刑事责任，并且在时间上必须重合。
In Scottish criminal law, the term murder is reserved for the most serious form of unlawful killing, requiring either an intention to kill or wicked recklessness — a depraved indifference to the consequences of one’s actions. By contrast, culpable homicide is the Scottish equivalent of what England calls manslaughter; it covers killings where the mens rea falls short of the standard required for murder. Another important distinction exists between assault (a physical attack on another person) and aggravated assault (assault committed with a weapon or resulting in serious injury).
在苏格兰刑法中，谋杀 (murder) 一词专指最严重的非法杀人形式，需要有杀人意图或恶意的轻率 (wicked recklessness)——即对自己行为后果的极端漠视。相比之下，过失杀人 (culpable homicide) 是苏格兰对英格兰所称误杀 (manslaughter) 的对应概念；它涵盖犯罪意图未达到谋杀标准的杀人行为。另一个重要区分在于普通袭击 (assault)（对他人进行人身攻击）与加重袭击 (aggravated assault)（使用武器或造成严重伤害的袭击）之间。
3. Key Civil Law and Delict Terms | 民法与侵权关键术语
Civil law deals with disputes between individuals, organisations, or entities, where one party seeks a remedy from another. In Scotland, the law of delict is the branch of civil law that imposes obligations on individuals to avoid causing harm to others. Think of delict as the Scottish equivalent of tort law in England. A wrong in delict gives the injured party the right to claim damages — monetary compensation for the loss or injury suffered. Common types of delict include negligence, nuisance, defamation, and trespass.
民法处理个人、组织或实体之间的纠纷，一方寻求从另一方获得补救。在苏格兰，侵权法 (law of delict) 是民法的分支，对个人施加义务以避免对他人造成伤害。可以将 delict 理解为苏格兰对英格兰侵权法 (tort law) 的对应概念。侵权中的不法行为 (wrong) 赋予受害方要求损害赔偿金 (damages)——对所受损失或伤害的金钱补偿——的权利。常见的侵权类型包括过失 (negligence)、妨害 (nuisance)、诽谤 (defamation) 和侵入 (trespass)。
For a successful claim in negligence, the pursuer (the person bringing the claim) must establish three elements: that the defender owed them a duty of care; that the defender breached that duty; and that the breach caused loss or injury which was reasonably foreseeable. This is often called the tripartite test. The landmark case of Donoghue v Stevenson (1932), a Scottish case involving a decomposed snail in a bottle of ginger beer, established the modern concept of the duty of care and the neighbour principle — you must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions which you can reasonably foresee would be likely to injure your neighbour.
要在过失索赔中胜诉，起诉方 (pursuer) 必须确立三个要素：被告对其负有注意义务 (duty of care)；被告违反了 (breached) 该义务；且该违反行为导致了可以合理预见的损失或伤害。这常被称为三部分检验标准 (tripartite test)。Donoghue v Stevenson (1932) 案——一宗涉及姜汁啤酒瓶中腐烂蜗牛的苏格兰案件——确立了现代注意义务概念和邻人原则 (neighbour principle)：你必须采取合理注意，避免那些你可以合理预见可能会伤害你邻人的作为或不作为。
4. The Scottish Court System and Jurisdiction | 苏格兰法院体系与管辖权
Scotland has a hierarchical court structure, with different courts handling different types and levels of cases. At the bottom tier sits the Justice of the Peace Court, which deals with minor criminal offences such as breach of the peace, minor assault, and traffic violations. The presiding officer is a Justice of the Peace (JP), a lay magistrate who is not a legally qualified judge. Above this is the Sheriff Court, which handles the vast majority of both criminal and civil cases. Sheriff Courts sit in sheriffdoms across Scotland, and cases are heard by a legally qualified Sheriff.
苏格兰拥有层级化的法院结构，不同法院处理不同类型和级别的案件。最底层是治安法院 (Justice of the Peace Court)，处理轻微刑事犯罪，如扰乱治安、轻微袭击和交通违规。主审官员是治安法官 (Justice of the Peace, JP)，一名不具备法律专业资格的业余法官。其上是郡法院 (Sheriff Court)，处理绝大多数的刑事和民事案件。郡法院分布于苏格兰各郡辖区，案件由具有法律专业资格的郡法官 (Sheriff) 审理。
The most serious criminal cases are heard in the High Court of Justiciary, which sits in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and on circuit across Scotland. This court deals with crimes such as murder, rape, and serious drug offences, and it has exclusive jurisdiction over the most severe penalties, including life imprisonment. For civil cases, the Court of Session in Edinburgh is the supreme civil court in Scotland, divided into the Outer House (first instance) and the Inner House (appeals). Appeals from the Court of Session can go to the UK Supreme Court in London on civil matters only.
最严重的刑事案件在高等刑事法院 (High Court of Justiciary) 审理，该法院在爱丁堡、格拉斯哥开庭，并在苏格兰各地巡回审理。该法院处理谋杀、强奸和严重毒品犯罪等罪行，并对最严厉的刑罚——包括终身监禁 (life imprisonment)——拥有专属管辖权。就民事案件而言，位于爱丁堡的最高民事法院 (Court of Session) 是苏格兰的最高民事法院，分为外院 (Outer House)（初审）和内院 (Inner House)（上诉）。最高民事法院的上诉仅就民事事项可走向伦敦的联合王国最高法院。
5. Roles and Personnel in Legal Proceedings | 法律程序中的人物角色
Understanding who does what in a courtroom is essential for following legal narratives and answering exam questions accurately. In Scottish criminal proceedings, the Procurator Fiscal is the public prosecutor responsible for investigating sudden deaths, deciding whether to bring charges, and conducting criminal prosecutions. The accused person is formally called the accused or, after charges are brought, the panel. In civil cases, the party bringing the action is the pursuer, and the party defending is the defender. Legal representation is provided by solicitors, who handle most legal work outside court and can represent clients in lower courts, and advocates, who specialise in courtroom advocacy in higher courts.
理解法庭上谁做什么对于跟上法律叙事和准确回答考试问题至关重要。在苏格兰刑事诉讼中，地方检察官 (Procurator Fiscal) 是负责调查猝死事件、决定是否提出指控以及进行刑事起诉的公诉人。被指控的人正式称为被告 (accused)，或在指控提出后称为受审人 (panel)。在民事案件中，提起诉讼的一方是起诉方 (pursuer)，应诉的一方是被告方 (defender)。法律代理由事务律师 (solicitors)（处理庭外大部分法律工作并可在下级法院代理客户）和出庭律师 (advocates)（专门在高级法院进行法庭辩护）提供。
In solemn criminal proceedings — the more serious type heard before a jury — a judge presides (either a Sheriff in the Sheriff Court or a Lord Commissioner of Justiciary in the High Court), and a jury of 15 members decides the verdict. In summary proceedings — less serious cases without a jury — the Sheriff or Justice of the Peace decides both guilt and sentence. The clerk of court manages administrative and procedural matters, ensuring the smooth running of proceedings. Witnesses give evidence under oath or affirmation, and their testimony is subject to examination-in-chief, cross-examination, and sometimes re-examination.
在庄严程序 (solemn proceedings)——在陪审团面前审理的更严重类型——中，一名法官 (judge)（在郡法院为 Sheriff，在高等刑事法院为 Lord Commissioner of Justiciary）主持审理，一个由 15 名成员组成的陪审团 (jury) 决定裁决。在简易程序 (summary proceedings)——没有陪审团的不太严重案件——中，郡法官或治安法官决定罪责和刑罚。法院书记官 (clerk of court) 管理行政和程序事项，确保程序顺利进行。证人在宣誓或确认后提供证据 (evidence)，其证词须经过主询问 (examination-in-chief)、交叉询问 (cross-examination) 以及有时进行的再询问 (re-examination)。
6. Criminal Procedure: Solemn vs Summary | 刑事诉讼程序：庄严程序与简易程序
Scottish criminal procedure is divided into two distinct tracks: solemn procedure and summary procedure. The key difference lies in the presence of a jury and the potential severity of the sentence. Solemn procedure is reserved for more serious offences and involves a jury of 15 members. Cases under solemn procedure begin with an indictment — a formal document setting out the charges against the accused. This procedure is used in both the Sheriff Court (where the maximum sentence is five years’ imprisonment) and the High Court of Justiciary (where unlimited sentences, including life imprisonment, can be imposed).
苏格兰刑事诉讼分为两个不同的轨道：庄严程序 (solemn procedure) 和简易程序 (summary procedure)。关键区别在于是否有陪审团以及刑罚可能具有的严厉程度。庄严程序 专用于更严重的犯罪，涉及一个 15 人的陪审团。庄严程序下的案件始于一份起诉书 (indictment)——列出对被告指控的正式文件。该程序同时用于郡法院（最高刑罚为五年监禁）和高等刑事法院（可判处包括终身监禁在内的无限期刑罚）。
Summary procedure handles less serious offences and proceeds without a jury. Instead of an indictment, proceedings begin with a complaint — a simpler document outlining the charges. Summary cases in the Justice of the Peace Court can result in a maximum of 60 days’ imprisonment or a fine up to level 4 on the standard scale. In the Sheriff Court sitting summarily, the maximum sentence is 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine up to £10,000. The absence of a jury means the Sheriff or JP alone determines both the verdict and the sentence, making summary trials considerably faster than solemn trials.
简易程序 处理不太严重的犯罪，无需陪审团即可进行。程序始于一份诉状 (complaint)——概述指控的更简单文件——而非起诉书。治安法院的简易案件最高可判处 60 天监禁或标准等级第 4 级罚款。在郡法院以简易方式开庭时，最高刑罚为 12 个月监禁或 10,000 英镑罚款。由于没有陪审团，郡法官或治安法官独自决定裁决和刑罚，使得简易审判比庄严审判快得多。
7. Verdicts, Sentencing, and Disposals | 裁决、量刑与处理方式
One of the most distinctive features of Scottish criminal law is its system of verdicts. While many jurisdictions offer only ‘guilty’ and ‘not guilty’, Scotland uniquely provides a third option: not proven. A verdict of not proven has the same legal effect as not guilty — the accused is acquitted and cannot be retried for the same offence (the principle of double jeopardy). However, the not proven verdict carries a social stigma, as it suggests the jury was unconvinced of innocence but felt the evidence did not meet the high standard of beyond reasonable doubt. This verdict has been a subject of ongoing legal debate and potential reform in Scotland.
苏格兰刑法最具特色的特征之一是其裁决体系。虽然许多司法管辖区只提供”有罪”和”无罪”，苏格兰独特地提供了第三种选择：证据不足 (not proven)。证据不足的裁决与无罪具有相同的法律效果——被告被开释，不得就同一罪行再次受审（双重危险 (double jeopardy) 原则）。然而，证据不足裁决带有社会污名，因为它暗示陪审团对无罪并不信服，但认为证据未达到排除合理怀疑 (beyond reasonable doubt) 的高标准。这一裁决在苏格兰一直是持续的法律辩论和潜在改革的主题。
After a guilty verdict, the court moves to sentencing — determining the appropriate punishment or disposal. Sentencing options available to Scottish courts include imprisonment (custodial sentences), fines (financial penalties paid to the court), and community payback orders (CPOs), which require offenders to perform unpaid work or engage with rehabilitation programmes. A deferred sentence is one where the court postpones sentencing to a later date, often to assess the offender’s behaviour. A restriction of liberty order imposes electronic monitoring, confining the offender to a specific address during certain hours. The court must consider the purposes of sentencing: punishment, deterrence, rehabilitation, protection of the public, and reparation.
在有罪裁决之后，法院进入量刑 (sentencing)——确定适当的惩罚或处理方式。苏格兰法院可用的量刑选择包括监禁 (imprisonment)（监禁刑罚）、罚金 (fines)（向法院支付的经济处罚）和社区偿还令 (community payback orders, CPOs)，要求犯罪者从事无偿工作或参与改造项目。延期判决 (deferred sentence) 是法院将量刑推迟到日后做出的判决，通常是为了评估犯罪者的行为表现。自由限制令 (restriction of liberty order) 施加电子监控，在特定时间内将犯罪者限制在特定地址。法院必须考虑量刑目的：惩罚、威慑、改造、保护公众和修复。
8. Sources of Law in Scotland | 苏格兰的法律渊源
Scottish law draws from multiple sources, reflecting its mixed legal heritage. Statute law, also known as legislation, is law created by Parliament (either the UK Parliament at Westminster or the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood). Statutes are the supreme source of law in the legal hierarchy — where statute and common law conflict, statute prevails. Common law (or case law) is law developed by judges through decisions in individual cases, building a body of binding precedent. The doctrine of stare decisis — Latin for ‘to stand by things decided’ — means that lower courts are bound by the decisions of higher courts in similar cases.
苏格兰法律汲取多种渊源，反映了其混合法律传统。成文法 (statute law)，也称立法，是由议会（威斯敏斯特的英国议会或荷里路德的苏格兰议会）制定的法律。成文法是法律等级体系中的最高法律渊源——当成文法与普通法冲突时，成文法优先。普通法 (common law)（或判例法）是法官通过对个案判决而发展的法律，建立起具有约束力的先例 (precedent) 体系。遵循先例 (stare decisis)——拉丁语意为”坚持已决定之事”——原则意味着下级法院在类似案件中受上级法院判决的约束。
In addition to these, institutional writings hold a special place in Scots law. Works by historical legal authors such as Stair, Erskine, and Bell are treated as highly persuasive sources of law, particularly where statute and case law are silent or unclear. This is a feature inherited from the civil law tradition and is not found in English law. Other sources include European Union law (which, despite Brexit, retains some residual influence) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which is incorporated into UK law via the Human Rights Act 1998 and applies in Scotland.
除此之外，法学经典著作 (institutional writings) 在苏格兰法律中占有特殊地位。历史法学作者如 Stair、Erskine 和 Bell 的著作被视为极具说服力的法律渊源，特别是在成文法和判例法未有规定或不清晰时。这是继承自大陆法传统的一个特征，在英格兰法中不存在。其他渊源包括欧盟法律（尽管英国脱欧，仍保留一些残余影响）和《欧洲人权公约》(ECHR)，该公约通过《1998年人权法》被纳入英国法律并在苏格兰适用。
9. Rights, Duties, and Legal Obligations | 权利、义务与法律责任
Legal rights and duties form the backbone of any legal system. A right is an entitlement recognised and protected by law, allowing a person to act or refrain from acting in a certain way. A duty (or obligation) is a legal requirement to act or refrain from acting in a particular manner. Rights and duties are often correlative — if one person has a right, another typically has a corresponding duty. In Scottish law, the terms real rights (rights over property, enforceable against the whole world) and personal rights (rights enforceable only against a specific person, such as contractual rights) are fundamental distinctions in the law of property and obligations.
法律权利和义务构成任何法律体系的基石。权利 (right) 是法律承认和保护的权益，允许一个人以某种方式作为或不作为。义务 (duty)（或责任）是以特定方式作为或不作为的法律要求。权利和义务通常是相互关联的——如果一个人拥有权利，另一个人通常负有相应的义务。在苏格兰法律中，对物权 (real rights)（对财产的权利，可对抗全世界）和对人权 (personal rights)（仅可对抗特定人的权利，如合同权利）的区分是财产法和债法的基本划分。
In the context of human rights, the Human Rights Act 1998 imposes a duty on public authorities — including Scottish courts and government bodies — to act compatibly with the ECHR. Key rights protected include the right to life (Article 2), the right to a fair trial (Article 6), the right to respect for private and family life (Article 8), and freedom of expression (Article 10). When a court finds that legislation is incompatible with these rights, it can issue a declaration of incompatibility, though this does not automatically strike down the law — it signals to Parliament that legislative change is needed.
在人权语境下，《1998年人权法》 对公共机构——包括苏格兰法院和政府机构——施加了以符合《欧洲人权公约》的方式行事的义务。受保护的关键权利包括生命权（第 2 条）、公正审判权（第 6 条）、尊重私人和家庭生活的权利（第 8 条）和表达自由（第 10 条）。当法院认定立法与这些权利不符时，可发布不符声明 (declaration of incompatibility)，但这并不自动废除该法律——它向议会发出需要修改立法的信号。
10. Evidence and Proof in Legal Proceedings | 法律程序中的证据与证明
Evidence is the information presented in court to establish the facts of a case. In Scottish criminal law, the prosecution bears the burden of proof, meaning it must prove the accused’s guilt. The standard required is beyond reasonable doubt, a high threshold that reflects the seriousness of criminal conviction. In civil cases, however, the standard is the balance of probabilities — the pursuer must show that their version of events is more likely than not to be true. This lower standard reflects the different consequences of civil liability compared to criminal liability.
证据是向法庭提交的用于确立案件事实的信息。在苏格兰刑法中，检方承担举证责任 (burden of proof)，即必须证明被告有罪。所要求的标准是排除合理怀疑 (beyond reasonable doubt)，这是一个反映刑事定罪严重性的高标准。然而，在民事案件中，标准是概然性权衡 (balance of probabilities)——起诉方必须证明其主张的事实版本更有可能是真实的。这一较低标准反映了民事责任与刑事责任的不同后果。
An important rule in Scottish criminal evidence is the requirement of corroboration — no person can be convicted on the testimony of a single witness alone; there must be supporting evidence from at least two independent sources that point to the guilt of the accused. This is known as the corroboration rule and is a distinctive feature of Scots criminal law. Evidence can take many forms, including oral testimony from witnesses, documentary evidence (written records, contracts, letters), real evidence (physical objects such as weapons, clothing, DNA samples), and expert evidence from qualified specialists. Hearsay — an out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter stated — is generally inadmissible, though there are exceptions.
苏格兰刑事证据中一个重要规则是佐证 (corroboration) 要求——任何人不得仅凭单一证人的证词被定罪；必须有至少两个独立来源的指向被告有罪的佐证证据。这被称为佐证规则 (corroboration rule)，是苏格兰刑法的一个鲜明特征。证据可以有多种形式，包括证人的口头证词 (oral testimony)、书面证据 (documentary evidence)（书面记录、合同、信函）、实物证据 (real evidence)（如武器、衣物、DNA 样本等实物）以及来自合格专家的专家证据 (expert evidence)。传闻证据 (hearsay)——为证明所述事项的真实性而提出的庭外陈述——通常不可采纳，但也有例外情况。
11. Essential Latin Terms in Law | 法律中的基本拉丁语术语
Latin phrases are deeply embedded in legal language, and familiarity with them is essential for SQA Law students. Actus reus and mens rea have already been discussed, but there are many others. Stare decisis (‘to stand by decisions’) is the principle that courts should follow precedent. Obiter dicta (‘things said by the way’) are remarks made by a judge that are not essential to the decision and are not binding as precedent, though they may be persuasive. The binding part of a judgement is the ratio decidendi (‘the reason for deciding’).
拉丁语短语深深嵌入法律语言，熟悉它们对 SQA 法律学生至关重要。Actus reus 和 mens rea 已经讨论过，但还有许多其他短语。Stare decisis（’坚持已决定之事’）是法院应遵循先例的原则。Obiter dicta（’顺便说的话’）是法官发表的、对判决并非必不可少的言论，不作为有约束力的先例，尽管它们可能具有
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