Couple of quick financial vocab queries, if you have time

[roddy]

First one is 法人金融机构

second is 典当行

I've been given 'legal person financial institution', which doesn't make sense to me, and 'pawn shop' which given the context can't be right.

Roddy

[smithsgj]

法人 is legal person (ie a corporation not a real fleshnblood person), I should just leave it as financial institution if I were you.

The other one I've no idea.

[akdn]

Regarding number two: my dictionary has this for 典: pawn; give land or real estate as security for the payment of money borrowed free of interest, with the two parties retrieving their money and property respectively by the end of the agreed period.

So could not 典当行 be a bank that offers this kind of 'land-as-security-for-borrowed-money' service?

[roddy]

Yes, it quite possibly could. Similar to a mortgate by the sound of it, though a mortgage would have interest.

Roddy

[smithsgj]

Perhaps it's Hypothecary Bank. A few of those in Japan.

[889]

法人 faren (legal person) is a technical term for an entity that has independent legal standing, that is, it can enter into agreements, sue and be sued, etc.

Chinese banks and financial institutions are all legal persons. As noted above, unless you're doing a precise translation of a legal document, it wouldn't really be necessary to translate this.

[889]

As for 典当行 diandang hang, this is where Google comes in handy: there are many hits, including this one for 金信园典当行 Jinxin Yuan Diandang Hang, which the site helpfully translates as the Fushun Golden Credit Pawn, Inc.

The site contains a useful description of the firm's business, including the distinction between bank and pawnshop credit. Sure sounds like a pawnshop to me.

http://www.fsjxy.com/

[roddy]

Ah, let's drag this reminder of when I thought 法人 was difficult to translate up from the depths of the forum - 2003, back when smithsgj graced us with his fragrant presence. Are you still out there, Mr Smith?

Anyway, here's a follow-up - 模拟法人. The only attempt at a translation I can see online is . . . wait for it . . . analogue legal person . . .which doesn't really make any sense, and implies that we should all be upgrading to digital legal persons anyway. As far as I can tell from context, it means that companies within a conglomerate will be treated as 法人 by the conglomerate, with the same reporting requirements, etc, even if they don't have those requirements legally. But that's kind of a guess, and as the guy's already used a bunch of 以。。。为。。。 statements in a row I don't trust him anyway.

[heifeng]

For the 'Pawn' one, this one's kind of interesting. I've had heard about this before in China...here's another article www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/05/01/1628617.htm

is the second a 'virtual' legal person or VA? http://www.prolegalservices.com/

that's just my random guess since sometimes模拟＝simulation which makes me think of virtual....ok that' s my random random guess on that...