OmniDocHow to translate exhibit in the contract: attachment number and exhibit translation
Exhibit in the contract mostly refers to the attachment or attachment number, such as Exhibit 10. This article explains how it is translated in different contexts, and explains how to keep the numbering of text references and attachment lists consistent in the translation.
Key points of this article
- Exhibit in the main body of the contract is usually translated as "Attachment", and the number is retained as it is, for example, Exhibit 10 is translated as "Attachment 10".
- Exhibit in litigation is the evidence number, which should be translated as "evidence" or "evidence" and should not be confused with contract attachments.
- When exhibit is used as a verb, it is translated as "show", "list" or "enclosed" depending on the context. Do not always translate it as "display".
- Make a comparison table of attachment numbers before translation, and check the text references one by one after translation, so that the numbering will not be inconsistent.
When they find words like "Exhibit 10" or "Exhibit A" in an English contract, many people subconsciously look up the words in a dictionary and get the meanings of "exhibits" and "exhibitions." When put into contracts, these interpretations are often incorrect. The exhibit in the contract is basically a label, which refers to the document attached to and referenced by the main text. It is usually called "attachment" in Chinese.
This article is written for readers who need to translate English contracts, prospectus or disclosure documents, and litigation materials. There are usually three problems you will encounter: what is the translation of this word? Will the numbers in the same document be inconsistent? How to deal with the verb form of "exhibited". After reading, you should be able to determine which situation an exhibit belongs to and unify the numbers in the translation.
exhibit is translated into Chinese. Should I translate it into exhibit? One sentence conclusion
The word "exhibit" in the contract is generally translated as "attachment", and the number is retained as it is; only in the context of litigation or evidence is it translated into "evidence" or "evidence". The table below provides methods based on the situation at hand.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| Numbered attachments after the contract text, such as Exhibit A, Exhibit 10.1 | Translated as "Annex A" and "Annex 10.1", the number remains as it is. | These numbers will be quoted in the text, and the translation must correspond one to one. |
| Submissions in litigation or arbitration, such as Exhibit P-1 | Translated as "Exhibit P-1" or "Exhibit P-1", follow the local or opposing lawyer's custom | This type of number belongs to the evidence system and is not the same set as the contract attachments. |
| verb exhibit or adjective exhibited | Depending on the context, it is translated as "show," "list," "accompany," or "show." | The verb in the contract means "to provide" or "to list", not "to display" |
| exhibit in exhibitions and exhibition-related documents | Translated as "exhibits" | Only this kind of context is suitable for using "exhibits" |
| Unable to determine which category it belongs to | First look for definition terms and attachments, and then decide on the translation method | The contract usually states the nature of each exhibit at the beginning or in the appendix. |
What is exhibit in the contract?
In contracts and disclosure documents, an exhibit is a numbered additional document. The main text will say "See Exhibit A" or "Subject to the conditions set forth in Exhibit 10." The attachment itself is placed after the main text, often on a separate page. It may be a price list, technical specifications, scope of authorization, standard format text, or it may be another complete agreement.
To judge whether it is a contract attachment, you can look at three points. First, are there any clear references in the text, such as "attached hereto as Exhibit A". Second, is there a corresponding numbered list at the end of the file or in the directory. Third, whether the numbering format is a sequence of letters or numbers. If two of these points are met, it can basically be determined to be an accessory.
How to keep the numbers consistent?
Incorrect attachment numbers are a common problem in translations. A typical situation is that Article 5 of the main text says "Appendix A", but the list of attachments says "Appendix A", and the last page says "Appendix A". The reader will be forgiven for thinking that these are three different documents.
A consistent approach is to:
- The same exhibit should only use one Chinese name in the entire text, such as "Attachment" instead of "Attachment" and "Appendix".
- The numbering method is consistent with the original text. Exhibit 10.1 is translated as "Annex 10.1" and does not change to "Exhibit 10.1".
- Use the same format for the location of the main text citation and the title of the attachment list, for example, "Attachment A (Authorization Scope)".
- For attachments with sub-numbers, such as Exhibit 10.1 and 10.2, it is necessary to confirm whether they belong to the same category, and the hierarchical relationship in the translation must be the same as that in the original text.
Common misunderstandings
The first misunderstanding is that exhibit is always translated as "exhibits". The exhibits in the contract are rarely physical objects or exhibits, but mostly text attachments. Translating it as "exhibits" will make readers mistakenly think that there are physical objects attached to the contract.
The second misunderstanding is to confuse exhibit with schedule. The two are often used interchangeably in English contracts, and are translated into Chinese as "annex" and "schedule". If both words appear in the original text, the translation needs to distinguish them. For example, "Schedule 1" is translated as "Schedule 1" and "Exhibit 1" is translated as "Attachment 1". Before translation, confirm whether there is a clear division of labor between the two in the original text.
The third misunderstanding is to use exhibited as an adjective directly translated as "shown". In contracts, exhibited often appears in phrases such as "as exhibited" and "exhibited hereto", which means something close to "as shown below" or "accompanying this agreement." If it were translated literally as "displayed", the sentence would be unreadable.
📊 Core comparison
| Translation | Applicable scenarios | Example | Things to note |
|---|---|---|---|
| appendix | Numbered materials after the main text of contracts and agreements | Exhibit 10 is translated as "Annex 10" | Usage should be consistent throughout the text and consistent with in-text citations. |
| Schedule | Appears side by side with Schedule, mostly data tables or lists | Schedule 1 is translated as "Schedule 1" | If the original text is not parallel, it can be unified with the attachment. |
| evidence/exhibits | Materials submitted in litigation and arbitration | Exhibit P-1 is translated as "Evidence P-1" | Consistent with local legal documents and customs |
| produce / list / accompany | exhibit or exhibited as a verb or adjective | as exhibited translated as "as listed below" | It depends on the context and cannot be replaced. |
| Exhibits | Exhibitions, exhibition context | Exhibitor is translated as "exhibitor" | Generally not used in the body of the contract |
How to use it in practice
If you want to use OmniDoc to translate an English contract with multiple attachments, you can follow the steps below.
- Open the original file, first turn to the end or the table of contents page, list all the Exhibit and Schedule numbers into a table, and write down the title corresponding to each number. This table is the comparison table before translation.
- In the Chinese column of the comparison table, write the translated name uniformly, such as "Annex A: Scope of Authorization". This table will be used throughout the entire translation process.
- Upload the contract documents at omnidoc.top. The file can be Word or PDF, and scanned PDFs also support direct upload. Choose the legal style to make the terminology more unified; choose the bilingual output method to facilitate checking the numbers paragraph by paragraph.
- After downloading the translation, first use Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on macOS) to search for "Appendix", "Exhibit" and "Appendix", and check whether each reference is consistent with the comparison table, especially the references in the text and the appendix directory.
- If you need to modify the paragraph text in the translation, you can modify it directly in the PDF editor of the desktop client, or put the Word file into the UniDoc web editor (app.unidoc.top) for adjustment. Check the number again after modification.
- For important terms, especially attachments involving amount, time limit, and scope of authorization, please check them one by one with a qualified translator or lawyer. The results of machine translation cannot replace professional review.
🎯 Which method is suitable for you?
If you only need to understand the gist of the contract, just use bilingual comparison and output, and then check the attachment number yourself. If the translation is to be used for signing, submission or filing, it is recommended to make a comparison table first and ask professionals to review the definitions and references of the attachment. If you have litigation materials instead of a contract, you must switch to the "evidence" system and cannot continue to use the translation of contract attachments.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Exhibit 10 What does 10 mean in the contract and how to write the translation?
In disclosure documents, Exhibit 10 is usually the number of a group of important contracts, and there may be sub-numbers such as 10.1 and 10.2 below. The translation can be written as "Attachment 10", and the sub-number can be written as "Attachment 10.1". The numbering should be consistent with the original text to facilitate readers' reference.
2. Is there a unified answer for exhibit translation into Chinese?
There is no absolutely unified answer, but in the text of the contract, "annex" is a common translation that is not likely to cause misunderstanding. Litigation materials often use "evidence" or "exhibits." Which one to choose depends on the nature of the document and local customs.
3. What is the difference between the translation of exhibit and exhibited?
Exhibit is often used as a noun, referring to accessories or exhibits; exhibited is the past tense or past participle of the verb exhibit. It is often used in phrases such as "as exhibited" in contracts, meaning "as shown below" or "included". The two cannot use the same translation.
4. Do I need to add spaces to the attachment number in the translation?
It is recommended to add spaces between Chinese, English and numbers, such as "Annex 10". However, the same document should be consistent and should not be written as "Attachment 10" in some cases and "Attachment 10" in others.
5. How to deal with the attachments of the scanned contract?
Scanned copies can be uploaded directly for translation. If you need to modify the text in the translation, you can first use the OCR function of the desktop client to process the scanned document and then edit it. OCR recognition results also require manual verification, especially numbers and numbers.
📝 Summary
The word "exhibit" in the contract is usually translated as "attachment", and the number is retained as it is, while the litigation materials are replaced by "evidence" or "evidence". By making a comparison table of attachments before translation and checking the text references one by one after translation, you can avoid inconsistencies in numbering. When important terms are involved, please submit the translation to a professional for review.
