玩忽职守罪的英文表达为“crime of dereliction of duty”或“negligence of duty”，有些语境中也可直接用“negligence”一词，玩忽职守罪是国家机关工作人员对工作严重不负责任，致使公共财产、国家和人民的利益遭受重大损失的行为。按中国刑法属于渎职罪（crime of misconduct in office）。

玩忽职守罪主要特征：

犯罪主体必须是国家机关工作人员。

主观上出于行为人职务上的过失，如疏忽大意、过于自信、擅离职守等。

客观上表现为因行为人不履行或不正确履行应负的职责，致使公共财产、国家和人民利益造成重大损失。

《中华人民共和国刑法》第三百九十七条规定：国家机关工作人员滥用职权或者玩忽职守，致使公共财产、国家和人民利益遭受重大损失的，处三年以下有期徒刑或者拘役；情节特别严重的，处三年以上七年以下有期徒刑。本法另有规定的，依照规定。

Any functionary of a State organ who abuses his power or neglects his duty, thus causing heavy losses to public money or property or the interests of the State and the people, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention; if the circumstances are especially serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years, except as otherwise specifically provided in this Law.

参考双语例句：

The Government shall be responsible for dealing with any claims which may be brought by third persons against UNESCO, against members of its staff or against other persons employed by the Regional Centre, and shall hold UNESCO and the above-mentioned parties harmless from any claims or liabilities resulting from operations of the Regional Centre under this Agreement, except where it is agreed by UNESCO and the Government that such claims or liabilities arise from the gross negligence or wilful misconduct of such persons.

政府负责处理可能由第三方对教科文组织、其工作人员或地区中心雇用的其他人员提出的任何索赔，并使教科文组织和上述人员不因地区中心根据本协定开展的业务所引起的索赔或债务而 受到损害，但经教科文组织和政府商定，属于上述人员严重玩忽职守或蓄意行为不当所造成的索赔或债务除外。

It is not the case that every death that occurs in custody constitutes a violation of the

Convention; moreover, even where a State’s agents were negligent, resulting in the death of a person in their custody, and should incur liability under domestic tort law for the harm caused by their negligence, it is not necessarily the case that this negligence will also constitute “cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment” as proscribed by the Convention.

并不是监管之下发生的每一起死亡事件都构成违反《公约》的行为；此外，即便是国家执法人员玩忽职守，致其监管之下的人死亡，而且应该根据国内侵权法的规定为自己的疏忽造成的危害承担责任，这种疏忽也不一定构成《公约》禁止的“残忍、不人道或有辱人格的待遇或处罚。