英文法律文件涉及的“裁决/裁断”有多种表达方式，比较常见的有“judgment”“decision”“award”等，在实际使用时，有些词本身可能具有独特的含义，而有些词可以相互替换使用，下面分别就“verdict”“decree”“judgment”“decision”“sentence”和“award”进行详细详解：

Verdict

通常指陪审团就提交其审理的事项所作的正式裁决，但有时也指无陪审团审判时法官所作的裁决。一般可分为概括裁断（general verdict）和特别裁断（special verdict），前者是确定原告胜诉还是被告胜诉（民事案件中）或被告人有罪还是无罪（刑事案件中）的裁断，后者是陪审员仅对案件中的特定事项作出的裁决，而将对该事实适用法律的问题留给法官解决。通常只有在很特殊的案件中才作出特别裁断。

例句：

原文：

The court may submit to the jury forms for a general verdict, together with written questions on one or more issues of fact that the jury must decide. The court must give the instructions and explanations necessary to enable the jury to render a general verdict and answer the questions in writing, and must direct the jury to do both.（来源：Rule 49 (b) (1), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure）

译文：

法院可向陪审团提供一般裁断表格，并随附就陪审团必须裁决的一个或多个事实争论点提出的问题。法院必须向陪审团提供必要的指导和解释，以便陪审团作出一般裁断和以书面形式回答法院提出的问题，并且法院必须促使陪审团作出一般裁断和回答法院的问题。

Decree

尤指衡平法院的判决。衡平法中的判决是法庭在审理和听取各方辩论意见后，根据公平（equity）和良知（good conscience）原则确定诉讼各方权利而作出的裁决或命令，是法院对已查明事实的法律后果所做的宣告。在衡平法中，判决可分为终局判决（final decree）和中间判决（interlocutory decree）两类。在普通法诉讼与衡平法诉讼的程序合二为一后，一般用“judgment”代替“decree”。

例句：

原文：

A party affected by a decree of divorce or annulment providing for a division of property as provided by Chapter 7, including a division of property and any contractual provisions under the terms of an agreement incident to divorce or annulment under Section 7.006 that was approved by the court, may request enforcement of that decree by filing a suit to enforce as provided by this chapter in the court that rendered the decree.（Sec. 9.001 (a), Subchapter A, Chapter 9, Subtitle C, Title 1, Family Code (Texas)）

译文：

若离婚判决或无效婚姻判决规定按照第7章的规定分割财产，包括第7.006条项下经法庭批准的离婚或婚姻无效宣告附带的协议项下的分割财产以及任何合同条款，受到影响的一方可向作出离婚判决或无效婚姻判决的法院提起诉讼，要求另一方强制执行判决。

Judgment

指法庭对案件各方当事人的权利和义务或是否承担责任问题作出的最后决定。

例句：

原文：

在执行判决、裁定活动中，严重不负责任或者滥用职权，不依法采取诉讼保全措施、不履行法定执行职责，或者违法采取诉讼保全措施、强制执行措施，致使当事人或者其他人的利益遭受重大损失的，处五年以下有期徒刑或者拘役；致使当事人或者其他人的利益遭受特别重大损失的，处五年以上十年以下有期徒刑。（来源：《中华人民共和国刑法》第三百九十九条第三款）

译文：

Any judicial officer who, being seriously irresponsible or abusing his power in execution of judgments or orders, does not take preservation measures in litigation in accordance with law, or does not perform his statutory duty of execution, or unlawfully takes preservation measures in litigation or takes compulsory enforcement measures, thus causing heavy losses to the interests of the parties or other persons, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention; and if especially heavy losses are caused to the interests of the parties or other persons, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years but not more than ten years.

Decision

指对事实问题，有时也包括对法律问题进行考虑，评议之后所得出的结论。它是一种具有司法或准司法性质的决定，其行为主体多数情况下是法院，但也包括仲裁机关、行政机关或委员会等。不仅用于指终局判决（final judgment），也包括中间裁决（interlocutory order）。

例句：

原文：

采用刑讯逼供等非法方法收集的犯罪嫌疑人、被告人供述和采用暴力、威胁等非法方法收集的证人证言、被害人陈述，应当予以排除。收集物证、书证不符合法定程序，可能严重影响司法公正的，应当予以补正或者作出合理解释；不能补正或者作出合理解释的，对该证据应当予以排除。

在侦查、审查起诉、审判时发现有应当排除的证据的，应当依法予以排除，不得作为起诉意见、起诉决定和判决的依据。

（来源：《中华人民共和国刑事诉讼法》第五十六条）

译文：

A confession of a criminal suspect or defendant extorted by torture or obtained by other illegal means and a witness or victim statement obtained by violence, threat, or other illegal means shall be excluded. If any physical or documentary evidence is not gathered under the statutory procedure, which may seriously affect justice, correction or justification shall be provided; otherwise, such evidence shall be excluded.

If it is discovered during the criminal investigation, examination and prosecution, or trial of a case that any evidence shall be excluded, such evidence shall be excluded and not be used as a basis for a prosecution proposal, a prosecution decision, and a sentence.

Sentence

通常指刑事判决，即法院正式宣告对已作有罪答辩或已被定罪的刑事被告人所判处的刑罚的判决。

例句：

原文：

在被告人最后陈述后，审判长宣布休庭，合议庭进行评议，根据已经查明的事实、证据和有关的法律规定，分别作出以下判决：

(一)案件事实清楚，证据确实、充分，依据法律认定被告人有罪的，应当作出有罪判决；

(二)依据法律认定被告人无罪的，应当作出无罪判决；

(三)证据不足，不能认定被告人有罪的，应当作出证据不足、指控的犯罪不能成立的无罪判决。

（来源：《中华人民共和国刑事诉讼法》第二百条）

译文：

After a defendant makes his closing statement, the presiding judge shall announce an adjournment, and the collegial panel shall conduct deliberation and, based on the established facts and evidence and according to relevant legal provisions, render a sentence as follows:

(1) if the facts of a case are clear, evidence is hard and sufficient, and the defendant is found guilty in accordance with the law, the collegial panel shall render a guilty sentence;

(2) if the defendant is found innocent in accordance with the law, the collegial panel shall render an acquittal sentence; or

(3) if the defendant cannot be found guilty for insufficient evidence, the collegial panel shall render an acquittal sentence stating that the charges are denied for insufficient evidence.

Award

通常指仲裁裁决。

例句：

原文：

仲裁庭在作出裁决前，可以先行调解。当事人自愿调解的，仲裁庭应当调解。调解不成的，应当及时作出裁决。

调解达成协议的，仲裁庭应当制作调解书或者根据协议的结果制作裁决书。调解书与裁决书具有同等法律效力。

（来源：《中华人民共和国仲裁法》第五十一条）

译文：

Before giving an award, an arbitration tribunal may first attempt to conciliate. If the parties apply for conciliation voluntarily, the arbitration tribunal shall conciliate. If conciliation is unsuccessful, an award shall be made promptly.

When a settlement agreement is reached by conciliation, the arbitration tribunal shall prepare the conciliation statement or the award on the basis of the results of the settlement agreement. A conciliation statement shall have the same legal force as that of an award.

注：

词语解释部分源自《元照英美法词典》。