D002: The language in contracts

Contracts need to be unambiguous. Writing something unambiguously is not easy. However, I feel all contracts are purposefully written in such a convoluted way to make them harder to understand. I wonder why.

Paradoxically, the convoluted language obscures the message it is trying to convey. Thus, multiple interpretations are possible.

If there is a disagreement between the parties, lawyers need to be hired to fight over the different interpretations of such contract. I have never been in such a situation, and I hope I never will.

Perhaps, if contracts were written in plain English, we wouldn't need so many (high-paid) lawyers. I don't know. Since contracts are mostly written by lawyers, it is not crazy to think they do it in a way that benefits the guild.

Things get more complicated when a contract is written in a language that you don't speak. You need to rely on shitty Google translations or your friend's help.

Why am I thinking about all this? Well, it seems that I'll spend a good deal of my weekend carefully reading a contract in Dutch.

#Daily