erfüllungshalber

English translation: as conditional payment

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:erfüllungshalber
English translation:as conditional payment
Entered by: Kim Metzger

17:52 Apr 1, 2003
German to English translations [PRO]
Law/Patents / legalese
German term or phrase: erfüllungshalber
For a general contract for an Austrian printing co.

"4.2 Zahlungen müssen kosten- und spesenfrei auf unsere in der Rechnung angegebenen Bankkonten geleistet werden. Wechsel und Schecks werden lediglich erfüllungshalber angenommen."

I’ve transl’d it as:
"Bills of exchange and checks will be accepted only for the purpose of settlement // fulfillment."
-- but I’m not happy with it.

Any better ideas out there (I’m sure!)? Thanks!
Beth Jones
Austria
Local time: 17:21
as conditional payment
Explanation:
I think this is what's meant here.

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Note added at 2003-04-01 19:49:38 (GMT)
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Checks are accepted as conditional payment. If not honored by bank, tax is unpaid and subject to penalties. A $10.00 fee will be charged for checks returned to us due to insufficient funds.

http://www.ci.northville.mi.us/Services/TaxAndAssessing/TaxR...

PAYMENT UNDER RESERVE
A conditional payment which will need to be repaid if the conditions under which it was made are not met. In trade finance transactions often concerns payments between banks conditional upon receipt of certain documents.

http://www.richardwillsher.com/?p=glossary:P
Selected response from:

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 10:21
Grading comment
As always, ***I thank you all *** for lending me your valuable time and vast expertise.

I think I understand your reservations regarding “conditional credit vs. conditional payment”, but as explained in these various sources (thnx!) and as taken within the paragraph’s “condition subsequent” and “terms & conditions of payment for printing services” context, it IS about conditional payment for services rendered.

Thanks again for your time and great ideas & answers! All have been duly noted for future reference.
:-) BJ
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +3for conditional credit only
Maureen Holm, J.D., LL.M.
4 +2on account of performance
Margaret Marks
3 +2as conditional payment
Kim Metzger
4 +1are accepted only contingent upon final settlement
gangels (X)
5will be accepted subject to clearance
Rod Darby (X)
4in fulfil(l)ment
David Moore (X)


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
as conditional payment


Explanation:
I think this is what's meant here.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-04-01 19:49:38 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Checks are accepted as conditional payment. If not honored by bank, tax is unpaid and subject to penalties. A $10.00 fee will be charged for checks returned to us due to insufficient funds.

http://www.ci.northville.mi.us/Services/TaxAndAssessing/TaxR...

PAYMENT UNDER RESERVE
A conditional payment which will need to be repaid if the conditions under which it was made are not met. In trade finance transactions often concerns payments between banks conditional upon receipt of certain documents.

http://www.richardwillsher.com/?p=glossary:P



    Gro�w�rterbuch Wirtschaftsenglish - Hamblock/Wessels
Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 10:21
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 22192
Grading comment
As always, ***I thank you all *** for lending me your valuable time and vast expertise.

I think I understand your reservations regarding “conditional credit vs. conditional payment”, but as explained in these various sources (thnx!) and as taken within the paragraph’s “condition subsequent” and “terms & conditions of payment for printing services” context, it IS about conditional payment for services rendered.

Thanks again for your time and great ideas & answers! All have been duly noted for future reference.
:-) BJ

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  conny
1 hr

agree  AMuller: reference Romain with comment: e.g a b.o.exch which will not operate as a discharge until it is honoured
1 hr

disagree  Maureen Holm, J.D., LL.M.: "Conditional payment" is backwards, suggests burden of satisfying condition is on recipient. See suggestion below.
1 hr
  -> See above. The burden is on the buyer.

agree  Margaret Marks: See below. I added an alternative so I had space to comment.
3 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
for conditional credit only


Explanation:
Translation:
"Bills of exchange or check will be accepted [received] *for conditional credit only.*"

Here, the term "credit" does the work of "erfüllungshalber". The buyer's payment will be recorded as a timely, adequate, etc. performance ("Zahlung eingegangen/erhalten am __"), but subject to presentation, reservation of rights, etc. The author would have been clearer had he said "subject to presentation," since that's the intent, but to translate it that way would be to take too much liberty with the text as is.

Also, the use here of "angenommen" creates problems because it's too readily translated as "accepted" which is a term with binding implications under the law of negotiable instruments. What the seller is saying is, "We'll take the check and give you credit for paying on time (and fully), but it better be good." "Received" is the cautious way to go, i.e. they won't reject the "Eingang."

**Note: It is the acceptance/credit which is conditional, not the payment. "Conditional payment" means that the payee/recipient bears the burden of satisfying a payor condition attached to the payment. Clearly not the author's intention here.



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Note added at 2003-04-01 20:29:03 (GMT)
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Comment on KM\'s reference above:

\"PAYMENT UNDER RESERVE
A conditional payment which will need to be repaid if the conditions under which it was made are not met. In trade finance transactions often concerns payments between banks conditional upon receipt of certain documents.

http://www.richardwillsher.com/?p=glossary:P\"

In this case, the bank is being paid subject to a *condition subsequent,* namely, the provision of certain documents. If the documents are not received, the payment made will be reversed, i.e. will have to be refunded to the bank that has paid out by the one which received the payment pending the documents, but did not provide them. This is analogous to a case where I, as buyer, send my money in for a product conditioned upon it turning out to be what I ordered, wanted, etc. My payment is conditional about my satisfaction. The condition is one imposed on the seller. Thus, as already indicated, I believe this reverses the case presented here. I also question the value of getting into bank-tobank transactions on a simple sale of goods case like this one. This kind of provision appears in most General Terms and Conditions of Sale.




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Note added at 2003-04-01 20:30:43 (GMT)
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Typo: \"conditional about\" should read \"conditional upon\"

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Note added at 2003-04-03 18:22:10 (GMT)
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The essence of the Zirbelholz material (different source), then, is as follows:

\"Übernimmt der Schuldner zum Zwecke der Befriedigung des Gläubigers
diesem gegenüber *eine neue Verbindlichkeit (z.B. Akzeptierung eines
Wechsels [meaning buyer authorizes/signs one, i.e. a payment instrument),* so ist im Zweifel anzunehmen, daß er nur erfüllungshalber leistet,
die alte Forderung also bestehen bleibt (§ 364 II BGB).\"

And he, too, then suggests something he views as better than \"conditional payment.\"

Maureen Holm, J.D., LL.M.
United States
Local time: 12:21
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 986

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Kim Metzger: It doesn't seem there's sufficient basis to conclude: "Clearly not the author's intention here"?
28 mins
  -> This NEUTRAL is not a response to the proposed answer. If you want to add justification to yours, why not add a note to your answer? Burden IS on buyer, indeed, therefore...

agree  gangels (X): agreed, the creditor cannot make a conditional payment to himself
17 hrs
  -> Thanks for seeing to the essence here. Seller is protected by a condition subsequent.

agree  writeaway
1 day 22 hrs
  -> thanks a lot

agree  William Stein: Good explanation.
2 days 5 mins
  -> Glad it's persuasive.
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
on account of performance


Explanation:
or: as conditional payment - Kim is right!
or: by way of provisional performance.
This is what I have in my database. It probably agrees with Kim's version. I gleaned this from a discussion on another forum (in Britain). A distinction is apparently made when you accept such a form of payment between 'erfüllungshalber' and 'an Erfüllungs Statt'. You have a Schuldverhältnis, let's call it a contractual arrangement. If you accept the bill an Erf. Statt, the contract is discharged, just as if payment had been made in cash. But if you accept it erf.halber, the contract continues in existence, thus your claim still exists and if the money doesn't materialize you can sue on it. And claim interest for late payment. This explanation came from the agency the translator who had this problem was working for.

'For the purpose of settlement' won't work (as you say) - it's just a word-for-word translation that doesn't really convey anything.


Agency's explanation: 1. Erfüllungshalber / Stundung Der Begriff "erfüllungshalber" hat einen rechtlichen Hintergrund. Ein Schuldverhältnis erlischt gemäß § 362 BGB, wenn die geschuldete Leistung bewirkt wird (hier: die Zahlung). Hat der Gläubiger (wir) hingegen eine andere (hier: Scheck oder Wechsel) als die geschuldete Leistung (hier: Zahlung) angenommen, ist zu unterscheiden, ob die Leistung an "Erfüllungs statt" oder "erfüllungshalber" angenommen wird. Nimmt er sie an "Erfüllungs statt" an, erlischt das Schuldverhältnis ebenfalls, so als ob der Schuldner bezahlt hätte (§ 364 BGB). Nimmt er sie "erfüllungshalber" ab, erlischt das Schuldverhältnis zunächst nicht, so dass z.B. für den Fall, dass der Scheck nicht gedeckt ist, der Zahlungsanspruch weiterhin besteht. Da die Herausgabe eines Schecks oder Wechsels nur erfüllungshalber erfolgt, ist die Leistung durch den Schuldner auch noch nicht bewirkt, so dass ggf. Verzuigszinsen geltend gemacht werden könnten. Das Schuldverhältnis erlischt also erst, wenn der entsprechende Betrag unwiderruflich unserem Konto gutgeschrieben ist. Würde man diesen Passus weglassen, könnte zumindest der Eindruck entstehen, dass während des Zeitraumes der Gutschrift des Schecks/Wechsels keine Zinsen anfallen, sondern wir mit dem verspäteten Eingang einverstanden und insofern eine zinsfreie Stundung gewähren würden.



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Note added at 2003-04-03 12:29:12 (GMT)
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Rather than \'as conditional payment\', something like \'conditional acceptance\' or \'accepted subject to full performance\'.

Margaret Marks
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:21
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 769

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Maureen Holm, J.D., LL.M.: Interesting. Supports my answer.
1 day 15 hrs
  -> Yes, I am much happier with the German definition than the English I offered, which is what I had saved. I don't really like your 'credit', though, because 'for credit' makes me think of 'on credit'. Would prefer 'conditional acceptance'.

agree  Kim Metzger: See Rod Darby's comment at http://www.proz.com/kudoz/176604?keyword=erf%2525FCllungshal...
1 day 17 hrs

agree  Rod Darby (X): Woywode and I are with you (one snag: are we right in quoting BGB for Austria? Hope no Austrians are listening!)
1 day 18 hrs
  -> Well, just put ABGB and change the number...
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19 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
are accepted only contingent upon final settlement


Explanation:
or: are accepted as pro forma payment only

gangels (X)
Local time: 10:21
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 5559

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Kim Metzger: 'For the purpose of settlement' won't work - it's just a word-for-word translation that doesn't really convey anything
2 hrs

agree  Maureen Holm, J.D., LL.M.: "Settlement" is the proper choice of term, Kim, especially for the draft (bill/exch). What's key is that the buyer is still on the hook despite the "Zahlungseinnahme/-eingang".
23 hrs

neutral  Margaret Marks: 'subject to' rather than 'contingent upon', and not 'pro forma payment', which suggests the payment isn't genuine.
23 hrs
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22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
in fulfil(l)ment


Explanation:
seems good to me, seems good to "der kleine Eichborn", too!

David Moore (X)
Local time: 17:21
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 9672
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1 day 22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
will be accepted subject to clearance


Explanation:
or: 'subject to being honoured'
Banks accept the paying-in of cheques subject to clearance, but I don't think that quite works for bills of exchange (of which cheques are a sub-set).
Palandt (62. Auflage) says "Während bei der Leistung an Erfüllungs statt die Forderung mit dem Bewirken der Leistung erlischt, tritt bei der Leistung erfüllungshalber Erfüllung erst ein, wenn sich der Gläubiger aus dem Geleisteten (i.e. the bill or cheque) befriedigt hat" on § 364 Abs. 2 BGB, so I think you're all basically right (only Zirbelholz is probably righter than most), it's just we're supposed to be helping Beth to find a translation that works, IMHO.
Rod
P.S. no apologies for the quaint language of the BGB, which was written in 1896.
P.P.S. see also my comments above re: Austrian and German law.


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Note added at 2003-04-03 16:12:00 (GMT)
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I suppose \"subject to payment\" would work , too

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Note added at 2003-04-03 16:19:42 (GMT)
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if you change Klaus Beyer\'s answer to \"subject to final settlement\", it begins to look pretty good!

Note to self: time to stop reading the other answers and get back to work.


    Palandt:/Heinrichs BGB � 364
Rod Darby (X)
Ghana
Local time: 16:21
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 193
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