定金和押金如何翻译？

刚开始肯定是查deposit咯

Deposit含义多，与定金有关的是里面的security deposit。

Money placed with a person as earnest money or security for the performance of a contract. • The money will be forfeited if the depositor fails to perform.  — Also termed security deposit.

用earnest money来解释，于是去查它

A deposit paid (often in escrow) by a prospective buyer (esp. of real estate) to show a good-faith intention to complete the transaction, and ordinarily forfeited if the buyer defaults.

有点循环定义的感觉……

都是为了担保交易/合同的履行，违约都会被没收。

词义来看，earnest是serious的意思，earnest money就是serious money，不是闹着玩了。

deposit则是“交给别人”，用作担保，类似“押金”。韦氏词典的解释就体现这个意思：

money that you pay when you buy or rent something and that you can get back if you return the thing or leave it in good condition

Earnest money还有比例限制，与我们的定金（20%）有点像

“The amount of earnest money deposited rarely exceeds 10 percent of the purchase price, and its primary purpose is to serve as a source of payment of damages should the buyer default.”John W. Reilly, The Language of Real Estate 131 (4th ed. 1993).

布莱克还让我们去参考另外一个词：binder

Loosely, the buyer's initial payment in the sale of real property. Cf. EARNEST MONEY.

意思和前两个差不多

元照给了两个含义：

(2)(不动产转让的)定金收据；(3)(广义上指)不动产转让的首付款

用deposit或earnest money翻译定金似乎都可以

再来看“押金”

押金似乎不是法定概念，不像定金，是一种法定担保形式

押金的规则取决于当事人的约定，一般的概念是，支付押金的一方违约，押金会被扣留

若有双倍返还约定，则押金变成定金。估计单纯的押金，是没有顺倍返还的

从这些特征来看，押金倒是有点“现金质押”的性质

所以，实践中有cash pledge这种译法，从这个角度来看，还颇为贴切

不过，英美法中的deposit和earnest也没有法定的双倍返还规定，所以用来翻译押金也没有障碍，而且好多这种用法。

所以，我们找不到定金和押金的固定用法，也没法固定，一切有待上下文和定义。