Well, perhaps it's best to start with what it's not.

這個嘛，我們最好從它「不是」什麼開始講起。

It's not a single, official big book of laws, and it's not enforced by an international police.

它不是一大本單一的官方法律條文，也不會由國際警察來執行。

And cases are not heard by a single court.

而且相關的案件不會由一個單一法庭來審理。

No, it's a little more complicated than this.

不，它比這更復雜一些。

Instead, it's a set of agreements and customs that most countries follow, most of the time.

相對的，它是一套大多數國家在多數情況下都會遵循的協議和習慣。

These agreements cover the rights and duties of states about things like war, human rights, trade and diplomacy.

這些協議涵蓋了國家在像是戰爭、人權、貿易與外交問題上的權利與義務。

They can be treaties: written agreements that countries sign like a contract.

它們可能是條約形式：也就是國家們像是簽署一紙契約一樣的書面協議。

Or they can be what law calls 'customs': these are principles and ideas that many already follow.

或者它們也可能是法律上稱為「習慣法」的形式：也就是許多國家已經在遵循者的原則與想法。

These agreements only apply to countries, not companies or individuals.

這些協議只適用於國家，對公司或個人並不適用。

And this can get complicated because some corporations are bigger than countries.

而這使得情況變得更加複雜，因為有些公司的規模其實比國家還要更大。

All this means international law has to keep evolving to fit our changing world.

這意味著國際法必須不斷革新，才能適應我們不斷變化著的世界。