Siehe related discussion

I don't agree with Uho

Diese Übersetzung scheint mir eher in Richtung Fußnote zu gehen, oder? Ich meinte eher Randnummer im Sinne einer Nummerierung von Textabschnitten, die häufig, aber nicht immer Absätzen entsprechen.

Sorry guys, but the truly correct legal translation of Rdn (Randnummer) is "recital". Sources:

Recital \Re*cit"al\ (r[-e]*s[imac]t"al), n. [From {Recite}.]
1. The act of reciting; the repetition of the words of
another, or of a document; rehearsal; as, the recital of
testimony.


[1913 Webster]


2. A telling in detail and due order of the particulars of
anything, as of a law, an adventure, or a series of
events; narration. --Addison.


[1913 Webster]


5. (Law) The formal statement, or setting forth, of some
matter of fact in any deed or writing in order to explain
the reasons on which the transaction is founded; the
statement of matter in pleading introductory to some
positive allegation. --Burn.


[1913 Webster]


Syn: Account; rehearsal; recitation; narration; description;
explanation; enumeration; detail; narrative.

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/elj/jil... - Footnotes 78 and 87, as well as in the Bibliography under Heinrichts.

The original question relates to German commentaries which use both page numbers and numbers in the margins for reference. The reference to "Palandt-Heinrichs, § 145 BGB Rn. 3" is therefore a reference to the third margin note of the commentary on § 145 BGB (which is probably more precise than the page number).

It is NOT a reference to the law itself.

I read law at university, but never came across this form of referencing prior to moving to Austria, which is probably why finding a translation is also problematic. There is a fairly good description of its use in German-speaking countries in Wikipedia: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randnummer.

Correction to the above comments. Marginal note would be more like a Randbemerkung.