This study focuses on the English translation of the Real Rights Section of the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China. Under the guidance of Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar, it examines the modal meanings by conducting a statistical analysis of the distribution of the modal operators with low, median, and high values in the English translation. The research findings indicate that the translation contains the highest frequency of the modal operators with median values, followed by the modal operators with low values, while the modal operators with high values are used the least frequently. The modal operators with median values are moderate in tone, and their extensive uses in the translation reflect the supervisory and regulatory function of the law while avoiding an impression of coercion or arbitrariness. The modal operators with low values are weak in tone, and their appropriate uses in the translation serve the purpose of advice and recommendations while maintaining accuracy and authority. The modal operators with high values are strong in tone, and their limited uses in the translation prevent the legal norms from sounding overly commanding, while demonstrating the solemnity and rigor of legal texts. The diverse employment of modal expressions in the translation of the Real Rights Section effectively fulfills the functions of clearly defining rights, obligations, establishing agreements, permissions, authorizations, and prohibitions towards applicable subjects.