Out with Common Law, In with a System of Our Own: Incorporating Native Language Documents in Legal English Classes
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| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | To make pre-service Legal English classes as relevant as possible to law students' future language needs, there has been a gradual shift from teaching (about) Common Law to placing more emphasis on International Law and the legal system of the country where graduates are most likely to practice. Lawyers working with clients in an increasingly multinational society need to master cross-language mediation—rendering legal texts from the language of the country they practice in into English for the benefit of their clients. For example, if a client receives a letter about impending legal action, the lawyer must ensure the client understands its significance and can take appropriate steps. This endeavour requires a specific set of skills to be taught and practised. Effective strategies include assessing one’s confidence in term equivalents. If a law student is confident of the English translation, they can use it. If unsure, they should either explain the term in different words or avoid it altogether, focusing on conveying the overall meaning of the text rather than specific vocabulary. All of this will be demonstrated using samples of student work. |