Facing a subject area that is new to a teacher of English : challenges in teaching legal English as a second language

Abstract

The internationalization of commerce has established English as an international language both at the European and global level, obliging non-native English speaking legal practitioners and law students to specialize in Legal English. International events usually bring together people from different linguistic and socio-cultural backgrounds and, as a result, a common language of communication is frequently adopted – the lingua franca of today’s world of law is predominantly English, which enables communication among lawyers and law practitioners coming from a variety of cultural surroundings. The article aims at highlighting certain aspects of teaching Legal English by teachers of English who are not experts in law. Teaching texts about another area of study has long been considered a challenge for ESP teachers. Law as a field of science presumes awareness and understanding of distinctions between different legal systems; it is regarded as an extremely precise and concise discipline allowing minimum interpretation according to specific principles. [...]