The aim of this course is to comprehend and examine in depth the legal vocabulary and the reading, writing and communication strategies introduced in the basic course of Legal English, with a special focus on the terminological instruments and the skills required in legal English for specific consultancy, negotiations, contracts and communication contexts. Students will be able to develop fluency in legal English, skills when they need to use terms of art and advanced legal English words, as well as abilities when they are required to interpret, write and/or translate a legal document comparing Common law and Civil Law principles and institutions.
During the course, students will read, translate and study several legal texts, in order to highlight the linguistic techniques adopted in each specific legal situation and the differences between Legal and Plain English. The course includes in-depth studies on case-law texts and on the legal English glossary of the European Union, as well as comparisons between the main principles and juridical institutions of Common Law countries (such as United Kingdom and U.S.A.) and the Italian legal system. Additionally, the course focuses on the selection of particular databases, web-corpora and legal websites to improve computer skills in case of advanced online researches concerning legal terminology.
Students will be able to use properly the legal vocabulary acquired and to discuss legal matters in English with autonomous evaluations and critical sensibility based on proper hermeneutics and on the capacity to examine accurately the linguistic and juridical pillars of any type of legal document to translate or consult.
Core prerequisite is the knowledge of English language equal or superior to the B1 level defined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The course includes five thematic fields: company law, criminal law, trust law, succession law and law on labor safety and hygiene. Each part of the course embraces a comparison of the most relevant principles, institutions and terms of art between Common Law countries and Italian law, the analysis of the most useful legal resources for translations and/or drafting of legal documents, as well as considerations on the linguistic and juridical influence of international organizations and conventions on the matters examined.
The first part of the course will be dedicated to Company Law in Common Law countries (especially in the UK and in the U.S.A.) and in the European Union and to the main language and juridical differences with the Italian Company Law. In particular, students will focus on the vocabulary and on common linguistic difficulties in this field. For example, they will examine the most relevant linguistic aspects in the translation of legal documents regarding company types, company management and operations, incorporation process, stock exchange, contracts and legal documents used by companies (such as comfort letters and shareholders’ agreements), as well as financial and accounting status (such as shares, debentures, bonds and Financial Statement).
In the second part of the course, students will study aspects of the language adopted in criminal law in Common Law countries and in key concepts such as the elements of a crime, the criminal liability, the excuse and the criminal defenses, the circumstances of a crime and the participation in crime. In particular, students will analyze the most relevant crimes against person and against property, focusing on specific translations and terminological databases regarding crimes and sentences.
The third portion of the course will be dedicated to trust. Students will explore the main international conventions of this sector, the types of trust, its general clauses and the difference between trust and trust company.
In the fourth part of the course, there will be an introduction to the law applicable to succession in Common Law countries and in Italy. Students will ob