English communicative competence and predominant language for online use through smartphones in Croatia as compared to Slovenia

The study explores which languages are predominant in the online use among the targeted participant population in Croatia and Slovenia and examines the association between the partic-ipants’ smartphone online use of English and preferred subtitling mode with their perceived communicative competence in English. The findings indicate that in both nationality groups the use of English prevails in receptive language activities, in particular listening and audio-visual reception, while mother tongues are mainly used for productive and interactive activities. Participants who prefer English when engaging in online informal activities through their smartphones and who use English or no subtitles when watching video content also assess their competence in English to be on higher levels

FORMUŁOWANIE POTRZEB PRAWNIKÓW W ZAKRESIE JĘZYKA ANGIELSKIEGO PRAWNICZEGO: STUDIUM PORÓWNAWCZE CZTERECH KRAJÓW EUROPEJSKICH

The paper reports on a survey into the linguistic needs of law professionals in four European countries, with the aim of identifying their views on the importance and their use of foreign language skills as well as their preferences for ELP course content. The data, obtained from a questionnaire survey of 536 legal professionals from Poland, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Germany, show that while the respondents agree on many of the major points, there are also some differences conditioned by the respondents’ age and the specific tasks they perform in the legal profession. The article argues that these variables have to be taken into consideration in the LSP context because they determine some of the specific needs that need to be addressed in Legal English instruction. It is suggested that the findings about the lawyers’ self-perceived importance and preferred styles of learning are highly relevant for LSP practitioners, particularly when designing Legal English programmes and testing materials.Artykuł stanowi badanie potrzeb lingwistycznych osób wykonujących zawody prawnicze w krajach europejskich, w celu określenia ich poglądów co do ważności i użytkowania przez nich języków obcych oraz pod kątem treści kursów prawniczego języka angielskiego. Analizowane w artykule dane pochodzą z ankiety wypełnionej przez 536 prawników w Polsce, Czechach, Chorwacji i Niemczech. Wskazują one, że respondenci są zgodni w zakresie głównych kwestii, jednakoż istnieją wśród nich pewne różnice poglądowe, które zależą od ich wieku oraz określonych aktywności realizowanych w danym zawodzie prawniczym. W artykule podjęto polemikę nad faktem, iż takie różnice winny być uwzględnione w zakresie nauczania języków specjalistycznych, ponieważ identyfikują określone potrzeby i z tego względu należy je brać pod uwagę w nauczaniu prawniczego języka angielskiego. Autorki sugerują, że wskazania indywidualnej oceny roli języków obcych i preferowanego stylu uczenia się powinny być aplikowane podczas opracowywania programów nauczania i oceny języka specjalistycznego, a szczególnie języka prawniczego angielskiego, kierowanego do prawników

Action Research in Designing and Implementing Courses of English for Legal Purposes

English for Legal Purposes (ELP) appears to be gaining popularity and acquiring a new dimension in many countries. An increasing number of legal professionals (i.e. law students and legal practitioners) consider their General English satisfactory but desire to learn the language of their professional domain, as they believe it will bring them improved job prospects in the future. There are some aspects of ELP teaching that can be both a hindrance and a challenge for ELP teachers. These include the lack of curricula for teaching Legal English at tertiary level institutions and the restricted number of teaching resources and guidelines with reference to teaching Legal English available on the market. This article draws on the outcomes of a three-year research project, which was undertaken to design, implement, and evaluate an ELP programme for adult professionals. The research project was conducted among 293 legal professionals in Poland and took the form of an action research model - a research tool that is not often exploited by scholars despite its unquestionable valu

Cultural Dimensions Of Legal Discourse

Despite the intention for precision and accuracy, legal discourse is oftentimes complex, archaic and ambiguous - which gives rise to contentious interpretation. Moreover, little or no attention is paid to the cultural dimension of legal discourse, which plays a critical role in the translation and interpretation of legal texts, as well as in the application of law. This paper endeavours to illustrate the impact the culture, or, more precisely, legal culture has on the way legal texts are construed or translated and to present problems which arise in the interpretation, translation and application of law as a result of cultural diversitie

English communicative competence and predominant language for online use through smartphones in Croatia as compared to Slovenia

The study explores which languages are predominant in the online use among the targeted participant population in Croatia and Slovenia and examines the association between the participants’ smartphone online use of English and preferred subtitling mode with their perceived communicative competence in English. The findings indicate that in both nationality groups the use of English prevails in receptive language activities, in particular listening and audio-visual reception, while mother tongues are mainly used for productive and interactive activities. Participants who prefer English when engaging in online informal activities through their smartphones and who use English or no subtitles when watching video content also assess their competence in English to be on higher levels

ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF LAWYERS IN LEGAL ENGLISH: A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN FOUR EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES

The paper reports on a survey into the linguistic needs of law professionals in four European countries, with the aim of identifying their views on the importance and their use of foreign language skills as well as their preferences for ELP course content. The data, obtained from a questionnaire survey of 536 legal professionals from Poland, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Germany, show that while the respondents agree on many of the major points, there are also some differences conditioned by the respondents’ age and the specific tasks they perform in the legal profession. The article argues that these variables have to be taken into consideration in the LSP context because they determine some of the specific needs that need to be addressed in Legal English instruction. It is suggested that the findings about the lawyers’ self-perceived importance and preferred styles of learning are highly relevant for LSP practitioners, particularly when designing Legal English programmes and testing materials

The Role of Smartphones for Online Language Use in the Context of Polish and Croatian Students of Different Disciplines

Easy and cheap access to the Internet and a wide array of new technologies, such as smartphones, have multiplied opportunities for online informal learning of English (OILE). Yet, despite sizeable research, few studies have examined the issue of OILE in the context of university students of different disciplines. The aim of this research study was to examine the role of online language use through smartphones among students of various disciplines and its possible effects on enhancement of their foreign language skills. The study assumed both qualitative and quantitative methodology encompassing three research instruments: an online survey, the self-assessment language competence grid of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL; Council of Europe, 2001) and a semi-structured interview. Data were collected with 377 students from two universities: University of Białystok, Poland and University of Osijek, Croatia. The research outcomes indicate that both Croatian and Polish students of different disciplines use their smartphones chiefly for receptive activities with infrequent use for language learning purposes and the predominant use of the mother tongue or English for the listed online activities through smartphones do not significantly affect the self-assessed level of their communicative competence in English. However, it can be stated that the choice of the preponderant language for online use through smartphones, especially for study-related issues, is conditioned by the students’ discipline of study

English communicative competence and predominant language for online use through smartphones in Croatia as compared to Slovenia

The study explores which languages are predominant in the online use among the targeted participant population in Croatia and Slovenia and examines the association between the partic-ipants’ smartphone online use of English and preferred subtitling mode with their perceived communicative competence in English. The findings indicate that in both nationality groups the use of English prevails in receptive language activities, in particular listening and audio-visual reception, while mother tongues are mainly used for productive and interactive activities. Participants who prefer English when engaging in online informal activities through their smartphones and who use English or no subtitles when watching video content also assess their competence in English to be on higher levels