Status quaestionis: Multiple perspectives on English Legal Language and Translation

The contemporary landscape of Legal English is increasingly defined by a shift from a monolithic entity to a diverse array of Legal Englishes, reflecting the role of English as a global lingua franca in legal, judicial and institutional settings. Within multilayered legal systems, practitioners and professionals from various fields (e.g. lawyers, judges, translators and interpreters, but also public servants) must navigate national, supranational, and international varieties, which often leave linguistic "traces" in texts, such as when supranational law is transposed into national legislation or when international case law interacts with national legislation. The interaction between varieties, and the need for translation in many communicative settings, may lead to significant hurdles for Legal English terminology, but also to a (rapid) evolution beyond terminology of both Legal English and other languages for legal purposes.

In recent years, the awareness of the wide audience which legal and judicial written and spoken communication may reach has been driving simplification in legal drafting, translation, and institutional communication to ensure that information is accessible to laypersons. This focus on inclusion encompasses the implementation of plain language and easy-to-read language, which require a detailed profiling of the target audience, as well as the use of gender-neutral and gender-sensitive language. Furthermore, the dissemination of legal knowledge has been expanding through knowledge mediation, popularization, transmediation, and transcreation, recurring for instance to visual design and modern media entertainment/infotainment to explain complex law to the general public.

These shifts present profound challenges in both using and teaching Legal English(es) and legal translation, which are changing at an incredibly fast pace due to the incorporation of innovative technologies, specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs). Despite the benefits brought by AI and LLMs, their application in specialized legal translation raises critical concerns regarding accuracy, data reliability, and ethical implications.

Given the variety of aspects that fall within the broad areas of Legal English(es) and legal translation in and to English and the need to adopt interdisciplinary and mixed-method approaches to study them, this seminar is intended as a platform where scholars with different expertise engage in scholarly dialogue aimed at fostering research interaction and possibly collaboration.