Teaching and learning legal English in businessrelated majors: Advantages and disadvantagesx

ring career. On the other hand, educators need to be aware that students have to 
apply what they learn into interpreting documents in their own legal system. (Mishchenko, 
2010) All of the above put a great pressure on current Vietnamese teachers nowadays as it 
is not easy for universities and other educational institution to recruit and keep a lecturer 
who is good at both Legal English and real business operation. 
The next factor to be of concern is student’s patience and passion for learning. As 
mentioned before, Legal English is a kind of language that is not so easy to handle, 
especially for students whose English background are not good. For those who achieve 
high grade in International English tests like the TOEFL, or IELTS, comprehending 
English structures in legal context also cause difficulties. I have conducted a small 
experiment with a group of seven (7) students of different English background and 
understanding towards legal framework. With the help of online and offline materials, all 
were asked to translate the following part of a License Agreement between two 
corporations specializing in oil trading from The United States of America and Vietnam. 
Figure 2. Terms from AMTECOL License Agreement used in experiment 
Source: (AMTECOL & INDOCHINA, 2018) 
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247 
The experiment took place in about fifteen (15) minutes. The first student, who have 
achieved IELTS 8.5 and CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English) grade A finished the 
task earlier with only some small mistakes in translation, as shown in Figure 3. The 
remaining students with level of English equivalent to TOEIC 600 took more time to fulfill 
the assignment, and their work contained much more mistakes than that of the first. Their 
translation seemed to be made only by word-by-word technique, regardless of its flow and 
meaning in Vietnamese language. 
Figure 3. Translated version of Figure 2’s content 
It can be inferred from this small experiment that students’ ability in English affects 
how fluent they are when studying Legal English, even in the case they have achieved high 
recognition in various English tests. This would impact strongly on their motivation and 
interest in mastering Legal English. 
The time for Legal English learning and practice is another main issue to be 
addressed. Curricula in many universities which have business and economic majors 
consider Legal English as a small part in their English program. Students of Business 
English major at English Department, HCMC University of Education spend most of their 
time in studying many Business English subjects, in which Legal English is mentioned 
with a small proportion in some units of the textbook. In order to master it, what the 
students need is a systematic view of the structure, vocabulary and key points in 
translation. Meanwhile, students studying at DIBA HUFLIT only learn Legal English 
within fifteen (15) periods in the Subject of Import-export and International Payment, 
which is insufficient for building the basics of such language. Due to this limitation, the 
teaching and learning only focus on analysing sample contracts and documents (Chau, 
2015). 
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248 
On the other hand, lack of academic materials also raises an obstacle for teaching 
and learning Legal English. Despite the availability of sample items online, transferring 
knowledge require a systematic root, which is not mentioned commonly in current 
Business English textbooks used in university. This is also the reason why teachers have to 
spend much time preparing for lessons as they have to look for, read and analyse relevant 
documents in order to produce good lectures. 
4. Suggestions for improving teaching and learning Legal English in business-
related majors. 
4.1. For students 
4.1.1. Key points in learning 
* In terms of grammatical points which are worth memorizing and practicing, I would 
suggest the following: 
- Nguyen (2007) concluded that regarding the order and types of clauses, there are 
four (4) types of sentence structures to remember when learning Legal English in business 
and contractual context. 
(1) Main clause + Main clause (together with conjunctions such as and, but, or, etc.) 
(2) Main clause + Subordinating clause (or in reversed order) 
(3) Main clause + Subordinating clauses (more than two subordinating clause) 
(4) Subordinating clause A + Mail clause + Subordinating clause B 
Among these, type 4 is the most complicated and most commonly used in Legal 
English. Take a term from a rice export contract as an example “Should any dispute arise 
between the contracting parties to which no agreement can be reached, these disputes 
shall be settled by arbitration, which shall take place in Singapore as per arbitration rule 
number 125 of GAFTA.” (Chau, 2016). As can be seen, the above sentence is composed 
from the combination of Adverbial clause of condition and an Adjective clause, which 
makes it complex for readers. 
- It is also noted that the Simple present tense and the Passive voice are commonly 
used in Legal English, and sometimes accompanied by “shall” as modal verb, which 
means “must”. For example, a clause of Force Majeure terms says that “If at the end of 
Force Majeure period, shipment is still prevented by any of the above causes, the Contract 
shall be void unless a further extension is mutually agreed” (Chau, 2016). However, the 
use of passive voice and active voice should be appropriate so as to express the parties’ 
intention precisely; otherwise, it would lead the reader to unnecessary confusion when 
interpreting the terms (Nguyen, 2007). 
Tạp chí Khoa học Trường ĐHSP TPHCM Chau The Huu 
249 
* Regarding vocabulary to be used in the language of contract, besides terminology 
which is only available in specific contractual terms such as payment, delivery 
transportation or insurance terms, archaic terms (such as hereto or aforementioned, ect.) 
are also worth being paid attention due to their frequent appearance in such context. On the 
other hand, it is also noted that strings of synonymous words are commonly employed in 
legal documents, especially business contracts, as it helps both readers and compilers avoid 
misunderstanding or being insufficiently aware when trying to translate them into their 
own favoured languages. Some examples to be mentioned include terms and conditions; 
loss, injury or damage; by and between; final and binding; use, misuse or abuse, etc. 
(Zhang, 2014). 
* Translating the text of Legal English requires more effort than that of other kinds not 
only because of complicated vocabulary and structure but also due to appropriate skills and 
patience of the translator. In order for a word, phrase, sentence or paragraph to be fully 
understood and translated, it is advisable that the translator needs to find out its definition, 
the context in which the meaning of such term is conveyed, and the source of relevant 
ordinances and case (Northcott, 2013). 
4.1.2. Passion for learning 
Generating passion for learning is of great importance for students as it helps with 
placing the strong motivation when starting and continuing studying. Unlike other kinds of 
English, Legal English seems boring and demotivating to learners due to its own 
complexity. Therefore, students have to think forward of how useful it would be if they 
master it well, or how much they can use their own Legal English vocabulary and 
structures in solving daily problems in their lives and work. Moreover, students can seek 
advice from teachers whenever they encounter difficulties and lose their motivation in 
approaching problems of Legal English. 
4.2. For teachers and educational organizations 
The first thing that the teachers or lecturers need to do is to enhance their own 
understanding of both Legal English in terms of linguistics and knowledge of current 
domestic and international legal system. This is not an easy task, especially for those who 
are not specialized in these fields. It requires a high sense of responsibility together with 
strong patience when preparing for every lesson. Moreover, a thorough awareness of 
business environment does help the teachers in conveying lessons of corporate issues for 
students. 
Secondly, in order for the lecture to be well-prepared academically, I would strongly 
recommend the two books of the series Cambridge’s Professional English: “Introduction to 
International Legal English” and “International Legal English” by Amy Krois-Lindner and 
other co-authors. Both focus to build language skills in legal contexts. The former includes 
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250 
ten (10) units mentioning different aspects of each types of law such as contract law, 
criminal law, tort law, etc. (Krois-Lindner, Firth, & Translegal®, 2009) Meanwhile, the 
second is a more intensive one, which consists of fifteen (15) units giving a further and 
more comprehensive practice of skills in such contexts as employment law, contract 
remedies, intellectual property, etc. (Krois-Lindner & Translegal®, 2006). Moreover, 
accumulating online and up-to-date materials is considered as an obligatory work while 
preparing for Legal English lectures. Teachers who are in favour of business context 
application can find useful sample contracts and terms in WTO (World Trade 
Organization)’s or ICC (International Chamber of Commerce)’s website. Obviously, the 
students would find it appealing when being taught the lesson and given an opportunity to 
use what they have just learned to the real career or life. I would also recommend some 
types of exercises to be created to enhance student’s practice, which includes questions on 
terminology, translation and contractual terms composing. On the other hand, both 
listening, reading and speaking comprehension are also applicable. 
In addition, more time or credit should be allocated for the proportion of Legal 
English in corresponding subjects. Through this adjustment, the universities or educational 
organization has put the very first and serious step for this subject or topic to be addressed 
fully later. 
5. Conclusion 
It has been proved by the study that Legal English, in spite of its difficulty, has 
gained more attention from teachers, students and researchers so far thanks to its 
importance in both business and daily life. However, teaching and learning this kind of 
English include both strong and weak points, which are mostly due to the available 
materials and ability of both teachers and students. Finally, suggestions are given to the 
relevant parties, which include students, teachers and educational organizations. I would 
like to put a stress on connecting teaching knowledge and practicing in real circumstances 
as it is particularly influential in forming a good and thorough understanding of Legal 
English. Due to some limitations, namely little time for research, small scale in research 
methodology and some general guidelines, I still hope that this topic has drawn a picture 
with many colors. Further research into this topic may discuss more effective ways in 
developing each specific skill in legal context or focusing on other fields of Legal English, 
not just in business contracts as mentioned. 
 Conflict of Interest: Author have no conflict of interest to declare. 
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REFERENCES 
Amtecol, & Indochina. (2018). Amtecol license agreement. Retrieved from 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HRo8XWLpwJHPQ9ELHbwsXq9j4rKac5at/view?usp=shar
ing 
Chau, T. H. (2015). Facilitating Basic Legal English for DIBA students. Conference on Self-
accessing and restructuring Curricula at the Department of International Business 
Administration, Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages – Information 
technology. 
Chau, T. H. (2016). Some notes on English language in International Sales Contracts. Vietnam 
Logistics Review, (110), 68-71. 
Doan, T. H. V., & Kim, N. D. (2016). Textbook on Import-export management. Ho Chi Minh City: 
University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City Publishing house. 
Krois-Lindner, A., Firth, M., & Translegal®. (2009). Introduction to International Legal English - 
A course for classroom or self-study use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
Krois-Lindner, A., & Translegal®. (2006). International Legal English - A course for classrom or 
self-study use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
Ministry of Industry and Trade. (2018). Report on Imports and Exports of Vietnam 2017. Ha Noi 
Industry and Trade Publishing house. 
Mishchenko, V. (2010). Terminology translation in teaching legal English. English for Specific 
Purposes World, 9(29). 
Nguyen, X. M. (2011). Import-export contracts - Legal, Operational and Linguistic approach. Ho 
Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh City National University. 
Nguyen, T. Đ. (2007). International Trade Contracts (6th ed.): Hanoi Labour Publisher. 
Northcott, J. (2009). Teaching Legal English: Contexts and cases. English for specific purposes in 
theory and practice, 165-185. 
Northcott, J. (2013). Legal English. In B. Paltridge & S. Starfield (Eds.), The Handbook of English 
for Specific Purposes (pp. 210-226). London: Wiley-Blackwell. 
Zhang, G. (2014). A Comparative Analysis of Lexical Features of Contract English. International 
Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL), 2, 56-64. 
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GIẢNG DẠY VÀ HỌC TẬP TIẾNG ANH PHÁP LÍ 
 TRONG CÁC NGÀNH KINH DOANH: THUẬN LỢI VÀ KHÓ KHĂN 
Châu Thế Hữu 
Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ - Tin học Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 
Tác giả liên hệ: Châu Thế Hữu – Email: chauthehuuftu@gmail.com 
Ngày nhận bài: 18-3-2019; ngày nhận bài sửa: 13-6-2019; ngày duyệt đăng: 18-7-2019 
TÓM TẮT 
Bài viết được thực hiện nhằm chỉ ra những thuận lợi và khó khăn trong việc giảng dạy và 
học tập tiếng Anh pháp lí tại các trường đại học có các môn học liên quan đến kinh tế và kinh 
doanh. Phương pháp nghiên cứu là phương pháp định tính, được thực hiện thông qua việc thu thập 
và phân tích dữ liệu thứ cấp, kết hợp với quan sát và thử nghiệm của tác giả trong quá trình giảng 
dạy. Kết quả cho thấy bên cạnh một số thuận lợi như trình độ tiếng Anh khá của người học, sự đa 
dạng của tài liệu về cả lí thuyết lẫn thực hành và mức độ cập nhật vào chương trình dạy học của 
các trường có ngành đào tạo liên quan, việc dạy và học tiếng Anh pháp lí còn nhiều tồn tại cần 
khắc phục như: thiếu tài liệu giảng dạy, việc chuẩn bị bài tốn nhiều thời gian cũng như sự thiếu 
đam mê từ người học. 
Từ khóa: ESP, kinh doanh, kinh tế, hợp đồng, tiếng Anh pháp lí.