ABSTRACT
Much applied linguistic work on language and law has focused on the description of features of legal discourse; for example in written legal documents and face-to-face interactions in court. Early studies suggest that specialised legal communication is difficult for non-specialists to access as it follows conventions that are unique to legal culture. The work on language and law now suggests three main types of cultural factors that may hinder communication in legal contexts. First, intercultural communication problems may arise between legal specialists and non-specialist participants in legal processes when the communication takes place in the same national and legal setting. Second, interactions between legal specialists and non-specialists may be further complicated when participants from different national cultures are involved. Non-specialist participants require assistance not only with issues of language, but also with issues related to culture difference. Third, problems of intercultural communication arise in multilingual and multicultural contexts, for example, where legal rules are drafted to apply across legal systems and national contexts. This chapter explores issues in intercultural communication in legal contexts with reference to these three sets of factors.
