Kansai Area Activities

An Introduction to Plain Legal English:
Making sense of the nonsense

If you have ever worked with, experienced, or been otherwise confounded by the turgid nonsense that pervades much of traditional legal English, then this presentation is for you. Drawing heavily on the works of respected lawyers and law professors, noted lexicographers and writers, and other authoritative sources in the field of legal English, I’ll guide you through the muck of archaic gobbledygook, making sure that you come out with your shoes clean.

We’ll start by looking briefly at plain legal English in general, at what it is, how it started, and who advocates it. Then after addressing the critics and their criticisms, we will take a detailed look at some of the elements of this modern legal English used by polished lawyers and other law professionals.

For example, we’ll dispel some of the “myths of precision” surrounding traditional legal English; we’ll place some words and phrases under the microscope for a thorough examination, words like shall, such, and (shudder) said, and phrases like provided that; and we’ll even see what the professionals have to say about, among other things, splitting infinitives, using and/or, and beginning sentences with But and And.

You will not only leave with more clarity towards legal English than what you came with, you will also leave knowing, e.g., how Lewis Carroll’s Humpty Dumpty and March Hare can help make lawyers’ and your writing better. Freelance and in-house translators alike will benefit from this presentation, but anyone who cares about the quality of their writing or who’s had enough of nonsense in print will find something of value to take home.

Kyal Hill is a Kiwi–Australian translating in-house at one of Japan’s top commercial Japanese law firms (though his opinions are his alone and not necessarily shared by the firm). He has a masters degree in translation and interpreting and is professionally accredited as a translator in Australia, where he freelanced for 18 months before coming to Tokyo. Kyal is the Japan representative for Clarity, an international association promoting plain legal language.

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