Zu einigen problematischen Fragen der Fachsprachenvermittlung am Beispiel des Deutschunterrichts bei Juristen

Abstract

This article deals with the subject of language teaching using the example of German lessons for lawyers. As part of the “Justice for Development” project, free language teaching was offered to judges, prosecutors, lawyers, police and other Latvian legal system employees in 2018. The language selection was limited to 3 foreign languages: English, German and French. Because it was teaching of the professional language (language for special purposes), no beginner groups were formed, and no beginner lessons offered. The participants should at least have knowledge of German at level A 2 with the prospect of offering the opportunity to further develop their knowledge at other levels. Before the beginning of the project, the needs assessment was also carried out internally and the teachers were presented the results of this analysis in a summarized form, where they could see the main topics and wishes of the participants. The following thematic groups were predominant: Civil Law, Commercial Law and Criminal Law. Most of the group members were judges. The main aims of the participants: to learn German were to be able to attend German conferences and to communicate privately, and to read legal documents. During the teaching process arose several problems, which were discussed in more detail in the article, which were the lack of appropriate teaching and learning materials, different fields of interest of the participants and also little experience in the legal field of the teacher. Working with original documents is still difficult in A2 level German classes. Existing textbooks specializing in legal language are difficult to access, limited number, published 10–20 years ago, are morally obsolete, and contain institutional and phenomenon designations that no longer exist. Materials published in Germany or on the Internet can present the German legal system, but in Latvia the judicial system differs. These materials can only be used in contrast. It is also advisable to use feature films about German judges and attorneys, where you can also learn the necessary legal vocabulary when relaxing. Co-operation between the lecturer and the group members is also highly recommended, as their rich legal experience enables them to improve the quality of German language lessons. The learning process should also emphasize the importance of autonomous learning and the differentiation/ individualization of teaching and learning.