Legal Communication in International Settings: Interlingual Cultural Issues in Croatian Legal Communication across Professional Contexts
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Abstract
This study explores the challenges Croatian legal professionals face in international legal communication, focusing on the use of foreign legal languages, particularly English. As globalization increases cross-border legal interactions, lawyers, judges, notaries, and corporate counsel are required to communicate across legal systems and cultures. Through interviews with 16 professionals, the research identifies key difficulties, including conceptual and terminological mismatches, system-bound legal terms, and divergent legal procedures. While most participants actively engage in multilingual legal work, many lack formal training in legal language and rely on personal strategies such as online research, peer consultation, and bilingual documentation. The study highlights a strong need for specialized training in foreign legal languages, comparative law, and drafting, especially in areas like contract and company law. It concludes that enhancing intercultural and linguistic competence is essential for improving communication accuracy and legal certainty in international contexts.
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