Legal Dutch

Teacher(s)

De Rey Sébastien;

Language

Dutch

Main themes

Knowledge of legal terminology is developed by studying legal texts, chosen in the largest possible sense, for the richness of their vocabulary and their legal construction. The following is thus examined, analysed and commented on during the magistrates' course: legal texts; contracts; notarial deeds; pleadings of lawyers; jurisprudence. An active knowledge of Dutch is developed by : 1) teaching certain specific subjects (e.g. common principles of positive law, formal sources of that law, the role of jurisprudence, judicial organisation). These subjects are clearly indicated and do not exceed 50 pages. 2) discussing with the students the texts that have been used and commented on during the course. 3) requiring individual efforts from the students, consisting in the preparation of texts that are reviewed during the course, or in the drafting of Dutch texts related to texts that have already been translated and commented on during the course. In order to encourage the students to make individual efforts, it should be noted that they are warned that these efforts are partly taken into account in the final grade of the exam.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	1. General part, common to the three courses on legal terminology. In each language, the course aims at (1) acquiring a passive knowledge in general, enabling the student to understand a legal text or statement in that language and to acquire an initial active knowledge; (2) specifically : (a) acquiring basic legal knowledge in, essentially, all legal fields; (b) learning a translation method, evaluating the extent to which legal terms in a foreign language can be expressed using their French counterparts, enabling the reader who has no knowledge of the original text to grasp the arguments without confusion; (c) an introduction to the professional use of specialised reference books, especially legal dictionaries.

Evaluation methods

The evaluation takes the form of a written examination (unless only a very small number of students are registered for the examination, in which case it could be oral).
Nothing can be brought to the examination.

Other information

Prerequisites - A basic knowledge of the common language is required. Structure - This is a practical course based on written exercises. A textbook is available to students (see below), supplemented by Powerpoints and additional documents. They present a series of topics grouped by theme. To facilitate personal learning, especially of conceptual vocabulary, the lectures are bilingual and accompanied by explanations of text, context and sometimes grammar. They are supplemented by exercises discussed and corrected in class. This textbook forms the basis of the course, with supplementary material and exercises provided for the students. Occasionally audiovisual aids are used.

Bibliography

Les Powerpoints et l'ouvrage Nederlandse rechtstaal - Néerlandais juridique (Bruges, die Keure).
Un dictionnaire juridique (Valks Juridisch Woordenboek, Anvers, Intersentia).
Des documents complémentaires et des exercices fournis aux étudiants.

Faculty or entity

BUDR