The Spanish Centre for Legal Studies (CEJ) hosted last 18-19 September the second 2023 meeting of EJTN’s Linguistics Working Group. The event was attended by representatives from 20 EU-based judicial training institutions as well as the European Academy of Law.
The main goal of this meeting was to assess the training activities carried out by EJTN in the area of linguistic training and decide on new activities for 2024.
In particular, national experts assessed the results of seminars in linguistics, which combine linguistics skills and legal training, covering areas such as judicial cooperation in civil, criminal and family law.
The Madrid meeting also provided a platform for the Linguistics Working Group to further work on the EJTN 2024 training catalogue of activities as well as to discuss new innovative approaches to training and digitalisation. One of the main topics addressed during was the growing importance of EJTN’s digital training offer, particularly the online conversation classes in English, Germany, Italian and Spanish, as well as the lunchtime webinars.
Following the Madrid meeting, EJTN will organise in 2024, for the first time, a conference to train linguistic experts in order to maximise the impact of the Network’s training activities. Next year, EJTN will also introduce English seminars for judicial leaders, which will be developed jointly by the Linguistics and Judicial Training Methods working groups.
The members were welcomed by CEJ Director Abigail Fernández González, who was accompanied by CEJ Deputy Director, Teresa Muñoz-Reja Herrero, and Clara Pascual Castroviejo, Head of the Department for International Training.
Renata Vystrčilová, Head of the Department of International Cooperation at the Judicial Academy of the Czech Republic, coordinated and chaired the meeting.
EJTN participating members
• Academy of European Law (ERA)
• Belgium – Judicial Training Institute
• Bulgaria – National Institute of Justice
• Croatia – Judicial Academy
• France – National School for the Judiciary
• Germany – Federal Ministry of Justice
• Greece – National School of Judiciary
• Hungary – National Office for the Judiciary
• Italy – School for the Judiciary
• Latvia – Latvian Judicial Training Centre
• Lithuania – National Courts Administration
• Lithuania – Office of the Prosecutor General
• Netherlands – Training and Study Centre for the Judiciary
• Poland – National School of Judiciary and Public Prosecution
• Romania – National Institute of Magistracy
• Slovenia – Ministry of Justice
• Spain – Centre for Legal Studies
• Spain – Judicial School
Note for editors
Launched in 2011, EJTN linguistics seminars focus on training judges, prosecutors, trainee judges and prosecutors, and court and prosecution staff from all over the EU in legal English, French, German, Spanish and, more recently, Italian.
The main goal of this portfolio is to help participants improve their legal and linguistic skills, facilitate cross-border judicial cooperation, and support the development of a common European legal culture.
Participants get trained in various legal instruments in fields such as civil law, criminal law, family law, and human rights. Other more specialised sessions cover asylum law, environmental law, and the fight against cybercrime and cross-border organised crime. Lessons combine theoretical and practical aspects, covering legal terminology in the four basic language skills, i.e. reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Sessions are delivered by linguistic and legal experts working in tandem with a small group, using an interactive approach.
In addition to its high-quality face-to-face seminars, EJTN also organises online conversation classes and publishes legal handbooks, freely available on EJTN’s website.
For more information about the EJTN’s activities in this area please visit: https://ejtn.eu/activity/linguistics-programme
