ILETA (International Legal English Teachers Association) is thrilled to announce its upcoming online winter school, dedicated to exploring the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the legal English landscape.
Our program offers a unique chance for participants to delve into the world of AI while honing their skills for teaching English language proficiency.
The virtual nature of our winter school ensures that legal English enthusiasts worldwide can participate, unbounded by geographical limitations.
Engaging sessions will unravel the intricacies of AI, including using GPT prompts, integrating tools for natural language processing, using AI to develop teaching materials, translation tools, protecting materials through copyright and avoiding pitfalls when preparing briefs. The impact of AI is having a profound relevance within the legal profession globally and legal English teachers need to be abreast of these developments.
With the guidance of seasoned instructors, attendees will delve into captivating case studies and hands-on exercises, enabling a comprehensive understanding of AI’s role in a legal context.
By joining the Winter School you will be part of a collaborative project and group discussions and foster a global network of legal English professionals, facilitating knowledge exchange and professional growth.
The ILETA online winter school presents an invaluable opportunity for legal English teachers, translators, interpreters, practitioners, and researchers to expand their expertise in AI while immersing themselves in an international learning environment.
Embrace the future of AI in the legal English domain by joining us for this exhilarating event!
ONLINE
ILETA WINTER SCHOOL PROGRAMME
AI IN THE LEGAL ENGLISH ENVIRONMENT
TRANSLATE, TEACH, PLAN AND TEST
17 FEBRUARY 2024
10:00 CET – 17:15 CET
| TIME
(CET) |
PRESENTATION
|
| 10:00-10:15 | OPENING WELCOME
Sofia Parastatidou ILETA President |
| 10:15 -10:45 | INTEGRATING AI TOOLS IN THE LEGAL ENGLISH CLASSROOM
Tamari Dolidze |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | COFFEE BREAK |
| 11:00-11:45 | THE ART OF INTELLIGENT HUMAN TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING
Catia Lattanzi |
| 11:45-12:00 | COFFEE BREAK |
| 12:00-13:00 | AI & LEGAL TRANSLATIONS – POST-EDITING MACHINE-TRANSLATED TEXTS
Patrizia Giampieri |
| 13:00-14:00 | LUNCH |
| 14:00-14:30 | PROMPT ENGINEERING FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF CHAT GPT IN LEGAL ENGLISH TEACHING
Dr. Sercin Kutucu |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | LEVERAGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CUSTOMISED AND UNIQUE TEACHING MATERIALS IN LEGAL ENGLISH
Jasmina Barišic |
| 15:00-15:45 | THE BRIEF ON AI: THE DANGERS OF USING AI GENERATED LEGAL DOCUMENTS AND HOW TO AVOID MISTAKES
Tonya Teichert |
| 15:45-16:00 | Coffee Break |
| 16:00-16:30 | AI & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY – COPYRIGHT ISSUES
RECENT CASES Sofia Parastatidou |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
‘AI & PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENTS INTEGRITY & CHALLENGES’ |
| 17:00-17:15 | CLOSING REMARKS |
ABSTRACTS AND SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
INTEGRATING AI TOOLS IN THE LEGAL ENGLISH CLASSROOM
Tamari Dolidze
ABSTRACT
Integration of Artificial Intelligence in the EFL Education has demonstrated promising results in improving language learning and developing students’ productive skills. The study will explore potential benefits and problems when using AI in Legal English Classroom to foster productive skills, including both speaking and writing.
AI tools offered to Legal English students allow them to practice and develop their language skills in a more engaging and efficient environment, by proving students with personalized and instant feedback. At the same time, IA tools depending on their character offer a simulated authentic legal language learning environment at the expense of virtual case studies, interactive activities, such as role play and discussions in order to practice oral i.e. negotiation, presenting argument as well as written communication skills i.e. drafting legal documents. AI-powered chat boxes can be extremely useful for motivating students to use ready-made promote in legal conversation and practice legal discourse for improvement of oral proficiency.
With the purpose of identifying potential benefits and problems when using AI in Legal English Classroom a small combined questionnaire was developed to study the opinion of Legal English teachers in Georgia upon integration of AI tools in their teaching practice. The results of the study despite of its limited scope will be used to analyze status quo and future implications of making a good use of AI in teaching Legal English.
BIOGRAPHY
Tamar Dolidze is an Associate Professor of Batumi State Maritime Academy (Georgia), the Head of Foreign Language Department at BSMA. Since 2020 she has been elected as an Associate Professor of the Online University – Pegaso International Group (based in Malta). Tamari Dolidze has also been a guest lecturer/visiting professor of English for Specific Purposes at foreign universities and many times participant of Erasmus Teaching Mobility Program. She is a reviewer of the International Journal of Linguistics, Language and Culture of ESI; A member of the Editorial team of the International Journal of Knowledge and Learning (IJKL); International Journal of Digital Humanities (Scopus Indexed). In 2022 She was a reviewer of IAMUC Conference in the field Social Sciences. She is a speaker/plenary speaker and panelist at a number of International Conferences and Webinars on the topics of digitalization and technology integration in higher education. Her publications in maritime education and training include: The Importance of ESP in the Maritime Industry for Safety Maintenance Onboard and Ashore (IAMUC 2022); Importance of ESP in Language Training for Maritime Students (IMPA, 2019); She has been a coordinator of many Erasmus funded projects, among them Virtual Innovative Teaching and Learning.
AI & LEGAL TRANSLATIONS – POST-EDITING MACHINE-TRANSLATED TEXTS
Patrizia Giampieri
ABSTRACT
This presentation is aimed at exploring whether and how machine translation can be relied on in the legal field. To this aim, extracts of documents drafted by lawyers are translated from Italian into English by using a set of machine translation tools, such as WordFast Anywhere, DeepL and MateCat. The documents focused on are a default payment letter, particulars of claim and a settlement agreement, kindly provided by international law firms based in Italy. In order to assess the reliability and quality of the automatic translations, targeted web searches, as well as legal dictionaries and translators’ forums are consulted. In addition, the English/Italian case-law, the Italian civil code and statutory documents are also accounted for. The insights provided by such language and legal tools are helpful to analyse and assess MT quality output and carry out post-editing. The findings highlight shortcomings in MT, mostly related to legal formulae and legal writing conventions. At times, collocational issues are also brought to the fore. Furthermore, MT word order can be incorrect and the system specificity of the target text remains obviously unaddressed. Hence, this presentation remarks the need for translators and translation students to be acquainted with legal language style and writing conventions.
BIOGRAPHY
Patrizia Giampieri is an adjunct professor of English at the University of Camerino (MC, Italy). She is working towards her PhD in Legal Translation at the University of Malta. She is a registered translator and interpreter for the Court of Perugia; a Cambridge Speaking Examiner, and a Member of the European Society for Translation Studies and of ILETA (International Legal English Teacher’s Academy). She has authored books and academic papers on English as a second language, legal English and legal translation, corpus-based translation, machine translation and English for Special Purposes. Her last scientific monograph is titled “Legal machine translation explained: MT in legal contexts” (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2023).
PROMPT ENGINEERING FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF CHAT GPT IN LEGAL ENGLISH TEACHING
Dr. Sercin Kutucu
ABSTRACT
ChatGPT is very useful for Legal English instructors. It can assist them in preparing course plans, teaching materials, and support them in customizing their teaching according to the needs of their learners. However, while using the model, instructors should keep in mind that it only responds to questions and follows instructions given by them. The accuracy and relevance of the responses depend on the quality of the prompts given to ChatGPT. Therefore, instructors should provide clear, concise, and context-rich input to obtain high-quality outputs. This presentation will discuss the importance of prompt engineering for Legal English instructors to communicate effectively with ChatGPT. It will also share several key principles that they should pay attention while prompting to receive the optimum results from the system.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. A. Serçin Kutucu is a legal expert and consultant with a doctorate degree in EU Law and a master’s degree in International Human Rights Law. She is a published author of the book ‘Free Movement of Third Country Nationals in the European Union: Common Border Controls and Visa Policy.’ Dr. Kutucu taught ‘EU Law’ at the graduate level and ‘International Migration and Refugee Law’ at the postgraduate level at the university.
With substantial knowledge of international law, Dr. Kutucu has been providing Legal English courses to both university students and professionals since 2017. She considers these courses as an essential component for the internationalization of the Turkish legal industry.
LEVERAGING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CUSTOMISED AND UNIQUE TEACHING MATERIALS IN LEGAL ENGLISH
Jasmina Barišić
ABSTRACT
In the domain of Legal English education, traditional coursebooks often fall short in addressing the diverse and specific needs of learners, presenting a one-size-fits-all approach that seldom aligns with individual learning objectives. The design of tailored teaching materials provides relevance and direct applicability to the learner’s professional and academic context. However, the creation of such customized resources traditionally demands a significant investment of time, effort, and commitment from educators.
The transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the development of teaching materials for Legal English. AI-driven tools herald a new era of pedagogical innovation, mitigating the challenges of customization and resource creation. They empower educators to efficiently tailor their instructional content, ensuring it is directly aligned with their students’ unique learning goals, professional trajectories, and personal interests. The integration of AI in educational material design promises to catalyze learner engagement, motivation, and success, marking a significant leap forward in the field of Legal English education.
BIOGRAPHY
As the founder of the “Speak Easy” Centre of Foreign Languages in Novi Sad, Serbia, Jasmina have dedicated her career to bridging communication gaps and fostering a global dialogue through language education. In addition to holding a degree in English Language and Literature obtained from the University of Novi Sad, her expertise extends to the area of legal linguistics, where she proudly serves as a certified court interpreter for the English language.
Jasmina is deeply committed to fostering the growth and development of future generations of legal professionals, offering specialized instruction in Legal English, and preparing students for the TOLES (Test of Legal English Skills) exam. She also holds a CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) qualification, which is a testament to her commitment to delivering education of the highest standard. Through her work at “Speak Easy,” she continues to empower individuals to overcome language barriers and achieve their professional and personal aspirations in the international arena.
THE BRIEF ON AI: THE DANGERS OF USING AI GENERATED LEGAL DOCUMENTS AND HOW TO AVOID MISTAKES
Tonya Teichert
ABSTRACT
Artificial intelligence is a tool that can provide tremendous benefits to us personally and professionally. We can streamline so many aspects of our lives and incorporate the benefits to our professional practices. But you know what they say about too much of a good thing right? When we rely on the tool of AI to replace our critical thinking skills, we put ourselves at risk, especially in the eyes of the law. With more and more law firms turning to AI to simply their processes, there are pitfalls to using this tool. Let’s look at how relying on AI can put your practice at risk and ways to mitigate those risks.
BIOGRAPHY
Tonya began her career as a critical care Registered Nurse. She went on to law school while working as a Legal Nurse Consultant. Upon completion she worked in insurance defense for medical malpractice and product liability cases. She went on to obtain her MBA and has used those skill while living in Germany for the past 17 years.
AI & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY – COPYRIGHT ISSUES RECENT CASES
Sofia Parastatidou
ABSTRACT
In this presentation, Sofia will look at the issues surrounding AI and Intellectual property, in particular whether copyright can be protected and how. She will also discuss the latest developments in copyright and its use in artificial intelligence tools.
BIOGRAPHY
Sofia Parastatidou (Special Counsel) is a practising solicitor admitted in England and Wales, a member of the International Bar Association and New York State Bar. She has been training lawyers, accountants and notaries as well as students at various Universities, Bar Associations, In-house. She is the founder and President of ILETA (International Legal English Teachers’ Academy) and the author of Legal English (Pearson 2021).