IDK: How The Legal English Student Can Save Face

One of the worst phrases to answer a client for any professional, but especially for a legal professional, is I DON'T KNOW. In the instance of a non-native English talker who may already be struggling with speaking Legal English confidently, saying I Don't Know is a death knell for your career advancement. If it is hard enough even for a native English speaker to admit a lack of knowledge in a certain subject, one can only imagine how anxiety provoking these three simple words are for you as a student of Legal English.

There is an expression in English about saving face. The dictionary defines saving face as retaining respect and avoiding humiliation. The question you need to ask yourself before any meeting, whether with a client, a colleague, etc., is what do I do if I don't know the answer to the question? How do I maintain my credibility as a confident professional and avoid being humiliated when I am struggling with my Legal English at the same time I don't know the answer to the question? This is when the um's and the uh's start creeping out of your mouth as the hole you dig for yourself gets deeper and deeper until there is no way out except to fail.

Certainly one should be self conscious about the um's and uh's, making sure to never say them no matter how badly you are floundering to answer a question. The problem is they naturally come out as you try to come up with an intelligent answer to a question while at the same time being self aware of your English speech. The remedy is to always be prepared with an answer in lieu of I don't know. By being prepared with such an answer, you can maintain your composure with whomever you are speaking. As a result, your English will be correct and sound intelligent. By accomplishing this, you save your face. That is, you avoid humiliation, you retain your respect, and most importantly, you leave an impression of being a knowledgeable and skilled legal professional.

The problem is you do not want to save face at the expense of sounding like you are making up the answer as you go along. People will see right through this act and in their minds belittle you while writing you off as an ignoramus. In order to demonstrate your genuineness as a smart and talented professional, you do not need to fake an answer nor do you need to say I don't know. Rather, it is very possible that no matter what your Legal English weaknesses are, you can still create a very real perception of professional credibility.

Lawyers and paralegals try too hard to sound smart because the thinking is if I sound smart, my audience will be convinced I know what I am talking about. However, most of the world does not know legal vocabulary and as such, to overdo smart speech does nothing for your audience except to be a self defeating exercise. The number one rule in this regard for any legal professional, but especially for the non-native English speaking legal professional, is to talk about only the things you know. Listen to the question being asked. Repeat some of the words of the question with your answer and relate it to your legal knowledge. If you fake it, little verbal and non verbal clues will give you away especially if you are still in the process of perfecting your Legal English skills. Never demonstrate a lack of knowing the facts or of understanding the law. Moreover, showing dislike for the subject matter at hand can spell disaster for your professionally. By honing in on your listening skills, you will be able to verbalize appropriate responses to questions even if the answer is only marginally correct.

Part of Legal English training is knowing the best way to verbalize your responses for the listener to understand you. One of the most difficult challenges you face as a non-native English speaker is ensuring the listener understands the content of your speech. Being confronted with a question in which you do not know the substance of the answer further complicates and frustrates your attempts at that assurance. All of the communication skills training, legal vocabulary exercises, and writing practice will not save you from this potentially embarrassing situation. A coaching program in Legal English should also prepare you for the real and imperfect world that is your career. This is achieved via training you on how to handle certain scenarios like the one at hand easily. The self-confidence gained by such training will prevent you from being thrown off while intently focusing on your speech and the impact it has on the listener. In knowing how to answer a question for which you do not know the answer, you no longer have to deal with that hurdle while striving to overcome your Legal English hurdles at the same time.

As you can discern, Legal English is a type of English training that is taught for a specific purpose. That purpose is to facilitate your practice of law unfettered by the constraints of poor English language skills. To maintain this focus requires a dual concentration not only on the content of your speech but on the actual speech itself. Getting tripped up on the content of your speech because of a lack of knowledge in an area is something every lawyer or paralegal faces at some point or points in their career. We all cannot know everything. But, if you are able to handle that circumstance appropriately, you will maintain your consistency of language at the same time not being forced to compromise your credibility as a knowledgeable and astute professional.

To participate in this type of training and to consider whatever other options are available to you in a Legal English coaching program, consider reaching out to me today to book your free strategy session.