Understanding Language and Contracts

As language educators, we are always looking for new ways to challenge and teach our students. Knowing how to decode language is important, and in order to teach how to view on that skill, you must first understand what it is. From the time we are born, we are learning how to communicate in our native tongue. When we are learning a second language, we are still learning at an accelerated rate. It is scientifically proven that a child’s brain learns faster than that of an adult. Our brains are little sponges, soaking up everything around us. Assimilating language means to know how to use the language to get what you need or want. Whether you know how the language works, or the words used in the language, you still have the ability to learn.

The rules that govern contract language are no different, but it has its own set of rules that can sometimes make it difficult to understand. The most common type of contracts, or agreements, in our everyday life is a lease document. When we hear the word lease, we think of a popular version, which is a housing lease. Many of us have rented a home or apartment at some point in our life. We all know the gist, here is the lease terms in exchange I will get paid monthly throughout the term of the lease, and then I will sign a purchase agreement and buy the house. The concept of a lease is one we all understand on some level; however, the issue comes down to who is signing the lease, what the terms are and what they mean. This situation becomes difficult for those who do not have English as their first language. Without the understanding of the meaning of each word and how it works with the other words, the contract is hard to understand.

Foreign languages present more challenges in legal matters, as you have one language being legally translated to another. The struggle of lost meaning is something we have all experienced and have to deal with on a regular basis. The legal system is constantly moving and changing, and what was the right definition in 1990, may not be the correct definition now. Contracts are the same way. If a contract was drafted in 1980, the definitions used to refer to terms may have changed, but it is written consensus. The contract is binding because all parties have signed it, and it is their responsibility to interpret and follow the documents. Luckily, sometimes the court can intervene to help clarify the meaning of a provision in a contract. As language educators we may not be able to always understand why words mean what they mean, but we can look them up.

We often think that contracts were made that way on purpose, giving someone an unfair advantage, but that is not true. The legal system has made great strides to correct the injustices of the past, and legal contracts are easier to read now than they were fifty years ago. We discussed here the other day the evolution of legal language and how we ended up with the language we use today. Contracts are slowly evolving, and the language is becoming more accessible for us all.

Including contracts and legal terminology as part of your language lessons can be a benefit to all your students. It allows your students to learn the language and vocabulary, and gives them real practical experiences they can refer to. According to the in-depth guide on Idaho rental lease agreements, interpretive reading has a rule, and interesting enigma of its own. Seeing how sentences interact with one another can change the meaning and intention of the sentence. Having students write their own example of a contract or legal document allows them to use the vocabulary outside of a typical class setting. That is real world interaction with the language.