Which category do you belong in?
The Crawlers. Some Dutch lawyers are only occasionally faced with the task of doing something in English. For the lawyers in this group, their skills are not really up to it. They do not work in English at all or do so only rarely. Lawyers in this group have a very small comfort zone and perhaps no comfort zone at all. Confidence is an issue with this group. This group should perhaps not be working in English until the level improves. If the lawyers in this group do work in English, they may need to rely heavily on the assistance of a translator.
The Strollers. Other lawyers find that their English is not great, but it is good enough for them to “get by” when they are called on to do something in English. They find writing and speaking difficult. These lawyers have a small comfort zone. Within their comfort zones, they make quite a few mistakes, including serious ones. They should rely regularly on the assistance of editors and translators. This group in particular would benefit from the use of good model paragraphs.
The Marchers. Some people in the legal profession in the Netherlands work regularly in English. Although they still find writing and speaking to be a challenge, they successfully carry out their legal work in English with only occasional problems, including a comment or two from clients. These lawyers have a fairly larger comfort zone, and they tend to stick to it. Within their comfort zone, they still regularly make mistakes, but they make fewer of them and the mistakes are usually not serious. Lawyers in this group should still rely on editors and translators to assist them.
The Runners. A few Dutch legal professionals work extensively in English. Often their English is excellent. They are able to speak and write in English without much difficulty. Their comfort zones are already quite large, but even so they explore the area outside the comfort zone regularly. Although they avoid serious mistakes, mistakes are still occasionally made, and style is still an issue. It is still clear to an English speaker that the legal work is not that of an English speaker. These lawyers occasionally need the assistance of an editor, e.g. when they need something to be in publication-quality English.
The Fliers. A small number of Dutch lawyers are remarkably effective when working in English. They are bilingual, often because of great motivation, years of practice working in English, time spent working in an English-speaking country, or another extraordinary factor. They have a huge comfort zone and no longer make many mistakes at all.
Greg Korbee (Originally published in December 2013. Republished in January 2019.)
