A Spanish language needs analysis for the DUI attorney-client interaction

Abstract

The present study addresses the need in the U.S. for attorneys to communicate effectively with their Spanish-dominant clients. The U.S. is home to more than 42 million people who speak Spanish, and all speakers of languages other than English have the right to legal representation in their preferred language. However, there are currently a few obstacles to language access. First, there is a lack of available interpreters outside of the courtroom, which leads clients and attorneys to lean on family members and friends to interpret important and confidential legal information. Second, there are only a few studies that have attempted to develop Legal Spanish curriculum to train professionals on the necessary language and real-world tasks that they use with Spanish-dominant clients. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the language tasks and functions that attorneys need to master to communicate effectively with clients with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) charges. To do so, a Language Needs Analysis was conducted to systematically determine the required language tasks, language functions, and grammatical forms and structures that attorneys need to perform in attorney-client meetings with Spanish-dominant clients. A multitude of language tasks and functions were found as a result of this study. The language functions were compared to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language's (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines (2024), and it was determined that attorneys in the U.S. who work with Spanish-dominant clients must reach an Advanced High proficiency level. Results of this study have pedagogical implications as the language tasks and their respective linguistic features can inform curriculum design for Legal Spanish courses.