Towards a standardised certification of English as a foreign language for Italian professionals practising in the legal sector

In 2006 the Faculty of Law of the University of Parma (Italy) launched a postgraduate training project called EFLIT (English for Law and International Transactions) with the aim of offering professionals and graduates in the fields of Law and Economics a course combining a linguistic focus (i.e. English for Law, at B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference) and a content focus (i.e. Law in English) in order to improve both their language and legal skills. Since then EFLIT has developed into a national project and has obtained recognition by professional associations for accreditation purposes in continuous education. This has called for a valid, reliable, standardised end-of-course test which assesses the level reached by participants and is ‘authentic’, i.e. reflects their real needs for English and translates their competence into actual performance. From the start participants have been encouraged to aim for Cambridge ESOL International Legal English Certificate (ILEC) and International Certificate of Financial English (ICFE). However, the level required by these exams (i.e. B2/C1) is generally too high for the people on the EFLIT courses and this results in candidates’ frustration and discouragement. For this reason, EFLIT teaching staff is currently designing a test which is a ‘stepping stone’ towards ILEC, i.e. an exam which is at a slightly lower level, suitable for both lawyers and accountants, and tailored to the needs of professionals working in Italy, with the objective of obtaining national recognition by professional associations. The test is to be based on course content but also on the answers provided by participants in an online survey specifically devised to create an “EFLIT participant profile” and identify their real requirements and expectations.