A Compulsory Research Report Submitted to Mzumbe University – Mbeya Campus College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for an Award of the Bachelor Degree of Laws (LL.B) of the Mzumbe University.
Language is the oxygen of law and a core foundation for justice. As a medium of accessing justice, language use in trials is in international instrument jurisprudence reflected in “language fair trial rights.” The languages applied in Tanzanian courts are Kiswahili and English. English is predominantly a language of law, courts and court record whilst Kiswahili is marginally restricted to the Primary Courts and to a great deal of all court room communications. Language used in courts is the “lawyers‟ language” referred to as “legalese” which needs interpretation even for lawyers. This is inimical to the interest of justice, particularly to unrepresented laypersons. Addressing the inherent language barrier in Mainland Tanzanian courts, this study employs field research, and library study, as a result, materials were obtained and analyzed for this study against the backdrop of the research questions. This study provides an insight into the magnitude of language barrier with its legal implications in accessing justice and the means available in addressing it. Hence, there is an urgent need for a systematic change in language use in Mainland Tanzanian courts.