Cap. 189 Art. 2Proceedings in a court of civil jurisdiction.

In a court of civil jurisdiction -

(a) where all the parties are English-speaking persons, the court shall order that the proceedings be conducted in the English language;

(b) where of the parties one or more is or are Maltese-speaking and one or more is or are English-speaking and all the Maltese-speaking parties make a declaration in the records of the court consenting to the proceedings being conducted in the English language, or where none of the parties is either a Maltese-speaking person or an English-speaking person, the court may order that the proceedings be conducted in the English language;

(c) where any one of the parties is an English-speaking person and none of the parties is a Maltese-speaking person, the court shall order that the proceedings be conducted in the English language;

(d) where a court has ordered proceedings to be conducted in the English language, that language shall be used in all subsequent stages of the proceedings, unless the order is revoked by that court or any other court before which the proceedings are pending;

(e) the notes of the evidence of witnesses shall be taken down in Maltese, except where the evidence is given in English, in which case such notes shall be taken down in English: Provided that where the notes are taken down in English in proceedings which are conducted in the Maltese language or in Maltese in proceedings which are conducted in the English language, a translation of such notes into the language in which the proceedings are being conducted shall be inserted by the registrar in the record of the proceedings as soon as practicable.