When writing for or presenting to an audience made up of people who don’t speak English as their native language, avoid Latin expressions. People who grew up speaking Japanese, Arabic, or Bahasa Indonesia will not encounter Latin expressions in their native language or even after years of schooling.

Latin expressions are especially prevalent and troublesome in scholarship and in law.

Latin expressions frequently used in scholarly writing include: i.e., e.g., ad hoc, mutatis mutandis, and status quo.

Legal writing in common law countries (UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) often uses Latin expressions. Troublesome examples include: de facto, de jure, per se, prima facie, ex parte, and forum non conveniens.

Many or all of these words or expressions are included in English dictionaries. But why push certain readers to consult their dictionary? And the dictionary will not help much for listeners, because Latin words and expressions are pronounced differently than English words.

In the law—as in scientific, medical, or technical fields—writers sometimes use only a Latin expression. Examples include habeas corpus and certiorari. A legal dictionary will define the expression, but a speaker or writer addressing a group of non-native speakers will want to add a parenthetical or footnote on the first use, so that the whole audience will be able to follow.