I recently started studying Japanese. It is super fun, and I highly recommend it. Every time I pick up my books, however, I am momentarily stopped by the realization that I am quite spoiled to be able to do this ‘for fun,’ whereas a huge number of scientists (chemists and otherwise) are effectively required to learn English to communicate with other scientists. This topic has come up before, and in fact our September editorial touched on the problems involved in writing English (but made the case that unclear writing, due in part to unclear thinking, is equally prevalent with native English speakers). I just don’t think the topic is brought up enough, though, given the tremendous amount of work required to become conversant in a second language (or third, or fourth…).
So, the point of this blog, basically, is to say: I am amazed at and grateful for the outstanding efforts of all the non-native English speaking chemists, biologists, physicists, etc., that allow a united scientific language.
There are more things I could say, but I will (mostly) leave it at that. In the interest of improving scientific interchanges, however, I have a few questions: how can we improve our ability to communicate between languages, be they Japanese or French or Finnish, or the language of chemists and biologists (where I would argue that a mention of vinyl benzene or TUNNEL assays is almost equally incomprehensible)? When should we be expanding our communication skills? Should universities in the United States go back to their requirement of proficiency in a second language, and how do schools in other countries handle this?
I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts. I bet they’re good – in fact, I really think so.
Catherine (associate editor, Nature Chemical Biology)
You certainly have a good point—as native English speakers we have an advantage when it comes to communication, whether we are on vacation in Europe or publishing our research in a scientific journal. Even though the rest of the world seems to cater to English, I think we can certainly gain something from learning another language. Other countries start a second language in elementary school (which is really the easiest point to be exposed), so why don’t we? I consider myself lucky to speak 2 languages; reading the news in two languages lets me see the bigger picture, just as reading old German chemical texts helps me pick up on details that I might have otherwise missed. People have a completely different personality in their native tongue (whether it be chemistry or biology, Spanish or German), and it is a shame to miss that just because we are locked into one way of thinking.
I completely agree with what was said by Amanda.
When I started blogging last year I decided to write in my native language which is German. I found that very pleasant and it was easier for me to write
a) things that I would probably be not able to write in English as I would just miss the appropriate words or expressions
b) funny things. As Amanda already mentioned, people have a completely different personality in their native language and thus I could write more authentically by using German. Meanwhile I use to write my posts in English due to the fact that many of my visitors do simply not speak German. Nevertheless, I am always glad to see somebody posting a comment in German even though German may not be the commentator´s native language. I just like that cross-cultural exchange. To sum up, I am very glad that I had the chance to learn several languages (English, Italian, French) because it enabled me to gain an insight into foreign cultures and to communicate with very nice people in other parts of the world and that is a very nice thing! 🙂
Exactly, Kutti! As a non-English speaker, especially east-Asian one, it is almost impossible for me to write in similar style like what’s on the Chem Blog; it’s too native to follow. What I am able to manage is a kind of formal style which I am trained to write in university here. Therefore I can only blog about formal issues. Everything looks like paper on my blog-small words, complex while unitary grammar, and lack of personal views. This seems to represent me as a dull person which is not true.
What I’m trying to do now is to pay more attention to the content rather than the language (vocabulary variety, grammar, etc.). A worldwide interesting discussion is key for a blog, esp. a science blog, to be popularized.