What is the language in which scientific knowledge is disseminated? In what language is science communicated today? The answer is and will remain English.
As the linguist David Crystal explains in his book “The Stories of English”, two thirds of the world’s scientists currently use English to publicize their research. This proportion will continue to grow with the advance of globalization because the tendency is for people to seek to learn that language.
It would be enough, for example, to enter any scientific debate in a German university to realize that everything will be expressed in English, even if everyone present is German. This is due to the current general custom: science is communicated in English.
All publications in scientific journals are made in English, all curricula are sent in English… That is why it is estimated that only 33% of the science that is currently being developed is not being communicated in the language of Shakespeare.
But why this? The answer can initially be found in the economic impact of Great Britain and the United States in the world, but it also has to do with the great amount of progress that has been made in that language. Over time, scientists began to speak in English to communicate with their colleagues in other countries, despite the fact that, for example, the classification of living beings proposed by Carl von Linne was all in Latin.
English was more practical and, at some point in history, most science began to be done in that language.
Does a science student need to know English?
From every point of view, the answer is yes. To do without English is to receive late –or not at all– knowledge that 66% of scientists from all disciplines will be able to access.
In fact, much of the material that is developed in several of the major sciences will never be translated into another language and will remain only in English, since institutions today take it for granted that scientists speak it.
Fair or not, the reality is that learning this language will be the difference between being able to compete or not for the best jobs worldwide.
And what can be done?
The first step is obvious: learn English . At Lingua Language Center we teach the language online or from Fort Lauderdale, Weston, Coconut Creek, Orlando and Doral, in the state of Florida.
We do it through a methodology called Enter-Training SM that results from the combination of practices and entertainment, so the results are achieved quickly and pleasantly.
But that will only be the beginning, as science English requires continuous preparation during the first years.
At Lingua Language Center, we offer preparatory courses for the TOEFL as well as English for doctors , two plans that contribute substantially to the qualification of the science professional. So you can write us today to give you the information you need.
Medical and scientific translations
Although Lingua is a reference for language teaching, it is also a reference for translation and interpreting services.
So people and institutions that need medical or scientific translations in any area can count on our professional services, since the linguists who work at Lingua are true experts in the most specific topics.
We are also trained to produce conferences that require simultaneous interpreters , and that includes science.
Write us ! At Lingua Language Center, we have everything to help you.