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> I have attempted to deal with publications in my fields of expertise in > other languages by learning these languages to a degree where I can > translate the bits I need. It is not easy Most "genuine" scientists should be at least as smart and open-minded as you are! Non native-English writers/readers/speakers are usually educated to learn or pick up from other languages. For instance, I can cope (with French obviously) with English and Spanish, and eventually other latin languages such as Italian, Rumanian, ... But when writing a contribution in any of these foreign languages I always look for the review/support of a native speaker! For native English speakers, this issue is quite different - I won't elaborate - but some believe that they don't need to know other languages... Though when dealing with taxonomy (for instance) one cannot ignore foreign papers! > Hopefully, in the future it will not matter which language you publish > in, as expert systems will be able to translate the text immediately It already works ... at least it gives you a flavor of what the author ment > There is no doubt that non-English speakers have a hard time being > acknowledged outside their language group if they only published in > their own language, but this marginalisation is not intentional, Not fully supported: Zoological code ICZN still considers as valid taxa described in other languages than in English (French, for sure, German ?...) but recently the Botanical code ICBN was changed to restrict it to English and Latin only: obviously this is intentional, not open-minded, not taking into account the development of automated translations... The turn of this Century will probably be the day when the Spanish-speaking community in the USA will "overcome" the American English-speaking community! >Messsage du 13/03/2003 01:32 >De : <paleonet@nhm.ac.uk> >A : <PaleoNet@nhm.ac.uk> >Copie à : >Objet : Re: paleonet Discussion: Anglo-Saxon Science versus the rest of the world > > Dear Paleonetters, > > There is no doubt that non-English speakers have a hard time being > acknowledged outside their language group if they only published in > their own language, but this marginalisation is not intentional, > although the tenor of Dr Crow's message gives the impression that it is. > It is just how things are at present largely because of the former > extent of the British Empire and the initial development of personal > computers in the English speaking world. I suspect that Non-German and > non-Latin speakers had a similar problem in times past. Maybe another > language (Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi?) will take over in the future after > the decline and fall of the current English-speaking empires. > > I have attempted to deal with publications in my fields of expertise in > other languages by learning these languages to a degree where I can > translate the bits I need. It is not easy, but it hopefully makes my > science better if I can deal with all the relevant publications, rather > than just those in my own language. I know that many workers in my > bailiwick do not even bother, and the pandemic nature of the organisms > concerned lead them to commit the occasional howler. > > Hopefully, in the future it will not matter which language you publish > in, as expert systems will be able to translate the text immediately. By > that time I'll probably be dribbling down my shirt;-) > > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > Dr John R. Laurie > Eastern and Onshore Petroleum > GEOSCIENCE AUSTRALIA > GPO Box 378 > Canberra ACT 2601 > Australia > > Tel: (02) 6249 9412; Fax: (02) 6249 9980 > E-mail: John.Laurie@ga.gov.au > Street Address: > Cnr Jerrabomberra Avenue & Hindmarsh Drive > Symonston ACT 2609 > ABN 80 091 799 039 > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > > >
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