By publishing scientific works primarily in English we may be taking away from the scientific discoveries of non-English speakers, especially if professional translators do not perform the translations. But with advances in the translation industry and the decline of English users, will more scientists publish in their native language? Will this lead to multilingual versions of their work for colleagues in their field around the world?
Becoming Multilingual | “Legem Gravitas” or “Law of Heavy?”
Although 98% of all scientific publications are written in English today, this was not always the case. Up through the 17th century, scientists in Western Europe, for example, recorded their work in two languages: their native language and Latin. During the 18th century with the development of a new approach to the scientific process, language and science evolved in parallel , and literary and scientific writing were therefore not considered separate as they are today. This period in history brought about many important scientific discoveries, most of which were recorded in Latin since it was a neutral language and could be used universally when writing for scientists in the international community. Isaac Newtown’s laws of motion, namely the “Law of Gravity”, were first recorded in Latin in the Principia Mathematica. The word “gravity” is derived from the Latin word “gravitas” meaning heavy. If he had written about it today would it have been called it the “Law of Heavy”? Galileo’s discoveries in astronomy were also first published in Latin and later in Italian, While Albert Einstein wrote in German, and Marie Curie recorded her discoveries in French, these works were later translated into other languages.
English Dominates Science
During the 19th century in Western Europe there was a shift away from Latin and toward the use of German, French and English. These replaced Latin and became the most commonly used languages in scientific writing. German was favored for the first part of the 20th century. But by the end of the century, as the United States began to dominate scientific research, English became the universal language used for scientific writing and communication. Today most scientists publish their work in English in order to reach scientists in the international community. About 80% of all the journals in Scopus – the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature – are published in English. In fact, English is so prevalent, that in non-English speaking countries, English-language publications are significantly more numerous than those published in the local native languages. The Netherlands is an acute example of this: the ratio of English scientific publications to those published in Dutch is 40:1. One main reason for this is that the majority of prestigious scientific journals are published in English since they originate primarily from English-speaking countries, namely the United States and the United Kingdom.
Will Science Become Multilingual?
If scientists want to have their work recognized globally, they more or less have no choice but to publish in English and become multilingual. This definitely poses problems for scientists who do not speak English as their first language. For many in countries where English is considered a second language (or even an official language), this still presents challenges. Issues with clarity in a foreign language is a given, especially when scientists attempt to translate their own work rather than use a professional translator. Moreover, many students of science in non-English speaking countries are expected to learn from English textbooks. Despite the fact that most learn English as a second language, it is still challenging to learn complex ideas in another language. Although many scientific terms have their roots in other languages, for example medical terminology is largely derived from Greek, this is not currently represented in the language distribution of writing in science publications. But with the decline of English language speakers relative to other global languages, we may once again see a shift.
The Decline of English Speakers
It is reported that only 15% of the world’s population speaks English, and out of this only about 5% are native speakers. Of course the number of scientists in any given country who speak English as a second language may be greater than a cross section of the general population. But the fact is that English as a dominant world language is on the decline, with 64% of English speakers residing in the U.S. – a country where Chinese and Spanish speakers are on the rise. What will this mean for the relationship between the use of the English language and science in the future? It is hard to predict, but quite possibly with significant advances in machine translation services such as neural networks, and the growth of the translation industry, scientists may be able to publish their original findings in their own native language and have it translated into a number of other languages for scientists in the international community. This means that multilingual or bilingual versions may take the place of a single language version in the future!
Read More On The Language of Science:
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com