Universal Language Of Science Research Articles

Language bias, not knowledge shortfall, underestimates the evidence of megafauna kill sites in South America

The Megafauna Kill Sites (MKS), with irrefutable empirical evidence of human-megafauna interactions over the late Quaternary, have widely been recognized in North America and historically overlooked in South America. Here, we systematically reviewed the MKS from the Americas and showed that the neglected evidence from South American MKS is as robust as or even more robust, in both quantity and quality, than the evidence from North America. However, the South American studies are often limited to low-reach publications (gray literature or local journals) written in Latin languages, which are less cited than English-written publications. Our findings clearly indicate that the neglect of South American MKS is due to its limited scientific impact caused by language bias, and not due to the lack of robust knowledge, inadequate data, or questionable evidence. To reverse this context and put the rich evidence of South American MKS on an international audience, we strongly recommend that South American researchers prioritize publishing their studies in English, the universal language of science since sec. XX. We also suggest making all archaeological evidence readily available in online databases, such as the KillSite database (www.killsitedatabase.com). We believe our recommendations align with the current scope of science, which predominantly operates in English and benefits from the widespread accessibility provided by the internet, and will help South American publications reach international audiences interested in human-megafauna interaction and animal exploitation.

Introduction to Academic Writing Course (MBBS)

The demand for the study of second or foreign-language English is extremely high, which places a heavy burden on educational resources in many nations. Specific vocabulary and abilities pertaining to professional communities and academic fields are needed for ESP courses. Internationally, English is used extensively in higher education. The demand for academic English courses has grown significantly (Jordan, 1997).English, the universal language of science, is now known as English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in non-English speaking nations (Ghanbari, 2010). The teaching of English as a Second Language (ESP) in Sindh is a growing field. Learning English for a specific purpose is an essential part of language instruction at the higher educational level, with the objectives being to learn specialized vocabulary, increase subject knowledge by reading in English, and be able to use the language in a potential profession or study area by getting ready for some common situations, like carrying out higher level studies, attending an interview, or conducting professional conversations (Varnosfardani, 2009).Many English language courses in academic contexts are built on the premise that language should be connected to the purpose for which students are expected to use the language after their studies. For medical students, the purpose of an ESP course is to support them in there is academic work and future jobs. English is particularly significant in medical learning because medical textbooks and professional publications are predominantly written in English (Bensoussan, Collado, Viton, & Delarque, 2009).English as the primary language for international communication is now generally acknowledged. Determine the issues with ESP classes by carefully examining the attitudes and views of students and teachers. Learning a second language is generally seen as distinct from learning one’s native tongue, and it is frequently believed that factors affecting one’s ability to learn a second language have no bearing on the development of one’s native tongue.Knowledge of a second language affects one’s capacity to manage information in the native tongue. Contemporary cognitive and psycholinguistic models of bilingualism claim that the two languages interact, even during language-specific processing. Understanding the interaction between two languages is crucial since it is still being determined how acquiring a second language impacts native-language function.Background of the study:At an average age of 18, Dow Medical University in Sindh students enter medical college straight out of high school. To evaluate students, the educational system mostly uses teacher-based assignments, exams based on memorization, and norm-referenced tests. The majority of students develop passive learning habits as a result. The major language of instruction in Sindh’s secondary school system is urdu; beginning in grade 4, English is introduced as a second language. Because the medical school curriculum is delivered in English, all first-year students receive an intensive English course in addition to their other premedical requirements, regardless of their level of language proficiency.Students are soon made aware of the necessity to acquire effective learning abilities when they realize how much more academic pressure there is when they enroll in the university.Statement of the problem:As a result of the English language barrier, medical students learning in an EFL environment have been seen to struggle with their medical schoolwork. The students are familiar with the specific vocabulary and grammatical patterns used in this context of the English language.

Lost in Translation: A Multilingual Survey of Interlinguistic Variations in Terms Used in Pharmacovigilance.

Although English is the universal language of science, it is nevertheless the first language of only about 6% of the world's population, and 75% of people do not speak English at all. It is therefore important that accurate translations of scientific information should be available, not only for professionals but also for the general public. This applies to pharmacovigilance as much as to any other discipline. The aim of this study was to determine how pharmacovigilance terms are translated into other languages, in order to judge the extent to which differences between languages might impair communication in pharmacovigilance. I surveyed the translation of 26 pharmacovigilance terms into 26 languages via a panel of 83 pharmacovigilance experts. Three types of terms emerged: Type 1-those that are similar in form across all, or almost all, of the languages surveyed (e.g. 'signal' and 'risk'); Type 2-terms that are similar in form across some languages but not all (e.g. 'pharmacovigilance' and 'surveillance'); Type 3-terms for which there are major differences across languages (e.g. 'hazard'). Misconceptions in the communication of pharmacovigilance information may arise through difficulties in translation. Metaphorical expressions are best avoided in serious scientific publications, in order to reduce the difficulties of translation. A multilingual glossary of terms and definitions, which could be used to program a dedicated machine translator, would be of value. Published guidelines offer guidance to methods of translation, but they are complex and time-consuming and are mostly used in translating instruments for eliciting patient-reported outcomes.

Development of Competent Mathematical Speech of Students at Technical University

The development of literate speech of students, including mathematics, as one of the areas of communicative component of learning outcomes, is a requirement of higher education standards. The authors have analysed the educational standards for the content of the requirements to the general education of a graduate related to the development of literate speech, as well as the works of domestic and foreign teachers-researchers on the development of mathematical literacy. The literature review and the authors’ own experience of teaching mathematics to engineering students at technical University showed that the ability of students to use logically correct, reasoned and clear oral and written speech is developed insufficiently to apply the mathematical apparatus in their educational and professional activities. The authors have identified the criteria of competent speech and theoretical and methodological conditions of the educational process which enable the ensure the organizational and methodological support of educational process aimed at the development of competent mathematical speech of students. The main applied methods of teaching are advanced self-directed work of students, lecture-discussion, mutual dictation, interchange of tasks, interchange of themes, study of the text fragments, repetition training-game, etc. The effectiveness of educational activities is achieved through the use of active and interactive forms of teaching. The prepared organizational and methodological support of teaching, the systemic educational work allow students to improve their speech skills and skills of active use of mathematical language as a universal language of science, to develop logical, algorithmic and mathematical thinking, the ability to apply methods of mathematical analysis and modeling, theoretical and experimental research in solving professional problems.

Language Diversity, Freedom of Cognition and Politics. A Tense Interplay

Scientific work is international by its very definition. This presupposes a universal language of scientific publications and congresses – a function momentarily performed by English. Its extraordinary value in this respect is undisputable. However, the tendency to unhesitatingly switch to English is spreading from the realm of world-wide dissemination of expert knowledge to realms where this knowledge is yet to be acquired. In so doing, the scientific community practices (self-)deception when it treats the language of international communication as the universal language of science. There cannot be such a language. Instead there can exist only natural languages, whose scientific vocabulary was more or less purposefully developed for scientific communication.

A razão da(s) língua(s). Na produção de conhecimento e na Educação superior.

O presente artigo aborda questões relativas ao funcionamento, tanto no plano da produção de conhecimento quanto no da educação superior, da evidência segundo a qual "o inglês é a língua universal da ciência". Nesse sentido, após abordar as razões pelas quais essa vocação monolingue deve ser interrompida, traz propostas de inovação – fundamentalmente, a partir das formuladas por Hamel (2013, 2016) – focalizando a questão de que, no debate acadêmico contemporâneo, se torna fundamental refletir sobre o funcionamento da linguagem e abrir espaço para as diversas línguas nas práticas presentes nas referidas esferas.

Impact factor trends for general medical journals: non-English-language journals are lacking behind

The impact factor (IF) is a common citation metric used for evaluating and comparing scientific journals within a certain field. Previous studies have shown that IFs are increasing. However, rates may depend on journal publication language. The aim of this study was to determine IF values and trends for general medical journals, comparing non-English-language with English-language journals. For all journals categorised as "medicine, general and internal" (n = 150) in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), publication language, country of origin and IFs for the last 10 years were recorded (2001-2010). Data were classified, analysed descriptively and compared using non-parametric tests. From 2001 to 2010, IFs increased for English-language and non-English-language journals (p <0.001). During the 10-year study period, IFs were higher for English-language than for non-English-language journals (p <0.001). The proportion of non-English-language journals included in the JCR was 12.2% in 2001 and 18.0% in 2010 (p = 0.28). From 2001 to 2010, IFs increased significantly for English-language and non-English-language journals. When comparing IF values year-by-year (2001-2010), IFs were significantly higher for English-language than for non-English-language journals. In an international scientific community with English as the universal language of science, non-English-language journals should consider changing publication language, and adopt either a bi- or a monolingual approach. Publishing in English will increase citation counts and thus IFs, but, more importantly, scientific findings will be accessible to a much wider audience.

THE EFFECT OF ENGLISH-LANGUAGE RESTRICTION ON SYSTEMATIC REVIEW-BASED META-ANALYSES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL STUDIES

The English language is generally perceived to be the universal language of science. However, the exclusive reliance on English-language studies may not represent all of the evidence. Excluding languages other than English (LOE) may introduce a language bias and lead to erroneous conclusions. We conducted a comprehensive literature search using bibliographic databases and grey literature sources. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they measured the effect of excluding randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported in LOE from systematic review-based meta-analyses (SR/MA) for one or more outcomes. None of the included studies found major differences between summary treatment effects in English-language restricted meta-analyses and LOE-inclusive meta-analyses. Findings differed about the methodological and reporting quality of trials reported in LOE. The precision of pooled estimates improved with the inclusion of LOE trials. Overall, we found no evidence of a systematic bias from the use of language restrictions in systematic review-based meta-analyses in conventional medicine. Further research is needed to determine the impact of language restriction on systematic reviews in particular fields of medicine.

FASCINATION AND MISUNDERSTANDING THE AMBIVALENT WESTERN RECEPTION OF DAOISM

(2005). FASCINATION AND MISUNDERSTANDING THE AMBIVALENT WESTERN RECEPTION OF DAOISM. Monumenta Serica: Vol. 53, No. 1, pp. 273-286.

When culture and rhetoric contrast: examining English as the international language of technical communication

We often hear the expression that mathematics is the universal language of science and technology. Yet, while mathematics can cut across certain communicative boundaries, it is not the actual language of the sciences, for that role has already been filled by English. The author considers how English is the international language of technical communication.

Towards a follow‐up care program for ad hoc translations

In his book The foreign language barrier in sciences and technology (Aslib, 1962), C. W. Hanson wrote about ‘the desirability of using one international language for scientific publication, whether it be an existing natural language or a constructed one’. ‘This global approach to the language problem has some support,’ he continues, ‘but even if international agreement were achieved progress would be slow and it would probably be several decades before the international language was in anything approaching universal use.’ Exactly ten years later, Prof. A. I. Mikhailov, director of the All Union Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (VINITI) concludes, speaking about ways to overcome linguistic barriers: ‘the final solution of the problem lies in developing a universal language of science which will develop into a single language common to the world scientific community’ (Invited Papers of the 36th International Congress of FID, Budapest, 1972). After ten years the problem of overcoming linguistic barriers in international exchange of information by means of introduction of a universal language appears to be as vivid as a full decade ago.

The Curse of Babel

The "Curse of Babel" is what Duke-Elder has called our commitment to multilingual communications. The beauty of individual tongues, so important for the appreciation of literature and to some extent of art, has little to commend itself to science where directness of expression is of supreme importance. It was not a happy day for the scientist when mediaeval man turned away from Latin, the then common language of science, in favor of more secular means of communication. Nor have the several attempts to restore a common tongue in the form of Esperanto or other hybrids made more than symbolic impact. To those of us brought up in an English-speaking country, the prospect of using English as a universal language of science is pleasing and possibly logical. In India, English is the language of communication among the provinces and Japan's scientific journals are published in English, as well as in Japanese.