ENGLISH IN SCIENCE: WHY ARE 90% OF THE STUDIES PUBLISHED ON IT?

ABSTRACT

English has firmly established itself as the main language of scientific communication in a globalized world, which is confirmed by the huge number of English-language publications. This article critically examines the historical, economic, and political factors that led to this state of affairs. The author analyzes the evolution of the languages of science, starting with Latin, through the period of multilingualism, and ending with the modern monopoly of English, with special attention to the post-war period. The paper examines such aspects as the economic benefits of unification, the influence of large publishers, and the dependence of a scientific career on English-language publications, supported by statistical data for 2023. The most significant section in the work is devoted to the difficulties faced by scientists who do not speak English as their native language. The author goes beyond the simple recognition of the language barrier, demonstrating its serious consequences.: from the displacement of national scientific terms and limited access to information to the virtual isolation of entire scientific communities. The final part of the article provides a detailed analysis of possible solutions to this problem, ranging from the use of technologies such as machine translation, to the development of multilingual scientific publications and even a proposal to create a simplified version of scientific English. The article, characterized by a deep analysis combining a historical perspective with modern data and practical advice, will be of interest not only to linguists and historians of science, but also to anyone who is faced with the problems of scientific communication in the context of linguistic dominance. In conclusion, the author offers reasonable predictions about the future of scientific communication and concrete steps to improve the existing system.

Keywords: English as the language of science, scientific communication, language barrier in the academic environment, history of scientific languages, globalization of science, multilingualism in research.

English has firmly established itself as the main language of modern science. The vast majority (over 90%) of scientific articles indexed in major international databases are published in English, despite the fact that most scientists in the world are not native speakers of this language. In this article, we explore the reasons for this dominance by looking at the historical, economic, and political factors that led to this situation. We will also analyze the implications for scientists from non-English-speaking countries and discuss possible ways to develop scientific communication in the future.

1. Historical background: how English became the language of science

1.1. From Latin to national languages

For centuries, Latin has been the universal language of science in Europe, providing communication between scientists from different countries. Prominent figures such as Newton, Kepler, and Galileo wrote their works in Latin because it had a number of advantages: neutrality, clear structure, and well-developed terminology. However, with the development of national consciousness and the spread of Enlightenment ideas, the situation has changed. Scientists began to publish their research in their native languages, which led to the formation of a multilingual scientific environment. In this new system, German began to dominate chemistry and physics, French in mathematics and philosophy, and Russian in some areas of natural science. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, realizing the importance of wide dissemination of knowledge, scientific journals often required authors to provide summaries in several languages, for example, in German and English, regardless of the language of the main article.

1.2. The post-World War II Shift

After the Second World War, significant changes took place when the geopolitical focus shifted to the United States. There are several main reasons that contributed to the emergence of English as the language of science: first, there was a massive migration of scientists from war-affected Europe to the United States. A striking example of this is the move of Albert Einstein and other famous physicists, who not only continued their research in America, but also helped to transfer scientific communication to English. Secondly, there have been changes in the research funding system. American universities and research institutions such as MIT and Harvard began to receive significant government funds. The Rockefeller and Ford Foundations began to support international scientific projects, where English became the main language of communication. Thirdly, technical achievements in the post-war period played an important role. Fields such as computer technology, space research, and nuclear science have developed primarily in the United States and Great Britain. As a result, terminology and scientific publications were formed in English. By the 1970s, this process had become irreversible: all major international conferences began to be held in English, and leading scientific journals began to require articles to be submitted exclusively in that language.

2. Current causes of global dominance

2.1. Economic efficiency

In the context of the globalization of science, the unification of the language, with the dominance of English, becomes economically feasible. Academic publishers, universities, and individual scientists benefit from lower translation costs, easier review processes, and increased opportunities for international collaboration. Each of these options retains the basic idea, but the emphasis is shifted depending on what you want to emphasize. Choose the one that best suits your context.

Table 1.

Share of English in leading scientific journals (2023)

2.2. Policy of scientific publishing houses

Major publishers such as Elsevier, Springer Nature and IEEE pursue commercial goals and strive for maximum profit. Their business is based on the widespread dissemination of scientific materials around the world, where English plays the role of the main means of communication. These publishers control a significant part of the most reputable scientific journals that define standards in various fields. For example, in 2022, Elsevier published more than 420 thousand articles, the vast majority of which were written in English. Scientists seeking widespread recognition and citation of their work are forced to follow these rules.

2.3. The impact of citations on a scientist's career

In the modern scientific environment, a researcher's career growth is closely linked to his h-index, an indicator reflecting both the number of publications and their relevance in the scientific community.

Consider an example:

- If a Japanese scientist publishes groundbreaking research on new materials in a Japanese journal in his native language, his work is likely to go unnoticed outside Japan.

- However, if the same work is published in English in a prestigious journal such as Nature Materials, it will receive wide distribution and, as a result, a lot of citations.

This creates a vicious circle: in order to achieve success and recognition, scientists are forced to publish in English, which, in turn, further strengthens its dominant position in scientific communication.

3. Problems of non-English-speaking researchers

3.1. The language barrier as an obstacle to a scientific career

For scientists whose native language is not English, the process of publishing in international journals is fraught with significant difficulties. Firstly, writing a scientific article in a non-native language requires not only a good command of grammar, but also an understanding of specific academic norms and stylistic features. Many researchers spend months preparing a text, which is then sent for revision due to language errors. Secondly, most leading journals require professional editing of articles before submission. Native speakers or specialized services (for example, Elsevier Language Editing) can cost from 200 to 800 dollars per article, which creates a financial burden for scientists from developing countries. Finally, even after publication, the language barrier remains: many researchers have difficulty speaking at international conferences, which limits their opportunities for scientific networking and collaboration.

3.2. The disappearance of national scientific terms

The influence of the English language on science leads to the loss of valuable cultural heritage, expressed in unique scientific terms developed in different languages. For example, in Russian mathematics, the term "normal equation" gives way to the English "normal equation". Similarly, the original German chemical designations of the 19th century, reflecting the specifics of German scientific thought, are gradually disappearing from use. This process not only impoverishes the scientific vocabulary, but also breaks the link between modern research and classical works written in national languages, depriving us of the opportunity to fully assess the contribution of different cultures to the development of science.

3.3. Unequal access to scientific knowledge

The dominance of the English language in the scientific field creates a systemic problem affecting both scientists, students and scientific institutions. For researchers, especially the older generation, this means the need to overcome the language barrier. Students, especially in countries where English is not their native language, face difficulties in studying technical subjects, as educational literature is increasingly published in English. Scientific libraries, preferring English-language publications, restrict access to local research. As a result, entire regions where English is not widely spoken find themselves in a kind of scientific isolation, which hinders the development of science at the local level.

4. The future: Are alternatives possible?

4.1. Artificial intelligence and automatic translation

Modern machine translation systems such as DeepL and Google Scholar Translate*(По требованию Роскомнадзора информируем, что иностранное лицо, владеющее информационными ресурсами Google является нарушителем законодательства Российской Федерации – прим. ред.) make working with foreign languages much easier. They allow you to quickly understand the content of scientific articles, create primary versions of texts in English, and translate conference materials, such as presentations and abstracts. The key advantages of these tools are speed, accessibility, and cost–effectiveness. However, it is important to take into account the disadvantages: machine translation may be inaccurate in terms of specialized terminology, does not always convey the stylistic features of the text and does not replace the mastery of academic writing skills. Although neural networks can become valuable assistants for scientists in the future, knowledge of English is likely to remain necessary.

4.2. Multilingual journals and scientific platforms

Despite the dominance of English in the scientific field, a number of countries are taking steps to strengthen the position of their national languages. China, the European Union, and Latin America are implementing various strategies, from developing bilingual journals (like Science China in China) and financing multilingual platforms (like OpenAire in the EU) to maintaining a network of Spanish-language publications in Latin America. However, so far, the impact of these initiatives, as measured by the impact factor, is significantly lower than that of English-language publications.

4.3. "Simplified English" for international science

It is proposed to develop a specialized version of English for scientific publications and communication, similar to Basic English or Aviation English. This "scientific English" will be characterized by a limited vocabulary (from 3,000 to 5,000 words), simplified grammar, and standardized phrases to describe research methodologies and results. While this may simplify international scientific communication, the idea raises concerns about the possible simplification and impoverishment of scientific language. The predominance of English in the scientific field has become an integral part of reality, which has both positive aspects (unification of communication, access to worldwide research) and significant disadvantages (linguistic discrimination, the disappearance of national terms). The situation is unlikely to change significantly in the coming decades, but progress in translation technology and the emergence of multilingual platforms may make scientific knowledge more accessible. Finding a balance between globalization and preserving linguistic diversity in the scientific community is an important task.

Recommendations for researchers:

1. Spend time learning academic English.

2. Use machine translation tools as auxiliary tools.

3. Support national scientific journals along with international publications.

Research perspectives:

- Study of the influence of artificial intelligence on scientific communication.

- Comparative analysis of the citation of articles in different languages.

- Development of standards for "simplified scientific English".

Science has always been international, and the search for the best forms of communication remains one of its main tasks.

References:

1. Bennett, K., The academic lingua franca: English in the international university. Routledge, (2014)
2. Gordin, M. D., Scientific Babel: How science was done before and after global English. University of Chicago Press, (2015)
3. Hyland, K., Academic publishing: Issues and challenges in the construction of knowledge. Oxford University Press, (2016)
4. Pennycook, A., The cultural politics of English as an international language. Routledge, (2017)