The predominance of English in science has become more and more essential in recent decades, and Quebec has not escaped it. The vast majority of scientific publications in the world today are in English. Faced with this worrying situation, how can we better promote science in French? It is on the basis of this question that the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ), which I direct, held on April 26 and 27 in Montreal the forum La science en français au Québec et dans le monde, in which several hundred people registered face-to-face and virtually.
More than forty experts from the Americas, Europe and French-speaking Africa came to present findings, discuss them, and propose solutions to increase the use of the French language and make it live in scholarly publishing, communication with the general public, training and education, research practice and science diplomacy.
In order to fuel the forum’s exchanges, the FRQ conducted a survey last March among the 2,488 doctoral and postdoctoral scholarship holders they are supporting in 2022-2023. Composed of a series of questions on the main aspects of research practice, this survey aimed to better understand the frequency of use of the French language in the scientific community in Quebec. The responses of the 826 people who took part in the exercise made it possible to take the pulse on the place of the French language among the next generation of researchers.
Science in French is essential and important, but…
To the question “What do you think of science in French?” », 92% of scholarship holders recognize its essential and important nature, despite the challenges it can represent. The French language is a beautiful and rich way to do research, but it can represent an obstacle for communication, career advancement and international collaboration.
With regard to the publication of research work, the results of the survey confirm, without much surprise, the predominance of the use of English: only 15% of scholarship holders questioned say they write in French only or mainly in French, in particular those of the social and human sciences sector. On the other hand, they are much more likely to use French in their dissemination activities with the general public: 48% of respondents always communicate in French or more often in French than in English when it comes to their fellow citizens.
The results also show that mastering the French language is an asset for scholarship holders who plan to do an internship in a French-speaking country. A quarter of people said they had done or planned to do an internship in a French-speaking country, and among them, 85% had a high level of proficiency in French (mother tongue or advanced level).
The survey results also indicate a limitation in the use of spoken French in research environments: 46% say that it never happens in French or more often in English than in French in laboratories.
A solution-focused forum and survey
Science in French can count on a strong Francophonie of more than 320 million people on the five continents, and its progress over the next thirty years will mainly pass through Africa. While it is undeniable that major English-language journals confer considerable recognition and impact on scientists, it is also crucial to highlight the advantages of science in French. Communication in their mother tongue, here, French, allows scientists to express clearer and more nuanced ideas.
In a French-speaking context, science in French promotes the interest of the next generation of scientists and dialogue between science and society. It contributes to the scientific literacy of the greatest number, which is the main bulwark against misinformation.
However, science in French faces challenges of scientific recognition, career advancement, support for scientific journals, scientific collaborations, both in Quebec and internationally. It is therefore essential to explore possible solutions to better promote a strong and dynamic scientific Francophonie. It is in this posture that the FRQ conducted the survey and held the forum.
The scholarship holders who participated in the survey proposed the creation of a network to promote the dissemination of knowledge and mobility in the Francophonie, a solution that would strengthen collaboration between the various French-speaking countries and regions. For more French to be published, the offer of high-performance translation tools, the promotion of publications in French in university files and better financial support are among the solutions. The promotion of scientific conferences in French in Quebec, in Canada and in the French-speaking world, the possibility of following university programs exclusively in French and the recognition of scientific communication with the general public are also possible solutions formulated by the people surveyed.
In their aspirations for a career in science, the French language will be very important, important or fairly important, tell us 75% of scholarship recipients supported by the FRQ. Both this sounding and the remarks made by those who participated in the forum indicate that universities and funding organizations must better recognize communication in French intended for peers or the general public. With digital, we will have to focus on the discoverability of scientific content in French, for the benefit of citizens from here and elsewhere in the Francophonie. There are many who see a strong multilingualism for the future of science, of which French will be an essential element, such is the qualifier that imposed itself in the cloud of words created during the forum!
The proposals made during the forum and within the framework of the survey will be analyzed, because the FRQ intends to implement some of them. Let’s give science in French a new impetus!