This text is part of the special Francophonie notebook
The dissemination of French-speaking scientific knowledge poses several challenges, but the task is not impossible, according to Érudit.
Certain statistics suggest that the French language is drowned in the great virtual whole, dominated by English in an implacable manner. Of the 10 million most used websites, only 2.7% of the overall offer corresponds to French-speaking content. In fact, only 6.8% of digital content is accessible in the language of Molière, currently in 4e place behind English, Chinese and Spanish.
In this globalized context, to what extent is it possible for French-speaking academics and scientists in Canada to stand out? The Francophonie still has some assets, starting with more than 327 million people speaking French all over the planet, with a significant base on the African continent.
From Quebec, theses, scientific articles and those from cultural periodicals shine throughout the world thanks to Érudit. Since 1998, this consortium formed by the University of Montreal, UQAM and Laval University has made all these documents accessible, drawing on a collection of 250,000 articles, also engaged in a major process of digitizing the archives. multiple publications. With 5 million annual visitors, Érudit has no need to justify its relevance.
The same goes for its international influence, while 75% of requests come from abroad. “I would be really worried if that were not the case,” laughs Tanja Niemann, general director of Érudit. With nearly 1,200 participating libraries and more than 300 scientific and cultural journals within reach, the consortium has clearly taken the right steps to ensure that French-speaking knowledge goes beyond our borders.
However, these successes only reflect part of the reality regarding the discoverability of French-speaking scientific publications. Because in several sectors, French is losing ground in favor of English, which allows authors greater notoriety and better referencing. In this competitive context, many French-speaking researchers in technological sectors, for example, decide to publish in English; even those in the literature and social sciences are finding it hard to resist the trend.
“The phenomenon worries us, but it also motivates us,” says Tanja Niemann. This is why we work not only with Quebec magazines, but also French-speaking magazines from across Canada, including those that are bilingual, to ensure that all this content is read in a dynamic environment. » And, of course, another distinctive feature of Érudit, we must maintain free access for visitors. “This is why we are increasing the number of agreements to ensure free access, especially in a context where subscription and financing models are being disrupted,” explains the general director. In some sectors, a researcher can pay up to $3,000 for a journal to publish their article; in the human sciences, or among young researchers, it is almost impossible. »
Impossible is not French
If the temptation to use English remains strong among French-speaking researchers, the phenomenon is not recent, according to Vincent Larivière, scientific director of Érudit. “It all started in the natural sciences at the end of the Second World War, then in the medical sciences,” recalls the man who also holds the first UNESCO Chair on open science. A worrying situation, certainly, but not completely irreversible according to him.
“We know better and better how the algorithms of search engines like Google work,” explains Vincent Larivière. Well-referenced and well-indexed articles are much more visible, and the Érudit team already does this very well. But we need to think about other strategies, such as translation — certainly not of all our articles, but at least of the summaries. »
This professor from the School of Library and Information Sciences at the University of Montreal also invites researchers to become truly aware of the French fact with regard to the dissemination of their work. “Publishing only in English means cutting yourself off from a large part of your community. This means that people in the world of education or health do not have access to scientific literature that could improve their practices. And what about undergraduate students, in literature for example? It clears out the lesson plans of an entire French-speaking section…”
Érudit cannot be alone in the fight to ensure the discoverability of French-speaking scientific publications. “It’s in-depth work,” recalls Vincent Larivière. It requires the contribution of the federal and provincial governments as well as universities, because there are as many technical, sociological and organizational challenges. » As part of the Francophonie Month and with the collaboration of Acfas, UQAM and BAnQ, Érudit will be present at a morning of reflection on these questions on March 19 at the National Archives building, in Montreal.
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