This text is part of the special section Acfas prices
“In the 1940s, science was in German! » says the president of Acfas, Jean-Pierre Perreault, when asked to talk about the place of French in science. Although English dominates today, it has not always had the status of lingua franca of research. However, its progress is irrefutable: according to Acfas, only 5% to 12% of grant applications intended for federal granting agencies are written in French. Jean-Pierre Perreault does not despair: “we sent the pendulum a little too far in one direction, but it is coming back”.
For the president, science has good years ahead of it and Acfas demonstrates this again this year by awarding prizes to researchers from all disciplines, across the country.
“Science is done in French,” notes Jean-Pierre Perreault, who is also a biologist and vice-rector for research and graduate studies at the University of Sherbrooke. “At my university, all research groups operate in French.” Another encouraging sign: “for a researcher, it is a source of great pride to obtain an Acfas prize”. Presented since 1944, these 16 prizes — 5 intended for emerging researchers and 11 for established researchers — reward science in French in Canada. “People are going to be proud of who won it, they’re going to say to themselves: ‘Did you see? She’s a colleague from such and such a university!” “.
This year, the Gilles-Paquet prize, announced during the 100e anniversary of Acfas last year, is being held for the first time. To highlight the contribution of a scientist to research in French in a Canadian minority context, it was presented to Annette Boudreau, professor emeritus in the Department of French Studies at the University of Moncton. “She has contributed in various ways to the vitality of research in French. She worked to counter preconceived ideas about languages and the people who speak them. » This distinction is sponsored by the Association of Colleges and Universities of the Canadian Francophonie.
That’s not all: the list of trophies to be awarded is growing once again, with the announcement of a 12e prize, intended to reward inter-order collaborations in research, that is to say collaborations between the college and university environment and sponsored by the Ministry of Higher Education. “It’s a hot topic at Acfas,” notes the president. We want to support research at the college level. » It is true that CEGEP research centers are generally little known. “Whether the research comes from Sherbrooke University, Bishop or a CEGEP, that makes me happy,” retorts Jean-Pierre Perreault with passion. If it’s in French, I’m even happier. » This prize will be awarded for the first time next year.
Two emeritus members were also appointed: André Fauchon, professor of geography emeritus at the University of Saint-Boniface and Linda Cardinal, assistant vice-rector for research at the University of French Ontario. “They have gone above and beyond to promote research in French outside of Quebec. »
In French please !
The president of Acfas is optimistic for the future of science in French. It is counting in particular on an unusual ally to support it: artificial intelligence (AI). “Thanks to AI, translation becomes easier. We have to take advantage of this! » He dreams of seeing the development of platforms offering instant translation of scientific studies. “We could put our text written in French there and it would be possible to download it in 200 different languages. It would suffice to say that the official version is in French. To achieve this, according to him, it will be necessary to fight against the monopoly of large publishers.
In any case, despite the pitfalls, French-speaking science has a bright future, believes Jean-Pierre Perreault. It’s not just a whim: it’s a necessity. “Diversity is important. It’s a question of ideas: science is not just thought in one language. There are advantages to not only thinking in English. » For him, French-speaking research is also essential to help popularize the results, both in the classroom and in the media. This, according to him, is one of the keys to encouraging the development of research in the “local language”: “by popularizing it, we make science appreciated by the general public and we develop the scientific culture of all the society “.
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