Preface

from the “Combinatory Dictionary of Scientific Usage. A New Active Reference” by Ryabzeva N.K., M.: “Nauka”, 2002.

Now that English has become the leading language in international scientific communication, more and more scholars not only realize the necessity to read their professional literature in English, but also feel the need to present their ideas and research results in this language – at international conferences, on the pages of international scientific journals, when applying for grants or launching international projects. Many also realize that translation is only one option, and that scholars should have the ability to write their own papers in English. There is, however, only fragmentary information on how to do it properly, to say nothing of recommendations specially addressed to non-English-speaking scientists. The present book is a step in this direction. It is aimed at providing multifaceted linguistic support to graduate students and scholars of all disciplines in writing their papers in English.

The book proceeds from the notion that expressing one’s ideas in a foreign language and translating them are two quite different activities. The author is free in working his/her intentions, has his/her own “active vocabulary” and always knows what he/she means, while the translator is bound to stick to the original, has to translate unfamiliar words and will not have the same professional knowledge of the subject. When translating a scientific paper into a foreign language, the professional translator will primarily need a terminological dictionary. When writing a paper in a foreign language, the author – a specialist in a discipline and its terminology–needs to know how to express his/her intentions idiomatically, coherently and in a stylistically adequate manner. It is precisely this knowledge that the book provides.

2. – Use the following expressions in your own utterances about the foreign language.

… I’d like …

… I am going to …

… I intend …

… I want …

to be highly proficient in written and oral English

to provide a basic assessment of my English language skills

to have a high level of proficiency in written and spoken English

It is sufficient to conduct research in the chosen field of science.

to broaden my professional and research experience

to improve my skills and language knowledge

to be (not) an easy language to learn

to be able to speak to (to communicate with) people from other countries

to read foreign authors in the original

to make an outlook wider

to be an intellectual and well-educated person

not only to read and translate the texts but to discuss their contents in

English

to communicate with one another making useful statements in real-

life situation

to listen to different educational programs

to improve my knowledge of English from lesson to lesson

to make acquaintance with different conceptions of foreign researchers

in the original.

3. EAsk your group-mates about the role of the foreign language for their research. Use the following questions:

1). Do you need a foreign language for your professional communi -

cation?

2). Do you use English in your research?

3). Do you intend to analyse foreign works in your thesis?

4). Are there any fundamental works written in English in your

area of scientific investigation?

5). What mark did you get for your language skills?

6). Would you like to improve your English?

7). Why do you need English in your research?

8). Do you intend to participate in the international conferences?

4. -Give your own written explanations about the role of a foreign language for a researcher. Use the expressions from Ex.2 and from Testing Yourself list.

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