OPINION | Too much English in our universities? By Eva Forslund and Magnus Henrekson READ:
The encroachment of English is happening in the Philippines, Mexico, Japan, and Italy; it is not unique to any particular setting. And in some countries, perhaps the shift to English has not gone far enough. English opens doors to the international exchange of knowledge. In many countries, however, the shift towards English in academic settings has gone too far.
Using English turns attention to topics that are of global interest— and international journals often do not have much interest in affairs particular to the Philippines. Rather, they are interested in the United States and other major countries, or universal truths and abstract theories. When research is conducted solely in English aimed for publication in international journals, there is a risk that nationally important issues are overlooked and institutional details are ignored.
We explore these problems in an article available online . We illustrate with examples from our own country, Sweden, and our own discipline, economics. Two commentaries are published alongside our article, one by a fellow Swede and one by an Italian.When students are not taught in their native language, understanding becomes more difficult. Most students will work in the public or private sector of their home country, where deep knowledge of the relevant institutional setting is essential.
How should we view Economics in light of these issues? In physics, local conditions and institutions do not aect how physics works. Therefore, the choice of language is of less importance, especially since mathematics is a universal language.
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