English as a global language of science

	Modern English, sometimes described as the first global lingua franca, is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. Its spread beyond the British Isles began with the growth of the British Empire, and by the late nineteenth century its reach was truly global. Following British colonization in North America, it is the dominant language in the United States, whose growing economic and cultural influence and status as a global superpower since World War II have significantly accelerated the language's adoption across the planet.
	Approximately 375 million people speak English as their first language. English today is probably the third largest language by number of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. However, when combining native and non-native speakers it is probably the most commonly spoken language in the world. The countries with the highest populations of native English speakers are, in descending order: United States (215 million), United Kingdom (61 million), Canada (18.2 million), Australia (15.5 million), Ireland (3.8 million), South Africa (3.7 million), and New Zealand (3.6 million) 2006 Census.
	 A working knowledge of English has become a working knowledge in a number of fields, occupations and professions such as medicine and computing; as a consequence over a billion people speak English to at least a basic level. Whether you are aiming to be a professor or a reporter, a doctor or a banker, knowing English can give you what it takes to succeed. Many of the best MBA programs are taught in English. If your ambitious lie in science or medicine, you can not neglect English either. Much of technical terminology is based on English words, and if you want to learn about the latest developments and discoveries from around the world, you will read about them in journals and research reports published in English, no matter whether the scientists who wrote them are from China or Norway. And, of course, with good conversational English, you will be able to mix at conferences and seminars.
	English also opens doors in the academic world. Of course, if the best program in your field is in England or America, English will give you the opportunity to study with the top scholars. Many Western universities are becoming highly international, with visiting scholars, students and professors from all around the world, and their common working language is English. Attending international conferences and publishing in foreign journals are some of the key steps to success in academia. So English has already become the de facto language of science. In most fields, almost every paper is published in English, and all conferences use English.
	The advantages of a single language are self-evident. In the past papers published in other languages often went unnoticed and uncited, resulting in people reinventing the wheel. 	
	The disadvantages are perhaps clearer to non-English speakers, who cannot easily get access to original peer-reviewed journals, or understand them easily when they can. Those with the best potential to be scientists are perhaps not the ones with the best language capability, and working in English may limit their effectiveness.
	A continuing problem is mentioned in the article, how a foreign-speaking scientist even with some English knowledge must often continue to struggle to write clear, polished papers without getting dismissed out of hand. For entire careers.
	(To tell the truth though, there are a lot of scientists who struggle to write good English in their papers whether or not it is their first language. And it isn’t just foreign scientists with the problem: journalists, politicians, and teachers must also deal with a slow process and inaccurate process of translating. This has to significantly affect the dissemination of knowledge.
		From the practical standpoint, the best and most PhD-granting institutions in science are in English-speaking countries. That’s a major reason English has emerged as the dominant language.  We’re going to have to live with English as the language of science, and find ways to let everyone operate within that standard. And we all know that science is one of the few truly international human endeavors and it benefits from open and regular communication. Let’s think about improving that capability.