Low Level of English Language Proficiency is one of the challenges faced by postgraduate students- Tutors India

1. LOW LEVEL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY IS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES FACED BY POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS & THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE EDITING An Academic presentationby Dr. Nancy Agens, Head, Technical Operations, Tutors India Group www.tutorsindia.com Email:info@tutorsindia.com

2. Today'sDiscussion In-Brief OUTLINE Introduction English language in scientificwriting Status of english in the world’sscience English language in the postgraduate and scientific studies and challenges Conclusion

3. In-Brief Proficiency in English language is now mandate for the students undergoing higher education. It is not just important for the understanding the academic instruction but also in contributing to the research.An inadequate knowledge of the language can lead to poor academic indulgence and hence universities should be offering thespecialized English languagecourses related to field ofeducation.

4. Introduction Globalization has turned the world into a smallvillage and English is a language that holds a prominent position in today’sworld. The necessity of the English languagebecomes important for communicationglobally. English is not even taught as a foreign languageanymore but is taught as an alternative language for the medium of academicinstruction. The students in the countries with non-native English speakers sometimes face difficulty since theirproficiency and the command in the language is not sostrong. Contd..

5. If we take an example of Asian and Arab countries, the formal education ofthe English language does exist in the classrooms but there is a lack of language exposure since it is nowhere seen in the dailyconversations. The approach to teaching the English language in the classroom is not up tothe mark and thus results in the slow progress of thestudents. When the students undertake the Postgraduate programs they are exposed tothe English in wide contexts, as in the areas of health sciences and technology, etc use English as a primary language of the academiccourses. Contd..

6. Academic proofreading and academic editingservicesaremostlycarried out inEnglish. Hence, proficiency in the language is a must and is one of themajor challenges faced by postgraduate universitystudents.

7. English Languagein Scientific Writing In most of theScientific writingsand professional proofreading, English has been a primelanguage to presentpapers. Due to the low proficiency, the postgraduatestudents sometimes rely on the direct translations of the studies to present theirwritings. However, direct translations are never correctand apt because of the context of the vocabulary in differentlanguages. Contd..

8. Sometimes direct translations lead to funny meanings in English which is certainly not accepted in the professionalenvironments. In the scientific paper, we need to present facts, theories, proofs, experiments, and testing objectivity that requires a good language flow in English. Many students lack this ability and hence the research papersare simply rejected by the bad use of grammar and languageflow. Contd..

9. Academic proofreading services and reviewers do not entertain the flaweduse oflanguage. For example, the title of any research paper is never a sentence and the useof verb and word wastage should beavoided. However, a lack of proficiency and flawed use of language is a thumbs downto all of the research done by thestudent. Style, good grammar, and clarity are as important as the researchitself.

10. Status of Englishin the World’s Science In a research, the sources of Globalmedia translated to other languages wereidentified. The data included from the books, twitter,and Wikipedia. The research showed that English is thelargest hub for theinformation. Other languages such as Spanish andRussian were also recognized as hubs but smaller as compared toEnglish. Contd..

11. Communication with the wider audience confers the ability to influencea greater sum ofpeople. Research trend, ascientific publicationalso revealed that 80% of articles were entirely written in the English language as a huge amount of these articles were based out of the US &UK. The research also included that the non-English articles have avery feweraudience. Contd..

12. For students and scientists who want to produce the globally recognized work will have to attend conferences in the English Language. Proofreadingand editingare also done mostly inEnglish. Contd..

13. Language of Scientific Output in the bioticStress ResearchField

14. English language in the Postgraduate andScientific Studies and Challenges Science educationis a preparation for a scientificcareer in thefuture. The English language is taught in non-English speaking countries as a primary language andthe trend is continuouslyrising. Nonproficiency often leads to disengagement andis one of the majorchallenges. Students often do not participate in group workactivities and presentations because of the anxiety caused due to nonproficiency. Contd..

15. Sometimes students also build up an inferiority complex when they are notvery good at Englishcommunication. The wrong pronunciations often lead to embarrassment and lesssignificant participation in theclassrooms. Errors in the punctuation, grammar, and spellings can be the result of poor literacyif the language by thestudents. There are students with non-English speakingbackgrounds. Contd..

16. These students are sometimes not sure about the appropriate titles andsurnames. Language is also a key factor in forming relationships between students andprofessors. Hence for the overall wellbeing of the students in universities language playsan importantrole. The non-English proficient students belonging to higher technical education sometimes have a disadvantage as they can not participate in dissertationproofreading or any professional editingservice.

17. Conclusion Universities need to do better in dealing withstudents with low proficiency intheEnglish language. The investment of more time and money inaddressing the language-related challenges can bring about a substantial change in the overall environment and well being of students anduniversities. Educators should be able to understand the hidden reasons behind the silence in the classrooms andhelp students to be more interactive in thesubjects. Contd..

18. Diversity is always a strength that can bring about solutions from different linguisticbackgrounds. The postgraduate students can be indulged in thesis proofreading, professional proofreading, and assignment proofreadingof theirpeers that can help in the proficiency in understanding the language in differentcontexts.

19. Future Scopes The students can also be taught specified use of language as per their technical purposes and special needs andnot just generalEnglish. These courses can be of zero credit bit a compulsion inthe universities. For example, English for Medical Sciences can be taughtto the students with the relatedfields. This way students can have better participation inthe academic environmentand can overcome the challengesof non-proficiency and have more confidence with their verbal and writtenskills.

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