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Today, no one looks to the Arab world for breakthroughs in scientific research, and for good reason - it is a scientific desert
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In
a recent issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, Daniel Del Castillo wrote
an article titled, “The Arab world’s scientific desert”, in which he
wrote: “Today, no one looks to the Arab world for breakthroughs in scientific
research, and for good reason. According to a number of highly self-critical
reports that have come out in the past few years, the 21 countries that make up
the region are struggling to teach even basic science at the university
level.” Sad as it may seem, this is where we stand now, at least in the eyes
of others. This urges us to think about the reality of our position in the world
of scientific research, the reasons behind this backward status, and perhaps
it’s time to think of practical solutions.
In
this era of globalization, a look at the world’s research community - as
indicated by the number of research papers published in international
peer-reviewed scientific journals - shows that the USA is the world’s number one in overall research volume. If research is adjusted
to a country’s population size, however, Australia
and the UK come first. On applying the same measures to our region, we in the Middle East
find that we are far behind other countries not only in North America and
Europe, but also in Latin America, as well as many Asian and African countries.
Arab
World Far Behind
Last
year, the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office
(WHO-EMRO) conducted a survey to analyze the status of medical journal
publishing in the region (which includes all Arab countries except for Algeria, in addition to
Iran, Pakistan
and Afghanistan). The survey was based on a questionnaire prepared by the World Association of
Medical Editors (WAME), an international body with members from all over the
world. Out of 200 journals, the survey showed that only 52 journals in the
region have an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) (the ISSN is an
eight-digit number which identifies periodical publications as such, including
electronic serials. ISSN is managed by a world- wide network of 76 National
Centers coordinated by an International Center based in Paris, backed by UNESCO and the French Government).
The
survey also showed that up to 60 per cent of the journals surveyed have no
manuscript selection criteria, as they publish “what they receive”. Also,
only 32 journals were indexed in MedLine, the largest medical database in the
world, maintained by the US National Library of Medicine (NLM).
The
survey concluded that the most pressing problems facing medical publishing in
the region were: low quality of articles and research products received,
financial and technical problems related to publishing, lack of quality and
proper peer-review, in addition to lack of editorial board policies and
practices. Results of the analysis of this survey were presented in the First
Regional Conference on Medical Journals in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean
Region, held in Cairo,
Egypt from 7-9 October 2003.
In
the event of celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Saudi Medical Journal, in
collaboration with WHO-EMRO and King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology
(KACST), organized the Second Regional Conference on Medical Journals in the
WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region. The conference was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
from 10 to 12 October, 2004
at Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital.
The
conference was a lively event with a full program that was comprised of seven
sessions, each with 5-6 presentations delivered by experts in medical journal
publishing from all over the Eastern Mediterranean region, in addition to guest
speakers from the USA, Canada
and England.
Statistics
show that 90 per cent of important scientific research is published in 10 per
cent of journals, and while developing countries – including ours - comprise
80 per cent of the world’s population, only 2 per cent (yes, TWO per cent) of
indexed scientific publications come from these parts of the world.
The
Importance of Language
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| Learning
in the mother tongue is much more efficient than learning in a second
language
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Before
talking a “conspiracy” from the West, as some argue that there are too many
restrictions on indexing scientific journals, and that we lack funding (even
though some countries of the region are among the world’s wealthiest), it is
better to talk about something largely overlooked as a REAL cause of retardation
of scientific research in our region, which is the language factor.
All
developed countries in Europe, North America, Australia
and New Zealand, and the majority of developing countries in Latin America and Asia
teach medicine in their native languages.
Arab
countries represent a unique case in this regard, as we find medicine is taught
in Arabic only in Syria, while certain medical subjects are studied in Arabic in certain colleges in
the Sudan, in Libya
and Yemen. Other Arab countries teach medicine in English or in French.
The
use of national languages (Arabic in our case) in teaching modern sciences,
including medicine, is seen by some as the cornerstone of any real development
in the quality of education, to free our youths from the linguistic dualism
imposed by thinking in one language and studying in another; we think in Arabic,
no matter how good we are in other languages. This dualism consumes much of the
student’s precious time and mental faculties. The result is a lowered
efficiency of learning. UNESCO has recommended the use of national languages in
learning up to the maximum level possible, as studies have indicated that
learning in the mother tongue is much more efficient than learning in a second
language.
There
are, of course, other reasons for our backward research status, but let us try
at least to find solutions to one major factor in this regard. I will try to
highlight some ideas that might be useful in this regard, focusing on medicine,
being my profession, but these can be applied to other sciences as well.
Translating
Scientific Output
Medical Arabization does NOT mean
abandoning English altogether. On the contrary, what is meant is to
LEARN in our native language while maintaining a good knowledge of
English.
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The
translation of the world scientific and technological output into Arabic is a
basic, pressing and important step towards developing Arab medical programs in
terms of medical instruction or research and development processes. Its
prime objective is to underscore the role of Arabic in the field of medical
sciences.
In
order to make the technology transfer effectively controllable, it should be
made to the last point in Arabic. The Arabic language should be the
technical and practical medium of thinking and writing for Arab doctors.
Any
Arab organization concerned with the development and progress of science and
technology in the Arab world should therefore give an absolute preference to the
technical translation into Arabic.
This
subject should be deemed of great interest to the Pan-Arab cooperation.
The
process may be carried out by means of the following:
1.
A comprehensive plan for Arabic authoring in the medical fields. The
subjects and authorship standards should be determined through hiring the
assistance of Arab specialists capable of fulfilling this important mission.
2.
A comprehensive Arabization plan for the major foreign medical reference books,
especially the textbooks, that would contribute to the introduction of Arabic to
this field, as well as the Arabization of some specialized medical subjects
proved to be badly needed.
3.
A comprehensive Arabization plan for foreign medical terminology and their
publishing in Arabic; the accurate definition of their concepts and meanings,
and publication of the relevant dictionaries and glossaries.
4.
Issuing an Arab Medical Encyclopedia of the history of Islamic medicine up to
the present time and the development of Islamic medicine over the past
centuries.
5.
Provision of a plan for the various medical educational media and models used in
medical instruction in order to accelerate the introduction of Arabic concepts
in the medical teaching process.
Will
Arabization Isolate Arabs From the World Scientific Community?
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Some argue that if we teach
medicine in Arabic, we will be unable to
communicate with colleagues all over
the world
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On
the other hand, some argue that the Arabization of medical education is driving
the Arab world away from the world of medical research and that if we teach
medicine in Arabic, we will be unable to communicate with colleagues all over
the world or keep abreast of medical breakthroughs. This may be best answered by
reading Dr. Zuhair Al-Sebai’s book titled Defending the Teaching of Medicine
in Arabic.
In
this book, Dr. Sebai had conducted an analysis of the percentage of medical
terms in 10 medical textbooks (in English) from which the students of a Saudi
medical college pursue their studies. The analysis indicated that medical terms
constitute only 3.3 per cent of the total count of words, the rest being of the
“I was visited by the patient whose age is …” type, all of which are words
used in everyday life.
Other
results showed that there was a significant increase in both the speed of
reading and the comprehension of medical texts when Arab medical students and
practicing doctors read the same text in Arabic, compared to English.
Regarding
pursuing postgraduate education, the same book includes a table showing the
results of Syrian doctors (who studied medicine in Arabic) in the ECFMG exam
(now USMLE), which is an examination held in the USA to assess foreign medical
graduates before enrolling them in postgraduate medical programs in the USA.
Results of Syrian doctors were well comparable to those of other doctors who
studied medicine in English.
Medical
Arabization does NOT mean abandoning English altogether. On the contrary, what
is meant is to LEARN in our native language while maintaining a good knowledge
of English, the role of which cannot be denied as the leading language of
medical research today. Good examples of this trend include Japan, Germany
and France.
References:
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WHO-EMRO,
Medical Journals in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Conference Report (Cairo,
Egypt, 7-9 October, 2003)
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Daniel
Del Castillo, The Arab World’s Scientific Desert, Chronicle of Higher Education,
3/3/2004
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Saudi
Medical Journal 2004; Vol.25, Supplement 1
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Author’s
presentation at the Second Regional Conference on Medical Journals in the
WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 11 October 2004.
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Dr.
Zuhair Al-Sebai, “Defending the Teaching of Medicine in Arabic”.
Ehab
Abdelrahim M. Ali is an Egyptian physician and writer, currently
working as head of the Authorship & Translation Department, Arabization
Center for Medical Science (ACMLS) in Kuwait. He is also a member of the World
Association of Medical Editors (WAME). He can be contacted at: egyku@lycos.com
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