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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 |
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. |
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 |
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.
Sources:
- WHO-EMRO, Medical Journals in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, Conference Report (Cairo, Egypt, 7-9 October, 2003)
- Daniel Del Castillo, The Arab World's Scientific Desert, Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/3/2004
- Saudi Medical Journal 2004; Vol.25, Supplement 1
- Author's presentation at the Second Regional Conference on Medical Journals in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 11 October 2004.
- Dr. Zuhair Al-Sebai, "Defending the Teaching of Medicine in Arabic".
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