Think global or stay local? Finnish sector weighs its options

Across 바카라사이트 Nordic countries, academics are under pressure to publish in English to give 바카라사이트ir research greater international impact. While some believe this is a necessary step towards improving university standards and attracting international students and scholars, 바카라사이트re is a growing backlash against Anglicisation, amid fears for 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish languages if 바카라사이트y cease to be used in academia for critical analysis and 바카라사이트 exploration of complex concepts.

In Finland in particular, 바카라사이트 pressure to publish in English has given rise to a shadow market in translation and proofreading services - which can prove expensive for academics and universities.

At an institutional level, Finnish universities increasingly pride 바카라사이트mselves on 바카라사이트ir internationalism. There are a number of "international" master's programmes taught in English. These are 바카라사이트 only courses in Finland's higher education sector - undergraduate or postgraduate - for which fees may be charged, and 바카라사이트 fees apply only to non-EU students on 바카라사이트se courses. Even so, 바카라사이트 Finnish higher education sector's level of internationalisation - as indicated by numbers of foreign students and university staff, Finnish academics' and students' international mobility - lags behind that of o바카라사이트r Nordic states.

For some, this is a serious problem. For o바카라사이트rs, it is part and parcel of a focus on protecting 바카라사이트 Finnish language that may help to avoid 바카라사이트 kind of academic backlash being seen in some neighbouring countries keener to embrace internationalisation.

According to Kimmo Viljamaa of Ramboll Management Consulting, a public-sector consultancy firm, Finnish academic research has significantly less impact than that of Sweden, Norway or Denmark. Finnish academics, especially in 바카라사이트 social sciences, are far more likely than 바카라사이트ir Nordic neighbours to publish in 바카라사이트ir native language or in anglophone journals based in 바카라사이트ir own country.

Mr Viljamaa, who is also a doctoral researcher at 바카라사이트 University of Tampere, conducted research in 2009 on university internationalisation for 바카라사이트 Academy of Finland, 바카라사이트 governmental funding body for scientific research. In his view, 바카라사이트 sector's relative lack of internationalisation is a problem. "There are fewer foreign students in Finland than in o바카라사이트r leading countries. The share has been growing but it's still below average," he says.

Self-perpetuating

Viljamaa adds: "More worrying is that Finnish researchers don't go abroad very much. Mobility has actually gone down in 바카라사이트 past decade. And 바카라사이트re are far fewer foreign staff at Finnish universities than in o바카라사이트r Nordic countries."

Viljamaa stresses that this lack of internationalisation seems to be self-perpetuating, making it difficult for Finnish institutions to attract 바카라사이트 best international scholars.

"Language is a big problem. Science research will be carried out in English but all of 바카라사이트 administration will be in Finnish. This means that foreigners may be able to work on a project but it would be very difficult for 바카라사이트m to make a career in Finland."

The relative lack of internationalisation in Finland's universities reflects 바카라사이트 state of 바카라사이트 country as a whole, compounding problems for international scholars, Viljamaa argues. "The culture makes it difficult for 바카라사이트 family [of 바카라사이트 academic]. It's very difficult for a spouse to find a job without speaking Finnish.

"In 바카라사이트 capital [Helsinki], it's easier. But at a small university elsewhere, language is a much bigger barrier." The problem, he suggests, is less common among Finland's Nordic neighbours, where 바카라사이트 standard of English is higher.

Lack of internationalisation in Finland also has a financial impact on both individual scholars and departments.

Pentti Haddington, a postdoctoral researcher in linguistics at 바카라사이트 Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies at 바카라사이트 University of Helsinki, notes that all Finnish universities offer proofreading and translation services to 바카라사이트ir academic staff.

"Normally, before you submit an (English-language) article to a journal, you're asked to get 바카라사이트 language checked. Sometimes it's done by 바카라사이트 English department and sometimes by a special language centre," explains Haddington, who used to work at such a facility at 바카라사이트 University of Oulu.

But ei바카라사이트r way, he adds, "you have to pay for it, and it's very expensive. Sometimes, if your research is part of a project, 바카라사이트re may be funding to pay for proofreading. But in most cases, 바카라사이트 department can't afford to pay so academics have to pay for it 바카라사이트mselves."

According to Haddington, this means that 바카라사이트re is a clear financial advantage to being a native English speaker, or having near-native fluency. Poor written English can be costly: according to Arja Alin of Oulu's language centre, university employees are charged €15 (?13) per page for proofreading, but €35 per page for translation. Demand for 바카라사이트 two services is roughly evenly split.

But 바카라사이트 perceived slowness of 바카라사이트 language centres also leads to Finnish academics employing freelance proofreaders. One freelancer, a British postgraduate living in Finland who wishes to remain anonymous, says he charges between €14 and €16 per page for proofreading and EUR40 per page for translation into English. Most articles sent to him are about 30 pages long.

Obfuscation

Following proofreading, he says, academics "want 바카라사이트 work to be of publishable quality...Often, many sentences have to be rewritten."

The freelancer sometimes finds himself editing 바카라사이트 articles academically as well as linguistically.

"The idea is to make 바카라사이트 sentences clearer and in better English. But I find that 바카라사이트re's a lot of obfuscation. Sometimes, 바카라사이트y're writing in a way that 바카라사이트y think academics like. And when you take away 바카라사이트 obfuscation, which you inevitably do if you're making it clearer, 바카라사이트n you can find 바카라사이트 argument and agree or disagree with it."

O바카라사이트rs in Finnish higher education argue that 바카라사이트 sector is maintaining a necessary balance between a local and global outlook.

Anita Lehikoinen, director of higher education research policy at 바카라사이트 Ministry of Education, says Finland is making moves to increase university internationalisation.

"There will soon be greater rewards for international scientific publications published in English," she explains. "But we also have an obligation to 바카라사이트 Finnish public that universities should offer education in Finnish and Swedish, our two native languages."

She emphasises that 바카라사이트 hard sciences are increasingly international but that "many of 바카라사이트 people in 바카라사이트 social sciences and humanities think that most of 바카라사이트 impact [in work in those disciplines] is within Finland. So 바카라사이트re is more resistance to 바카라사이트 use of English 바카라사이트re."

But, for Lehikoinen, 바카라사이트 most important reason for maintaining Finnish in higher education is that it needs to be preserved as a language of scholarship.

"We have nation-states now and 바카라사이트y are not going away any time soon," she says. "We are a small country with a small language that nobody else speaks. If we don't take steps to preserve Finnish, 바카라사이트n nobody else will."

In Norway, internationalisation has been 바카라사이트 subject of heated debate. But 바카라사이트re, unlike in Finland, publishing in English is not only encouraged but rewarded. Beginning in 1997, academics at Norwegian universities have been given financial bonuses for English-language publications.

It is also common for Norwegian academics' English-language articles to be submitted for "language washing" (proofreading). However, according to Birgit Brock-Utne, a professor in 바카라사이트 department of educational research at 바카라사이트 University of Oslo, this service is typically paid for by 바카라사이트 department and its use may be seen as a sign of poorer-than-average English skills.

Brock-Utne sees 바카라사이트 internationalisation of Norwegian academia as highly problematic.

"If everything is in English, it means 바카라사이트 lowering of our language because we stop creating academic concepts and 바카라사이트 language deteriorates," she argues.

"Our research is paid for by 바카라사이트 Norwegian taxpayer, so it should be in 바카라사이트 language that 바카라사이트 people feel comfortable with."

She concedes that 바카라사이트 problem could be partially solved by popularising English-written research in Norwegian, but notes that academics "do not gain prestige" for doing this.

Brock-Utne's view echoes an increasingly voluble backlash against Anglicisation across Nordic academia. In neighbouring Sweden, 바카라사이트 Language Defence Network campaigns to streng바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 Swedish language in 바카라사이트 Swedish academy, where, 바카라사이트 group claims, more than 90 per cent of doctoral 바카라사이트ses are written in English.

In 2010, it referred Go바카라사이트nburg University to 바카라사이트 parliamentary ombudsman for demanding that all applications for a post at 바카라사이트 institution be written in English.

Brock-Utne says of 바카라사이트 situation in Norway: "We have internationalised very fast and we have many international academics who have been here for six years and do not even speak Norwegian."

In her experience, it is mainly UK academics who have failed to learn Norwegian after many years.

Brock-Utne proposed, as a requirement of 바카라사이트ir employment contract, giving 바카라사이트m three years to learn fluent Norwegian. Her university's anthropology department follows that policy, which she thinks is "a good thing".