Best foreign language for Future Physicist

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the question of which foreign language would be most beneficial for a future physicist, particularly in the context of working on multinational collaboration projects in nuclear fusion, such as the ITER project. Participants explore the relevance of various languages, including Japanese, Chinese, German, and French, while also considering the predominance of English in scientific communication.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that Japanese might be useful due to Japan's leadership in nuclear fusion and technology, while questioning if Chinese will surpass Japanese in importance in the 2020s.
  • Another participant asserts that English is sufficient for multinational collaboration, emphasizing the importance of focusing on physics rather than learning a new language.
  • A participant mentions discussions with faculty and alumni indicating that English will likely remain the unifying language among international scientists for the foreseeable future, suggesting that learning another language may not be as critical unless one plans to work in a specific country for an extended period.
  • One contributor recommends selecting a language based on personal interest and potential future involvement in that language's region.
  • A participant shares their experience learning German, indicating that they would learn Chinese later if needed, suggesting flexibility in language learning based on career opportunities.
  • Another participant proposes French as a relevant language due to the location of ITER and the French-speaking EPFL, while still agreeing that English is likely sufficient.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the necessity and utility of learning a foreign language for future physicists. While some argue that English is adequate, others suggest that knowledge of another language could be beneficial depending on individual career paths.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that the relevance of a second language may depend on specific career goals and the countries in which one intends to work, indicating that personal circumstances play a significant role in this decision.

Pro-Fusion
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Which foreign language will be most useful for a future physicist working in nuclear fusion multinational collaboration projects?
Or is english all he needs?

I aspire to work for the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project) in which EU, US, Japan, China, India, S. Korea are members of.

At first I though Japanese since they are one of the leading members in nuclear fusion and high-tech industry but then I thought will Chinese surpass Japanese in 2020s?

Please help! (I have to decide whether I should go with a foreign language, and if so which one, soon.)
 
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Maybe you should work for North Korea if you are into Nuclear stuff.
 
In other words,

What is best non-English language to learn for future scientist working in multinational projects? (Will second language even be useful?)
 
There are plenty of similar threads.
There's no doubt than English is more than sufficient for any multinational collaboration project. So it's more important to spend time learning physics than spending time to learn a new language from scratch.
 
If anyone else has the same/related question, I can help. I talked to some college faculty members and an alumni on science policy, STEM, international science projects, etc, and found that "at least for the many decades to come", english will likely "remain" the unifying language among international scientists. Unless you plan to work for long periods of time or permanently, the country's language is useful. So if you have space in your undergraduate study of Physics, another language is not as significant as previously thought for the current times.
 
When selecting an appropriate language for yourself to fulfill your language requirement, select one that you think "you" may become involved with in the future.
 
Why can't people just search? Is it sheer laziness or the belief that your question is so unique and important that it warrants a new thread?

Any one you like. I myself learned German and if I ever go into high energy physics, I'm set. But if I want to go to China, then I'll just learn Chinese later. No biggie.
 
French perhaps as ITER is at Cadarache no? And the EPFL is French-Speaking, thus the name. But English is probably sufficient. It would be awesome to one day work in Fusion, I just hope I do well enough now in undergrad to get a PhD and so forth. Good luck :)
 

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