From chemistry-request@ccl.net Thu Jun 11 10:33:36 1992 Date: Thu, 11 Jun 92 08:11:43 -0400 From: G. Ravishanker To: chemistry@ccl.net Subject: Language Exams Status: RO Hi I felt that the mandatory language exam required to get your PhD degree was a big joke and a hoax. I never came across anyone who failed during my years as a graduate student and I myself passed a French exam, not knowing a single word of French. I was commended on my translation despite a "small" mistake I had made. I translated a sentence to read something like "... and then heat the mixture until it turned black", but it should have been "... and then leave the mixture in dark". If I carried out the translation literally in a lab, you can imagine what could have happened (Thank God, I am not an experimental chemist). Almost everyone had a story to tell about their language exam. I suggested to our executive officer that they should consider giving a language exam in Sanskrit (since a lot of good old stuff may exist in Sanskrit). I forgot to tell him that I would fared as terribly as I did in French. In any case, for those of us coming from India, learning the American accent and deciphering what is going on in the first few classes should itself be considered as the language exam. Just passing an exam where people with dictionary look up words and translate does not necessarily mean some of the advantages discussed here such as how it helps in visiting foreign countries etc. Ravi