Questões de Inglês

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Switzerland’s mysterious fourth language

    Despite Romansh being one of Switzerland’s four national languages, less than 0.5% percent of Swiss can answer that question – “Do you speak Romansh?” – with a “yes”. Romansh is a Romance language indigenous to Switzerland’s largest canton, Graubünden, located in the south-eastern corner of the country. In the last one hundred years, the number of Romansh speakers has fallen 50% to a meagre 60,000. Travellers in the canton can still see Romansh on street signs, or hear it in restaurants when they’re greeted with “Allegra!” (Welcome in). But nearly 40% of Romansh speakers have left the area for better job opportunities and it’s rare that you will see or hear Romansh outside the canton. In such a small country, can a language spoken by just a sliver of the population survive, or is it as doomed as the dinosaur and dodo?

    Language exists to convey a people’s culture to the next generation, so it makes sense that the Swiss are protective of Romansh. When the world loses a language, as it does every two weeks, we collectively lose the knowledge from past generations. “Language is a salient and important expression of cultural identity, and without language you will lose many aspects of the culture,” said Dr Gregory Anderson, Director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages.

    Without the Romansh language, who is to say if customs like Chalandamarz, an ancient festival held each 1 March to celebrate the end of winter and coming of spring, will endure; or if traditional local recipes like capuns – spätzle wrapped in greens – will be forgotten? “Romansh contributes in its own way to a multilingual Switzerland,” says Daniel Telli, head of the Unit Lingua. “And on a different level, the death of a language implies the loss of a unique way to see and describe the world.”

(Dena Roché. www.bbc.com, 28.06.2018. Adaptado.)

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    Plenty of opportunities exist to study and work abroad. But some early-career scientists might face challenges adjusting to different communication styles and different workplace and academic hierarchies.

    It is important both to be sensitive to cultural differences and to avoid inadvertently stereotyping; also, assumptions should not be made about students solely on the basis of their culture. A wealthy Chinese student from Hong Kong, for example, could see things differently from one who comes from a rural area on the mainland. And individual perceptions can vary too: one student may personally encounter directness more often in the United Kingdom than in the United States, but others might not have experienced this. The relationship between researcher and supervisor is influenced by many factors including personality, previous experiences and the workplace culture.

    One point of difference that can arise is the appropriate level of deference to supervisors. Some Nigerian, Egyptian and Chinese international students report that, in their home nations, a large power differential between students and teachers is common, and that students generally follow instructions without arguing. But a supervisor from a country where debate is expected might sometimes incorrectly interpret a lack of questioning from the student as a lack of interest in the work. The absence of a strictly defined hierarchy can encourage freer communication, says Salim Reza, a radiation-detector scientist. When he moved from his native Bangladesh to Sweden for graduate studies, he learnt that he did not need to address faculty members as ‘sir’ or ‘professor’ or remain standing in their offices. This informality made it easier for him to approach professors to clarify a topic or to propose a new research angle.

    Sometimes, though, misunderstandings can stem from differences in communication style. In some countries, the ‘feedback sandwich’ is common: start with praise, suggest improvements and end with encouragement. Students from countries where this format is less common might think that, because comments were mostly positive, the suggestions are optional and can be ignored. Conversely, a student who is accustomed to gentler feedback might be ‘traumatized’ by cultural tendencies in other countries, such as Germany or the Netherlands, to give more direct criticism. Senior researchers could smooth over differences by freely discussing how the student prefers to receive comments. Students could also talk to lab mates about the feedback; hearing others’ stories could help them overcome discouragement.

    Whether they are welcoming international students or starting work in new countries, scientists can ease the transition by remaining non-judgemental. People sometimes brush off a student from another country as ‘rude’, but “in their culture, they’re not”. Researchers should also remember that their nation’s customs aren’t necessarily best. “When you come from a small country, you don’t assume everybody should be doing things your way,” says a Croatian student. “I never cared if somebody was different than me as long as it didn’t seriously affect the rest of the lab.”

(Roberta Kwok. www.nature.com, 23.05.2018. Adaptado.)

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    Plenty of opportunities exist to study and work abroad. But some early-career scientists might face challenges adjusting to different communication styles and different workplace and academic hierarchies.

    It is important both to be sensitive to cultural differences and to avoid inadvertently stereotyping; also, assumptions should not be made about students solely on the basis of their culture. A wealthy Chinese student from Hong Kong, for example, could see things differently from one who comes from a rural area on the mainland. And individual perceptions can vary too: one student may personally encounter directness more often in the United Kingdom than in the United States, but others might not have experienced this. The relationship between researcher and supervisor is influenced by many factors including personality, previous experiences and the workplace culture.

    One point of difference that can arise is the appropriate level of deference to supervisors. Some Nigerian, Egyptian and Chinese international students report that, in their home nations, a large power differential between students and teachers is common, and that students generally follow instructions without arguing. But a supervisor from a country where debate is expected might sometimes incorrectly interpret a lack of questioning from the student as a lack of interest in the work. The absence of a strictly defined hierarchy can encourage freer communication, says Salim Reza, a radiation-detector scientist. When he moved from his native Bangladesh to Sweden for graduate studies, he learnt that he did not need to address faculty members as ‘sir’ or ‘professor’ or remain standing in their offices. This informality made it easier for him to approach professors to clarify a topic or to propose a new research angle.

    Sometimes, though, misunderstandings can stem from differences in communication style. In some countries, the ‘feedback sandwich’ is common: start with praise, suggest improvements and end with encouragement. Students from countries where this format is less common might think that, because comments were mostly positive, the suggestions are optional and can be ignored. Conversely, a student who is accustomed to gentler feedback might be ‘traumatized’ by cultural tendencies in other countries, such as Germany or the Netherlands, to give more direct criticism. Senior researchers could smooth over differences by freely discussing how the student prefers to receive comments. Students could also talk to lab mates about the feedback; hearing others’ stories could help them overcome discouragement.

    Whether they are welcoming international students or starting work in new countries, scientists can ease the transition by remaining non-judgemental. People sometimes brush off a student from another country as ‘rude’, but “in their culture, they’re not”. Researchers should also remember that their nation’s customs aren’t necessarily best. “When you come from a small country, you don’t assume everybody should be doing things your way,” says a Croatian student. “I never cared if somebody was different than me as long as it didn’t seriously affect the rest of the lab.”

(Roberta Kwok. www.nature.com, 23.05.2018. Adaptado.)

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The Most Important Skill For 21st–Century Success
By Kevin H. Johnson

The world of work is changing so rapidly, as emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation change job requirements. As technologies continue to evolve and business conditions shift, employees must stay in learning mode so their skills don’t lose currency.

It’s one thing to keep up with skills as they’re changing in the here and now. It’s a whole different challenge to prepare yourself for tools and technologies that may exist only in the minds of engineers, if at all.

There’s so much uncertainty and ambiguity around the future of work, it doesn’t matter your industry or job function. That’s why, when anyone asks what the next “hot” skill will be, I say it’s the same skill that will serve people today, tomorrow, and far into the future — the ability to learn.

When people embrace lifelong learning, assimilating new skills isn’t a source of fear and stress — it’s just another part of their career journey. Separating process from outcome will make you a better learner too, as you get less fixated on immediate mastery of a skill and more appreciative of how moving outside your comfort zone helps you grow as a person.

A learning mindset also makes it less likely you’ll be thrown off or immobilized when a project changes scope or a job function undergoes transformation. While others scramble to figure out where to go from here, lifelong learners maintain momentum and productivity.

https://tinyurl.com/ya42xtrr Acesso em: 15.03.2019. Adaptado. Original colorido.

Leia o texto para responder à questão.

The Most Important Skill For 21st–Century Success
By Kevin H. Johnson

The world of work is changing so rapidly, as emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation change job requirements. As technologies continue to evolve and business conditions shift, employees must stay in learning mode so their skills don’t lose currency.

It’s one thing to keep up with skills as they’re changing in the here and now. It’s a whole different challenge to prepare yourself for tools and technologies that may exist only in the minds of engineers, if at all.

There’s so much uncertainty and ambiguity around the future of work, it doesn’t matter your industry or job function. That’s why, when anyone asks what the next “hot” skill will be, I say it’s the same skill that will serve people today, tomorrow, and far into the future — the ability to learn.

When people embrace lifelong learning, assimilating new skills isn’t a source of fear and stress — it’s just another part of their career journey. Separating process from outcome will make you a better learner too, as you get less fixated on immediate mastery of a skill and more appreciative of how moving outside your comfort zone helps you grow as a person.

A learning mindset also makes it less likely you’ll be thrown off or immobilized when a project changes scope or a job function undergoes transformation. While others scramble to figure out where to go from here, lifelong learners maintain momentum and productivity.

https://tinyurl.com/ya42xtrr Acesso em: 15.03.2019. Adaptado. Original colorido.

TEXTO - Lung Cancer In Non Smoker

    A group of respiratory medicine and public health experts are calling for lung cancer in never-smokers to be given greater recognition. Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, they say that lung cancer in people who have never smoked is under recognised and presents a diagnostic challenge, particularly for GPs seeking to balance overinvestigation with early diagnosis and high quality care.
    It is estimated that around 6,000 people in the UK who have never smoked die of lung cancer every year, greater than the numbers of people who die of cervical cancer (900), lymphoma (5,200), leukaemia (4,500) and ovarian cancer (4,200).
    Major contributors to lung cancers in never-smokers include second-hand smoke, occupational carcinogen exposure and outdoor pollution. Globally, the use of solid fuels for indoor cooking and second-hand smoke exposure are important contributions to lung cancer in never-smokers and disproportionately affect women
    Lead author, Professor Paul Cosford, Director for Health Protection & Medical Director, Public Health England, said: "This paper demonstrates an estimated 6,000 people who have never smoked die each year from lung cancer in the UK. This makes it, by itself, the eighth most common cause of cancer related death in the UK.
    "For too long having lung cancer has only been thought of as a smoking related disease. This remains an important association but, as this this work shows, the scale of the challenge means there is a need to raise awareness with clinicians and policy makers of the other risk factors including indoor and outdoor air pollution.
    "This is one reason why PHE published its review of the evidence and recommended specific actions local authorities can take to improve their air quality. By delivering on the promise of a clean air generation we can reduce the number of lung cancers among those who have never smoked."
    Co-author Professor Mick Peake, clinical director of the Centre for Cancer Outcomes, University College London Hospitals Cancer Collaborative, said: "Despite advances in our understanding, most people who have never smoked do not believe they are at risk and often experience long delays in diagnosis, reducing their chances of receiving curative treatment."
    Prof Peake added: "The stigma of smoking has been the major factor behind the lack of interest in, knowledge of and research into lung cancer. Therefore, in many ways, neversmokers who develop lung cancer are, as a result, disadvantaged.
    "Drawing attention to the contribution of underlying risk factors to lung cancer in never-smokers presents opportunities to reinforce efforts to tackle other major public health challenges. For example, the impact of passive smoking and air pollution on lung cancers adds weight to the government's ambitions to improve air quality and the public, clinicians and policy makers must all be aware of this relationship

(Adapted from: www.sciencedaily.com)