Submitting your thesis in another language than English (PhD in Social Work in Canada)

[Adelaide9216]

Hello,

I was wondering if you guys knew if it is possible to submit a Social Work Ph.D. thesis in French at UofT for instance (or other Canadian School of Social Work across Canada except for Quebec). In Quebec, students can submit their work in English if they make a request for it first. So I was wondering if there is the equivalent elsewhere in the country. Right now, my plan is to go to UofOttawa but the language barrier thing hinders me from applying to UofT.

 

[rising_star]

I can't answer this (and I doubt anyone here can since it's both field and university specific). That said, as much as I loathe what I'm about to type, the vast majority of the scholarly literature is written and read in English. If you want to be part of the conversations in your field, it would behoove you to become more comfortable writing in English while in graduate school. Same goes for wanting a tenure-track job and to get tenure. The people in your department need to be able to read and evaluate your scholarship which means that in most of the world you'll need to be able to write and publish in English. Believe me when I say that I wish things were different. Alas, such is the world in which we live.

[TakeruK]

Most schools publish their PhD requirements online. Usually rules regarding the formatting of the thesis are University-wide rather than individual programs but it is worth checking at the particular school and also the program.

Here is the University of Toronto's requirements: https://sgs.calendar.utoronto.ca/degree-regulations  (hint: I am not sure what the terminology is in Quebec, but the document that lists degree requirements and regulations in English-speaking Canadian schools is often called a "Calendar". If you are looking at the USA, I often see this referred to as the "Catalog").

For Toronto it says, "The thesis should normally be written in English, but with the permission of the School of Graduate Studies, a graduate unit may permit or require students in that unit to write the thesis in French."

For the School of Social Work at UofT, I found their PhD manual by going to their department website: http://socialwork.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/PhDManual_FINAL_September2017-UPDATED.pdf However, nothing in their manual states that you can write your thesis in French. So the next step is probably to email them and ask, if knowing this information affects whether you will apply to the school.

Whether or not you will be allowed to write your thesis in French, I second what @rising_star said. Unfortunately, in many fields, English is the operating language of academia, to the point where many PhD students from non-English speaking countries (e.g. France) that desire a job in North America will either write their thesis in English and/or write one version in their country's language and another in English. Note also that even if you are able to submit a thesis in French at a Canadian school, every other aspect of the program (coursework, comprehensive exams, teaching, etc.) will be in English. By the time you get to writing your thesis, you will likely have a lot more experience writing academically in English if you attend a school that doesn't permit French theses. 

[Adelaide9216]

I can read and understand English perfectly (I did my undergraduate and my master's studies at an English university while writing all of my assignments and exams in French). I could write in English to improve my written English, but I feel like it would add a lot of stress on top of doing a Ph.D (which is already stressful). I feel very insecure about being graded for my writing in English and it'd take me 10 times more time, effort and energy as well to do that. I got extremely frustrated also during my master's courses because whenever I'd do oral presentations, I was never able to convey my thoughts as clearly as I wanted to. That's why I'd like to study elsewhere in Canada but to do it in French if possible. 

Edited April 24, 2018 by Adelaide9216

[fuzzylogician]

In the interest for fully participating in academic life, you'll have no choice but to do your research in English. You'll want to be published and read by your peers outside the French-speaking community, and that means presenting in international conferences (in English) and writing journal papers (in English). If you hope to get a job in a non-French-speaking university (to greatly increase your odds of finding a job), you'll also need to teach in English. This discomfort you're facing is one that is common to all international students (who are non-native speakers, the vast majority of such students). We all had to learn to deal with it. I have no doubt that you can, too. Start slow, with first-year papers and presentations within your department and work your way up to larger and more diverse gatherings. Hopefully by the time you're ready to write your dissertation, you'll be a lot more experienced. Either way, to reach a larger and more influential audience, it's really unavoidable to work in English. 

[Adelaide9216]

Most of the teams I am working in right now are bilingual. So whenever someone can't read French, they pass it along to someone who can and vice versa with English. Same with translating research papers. But I know you are right, and that I am not alone feeling this way, but I just don't like to idea of being evaluated academically in my second language, I feel like I will be judged more harshly if I do that or that my grades will be lower. I don't mind writing/talking in English in a non-evaluative context. 

[fuzzylogician]

16 hours ago, Adelaide9216 said:

I just don't like to idea of being evaluated academically in my second language, I feel like I will be judged more harshly if I do that or that my grades will be lower. I don't mind writing/talking in English in a non-evaluative context. 

I'm a little surprised by this comment. First off, grades don't really matter as much in graduate school. Second, you wouldn't be the first student (or the 100th) to write/present/take exams in your non-native language. I don't think faculty judge non-native speakers more harshly. If anything, they might get a break on some writing imperfections that native speakers would not. For what it's worth, it's been my experience that native speakers are not any better at writing papers than native speakers are. It's an acquired skill, for everyone. 

Again, at the end of the day you need to think about how you want to disseminate your work: who do you want to attend your talks and lectures and who do you want to read your writing. If you hope to have an impact on the English-speaking community (=most researchers), you will have no choice but to learn to adjust, despite the discomfort. I say this as someone who's studied/worked/taught/presented/written in two non-native languages over the past decade, so don't think I don't appreciate what this means, but such is life. 

[TakeruK]

On 4/26/2018 at 7:13 PM, Adelaide9216 said:

Most of the teams I am working in right now are bilingual. So whenever someone can't read French, they pass it along to someone who can and vice versa with English. Same with translating research papers. But I know you are right, and that I am not alone feeling this way, but I just don't like to idea of being evaluated academically in my second language, I feel like I will be judged more harshly if I do that or that my grades will be lower. I don't mind writing/talking in English in a non-evaluative context. 

I understand your discomfort and many English speakers do not choose to attend schools in Quebec because they prefer to speak in their native language. But as fuzzy said, there are tons of students who do choose to be evaluated academically in their non-native language. I would say about 25% of grad students at my US PhD program were not native English speakers. I also agree with fuzzy that in graduate school, classes/grades don't matter very much and it's such a small part of your graduate school experience! 

In the end, there must be a reason why you are considering schools outside of Quebec right? Do these reasons outweigh how you feel about evaluations in English? No one will "make" you go to any particular school, so you should choose the schools that best fit your own goals and needs!