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In any scientific career (and in a good many others) you will necessarily be confronted with the need to write documents, letters or memos in English.

Although you are probably somewhat accustomed to reading English, composing one’s own documents and transmitting one’s own ideas in English is considerably more difficult and requires considerable training and experience.

1. Mathematics
- Mathematics comprises a common language for a number of fields ranging from physics to economy. You shall find here a glossary of mathematical words and expressions that can prove useful when translating mathematics : Mathematics glossary pdf .

2. Scientific Expresions
- The are a number of expressions in science that are used over and over again. You will find some of the more common ones here : Expressions scientifiques diverses pdf .

3. Faux amis
- There are great many words in common in English and French, particularly in the sciences. Nevertheless, one should beware of considerable number the "false friends" ("faux amis"). You will find a list here of some of these "false friends" and some of their common translations. Faux amis pdf .

4. Daily exposure to English
- The most efficient way to become proficient in English is to expose oneself to it on a daily basis. Fifteen minutes to a half an hour of exposure to English every day is far more useful than hours spent "cramming" ("bourrage de crâne") before an exam, an important meeting etc. A daily exposure to English is increasingly easy to accomplish thanks to the Internet, satellite TV, and DVDs.
Read the following articles taken from the scientific press, and make a habit of finding other articles on the Internet.

articles de presse scientifique_1 pdf
articles de presse scientifique_2 pdf
articles de presse scientifique_3 pdf
articles de presse scientifique_4 pdf
articles de presse scientifique_5 pdf

5. Listen to spoken English
- Most of you will find it considerably more difficult to understand spoken English than to read English. It is therefore important to regularly practice listening to spoken English. It is my experience that listening to spoken English while reading the corresponding English text or subtitles is one of the most efficient methods of acquiring an "ear" for English.
This radio transmitted debate is not precisely "scientific", but you may find it interesting from a science and society point of view. The "evolution-intelligent design" debate is principally an Anglo-saxon phenomenon, but it does illustrate how science has affected our philosophical world views. While listening to this debate, it is worthwhile to ask oneself why the principle of evolution is more susceptible to such "dispute" than are other scientific "principles".

Intelligent Design audio mp3
Intelligent Design text pdf

Exercices

1. Translation of sentances employing mathematics : exercises 1 pdf .

Ancien devoirs

1. 2005-2006 Traduire en anglais les exercices 6 et 11b du devoir de mathématique. devoir 1 pdf .

Corrigés

1. "Corrigé" du premier devoir 2005-2006 pdf
2. "Corrigé" de l’examen juin 2006 pdf