{"id":111220,"date":"2020-09-29T08:21:22","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T06:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/?p=111220"},"modified":"2022-05-23T12:36:45","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T10:36:45","slug":"researchers-not-happy-with-tough-new-danish-language-policy-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/researchers-not-happy-with-tough-new-danish-language-policy-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers not happy with tough new Danish-language policy draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

International scientists in Copenhagen say a new language-policy document<\/a> at the University of Copenhagen is fundamentally flawed and will put them at a disadvantage relative to their Danish peers.<\/p>\n

This is after a new draft has been released that stipulates that professors, associate professors and assistant professors on permanent contracts should be able to teach in Danish after only two to five years of employment. It follows a more general Strategy 2023 which describes the University of Copenhagen as an \u2018internationally oriented university anchored in a Danish culture,\u2019 and does not apply to PhDs and postdocs on limited contracts.<\/p>\n

Completely unreasonable and way too strict<\/p>\n

Elisenda Feliu, associate professor in mathematics at UCPH<\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

John Renner Hansen is a former Dean of the Faculty of Science and heads the committee that drafted the new language proposal. He explains to the University Post that the Danish-language teaching requirement is needed so that the University of Copenhagen have the staff available to man bachelor-level classes taught in Danish.<\/p>\n

\n

New Language policy at the University of Copenhagen<\/p>\n

The drafted language policy memo includes the following points:<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All employees at UCPH must have English-language skills at the level necessary to perform their job<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tenure-track assistant professors, associate professors and professors to teach in Danish after 2-5 years<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Departments\/units should write down clear procedures for language choice at meetings<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All major admin IT systems must have Danish and English user interfaces<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New UCPH managers to develop the international environment<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Management must regularly put language on the agenda and discuss language-related issues<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On programmes where English is a natural working language on the job market, students should, as early as possible on the programme, be taught in English.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Courses in written academic Danish must be included on all Danish-language BA programmes.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 International full-degree master’s students offered free Danish classes to retain them in Denmark.<\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Faculties should identify the need for internationalization through language skills other than English.<\/p>\n

You can see the new language policy draft in its entirety here (Kunet needs log-in)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00bbThere will be no head of department with a big hammer at the end of the time period saying \u2018you will be fired if you don\u2019t live up to this policy\u2019. It should be seen as guidance, so that heads of department together with associate professors and professors can work out individual plans and possibly a reduction of international researchers\u2019 workload in the period where they are to take Danish-language courses,\u00ab John Renner Hansen says to the University Post.<\/p>\n

He adds that the draft does not affect staff with temporary contracts like PhD students and post docs.<\/p>\n

There is a real need for Danish-speaking teaching staff, Renner says, especially at the bachelor\u2019s level where teaching is predominantly in Danish irrespective of subject area.<\/p>\n

\u00bbDepartments have a hard time finding staff to instruct classes at the bachelor\u2019s level. This is to the disadvantage of Danish staff, who are being forced to teach more,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n

The new policy is also designed to ensure wider international staff participation on councils, boards and committees. For staff with a Danish CPR number, the Danish-language teaching at publicly funded language schools will be free during the first 5 years after first arrival to Denmark, according to John Renner Hansen.<\/p>\n

Policy too strict<\/h3>\n

International researchers are not happy with the changes, judging from the dozens of critical comments under the draft on the University of Copenhagen intranet [needs KUnet log-in]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We have 8 nationalities at my floor and the only language for communication is English (Master\u2019s student included) \u2026 if UCPH wants to have research-based teaching as policy, it has to be in English<\/p>\n

Julien Colombani, associate professor in biology at UCPH<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The policy is \u00bbcompletely unreasonable and way too strict,\u00ab according to Elisenda Feliu, a Spanish associate professor in mathematics at UCPH, whose mother tongue is Catalan, but who has six years of experience teaching in Danish after being in Denmark for 10 years.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI started after four years, but it was too soon. You have to do your research and your other teaching. When I started the students complained about my accent, and then there is the preparation time: Every post on the Absalon platform took an hour, to make sure there were no spelling errors and was grammatically correct,\u00ab she says to the University Post.<\/p>\n

She says she understands the need for international researchers to learn Danish to take part in university life, \u00bband there has to be a language policy. But I don\u2019t agree with the timeline,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

Clare Louise Hawkins is a professor at the Department of Biomedical Sciences. She has completed three modules of Danish classes and admits to the University Post that while her \u00bbreading is not bad, her speaking is not too good,\u00ab after having to juggle a full time academic position with language school.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI teach on different courses, and encounter students with different levels of confidence in English, so I do understand the value of a teacher being able to communicate fluently in Danish. However, this may not be possible for all international researchers, and being creative in your approach can still allow you to deliver quality teaching,\u00ab she says, adding that a policy like this also demands proficiency in a complex specialized language.<\/p>\n

At odds with idea of research-based teaching<\/h3>\n

This policy has less to do with internationalization and more to do with protecting local staff<\/p>\n

Catalin-Gabriel Stanescu, assistant professor in market and economic law<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A stricter Danish-language teaching requirement may make it harder to attract the top international scientists to the University of Copenhagen. And several researchers point out that this would be in conflict with a goal of being a top international university. Why should you, after all, go to Copenhagen and be forced to learn Danish if your career is in an English-speaking education and research environment?<\/p>\n

According to Julien Colombani, a French associate professor at the Department of Biology, the policy is fundamentally at odds with the idea of research-based teaching.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIn the field of biology research, all scientific articles, text books, international meetings and grants funding are based on the use of English. We have eight nationalities at my floor and the only language for communication is English (Master\u2019s student included) \u2026 if UCPH wants to have research-based teaching as policy, it has to be in English,\u00ab he says, adding that \u00bbif you want to attract the foreign talent, you need to have a policy that aligns with that.\u00ab<\/p>\n

Protects local Danish staff<\/h3>\n

Several researchers take up the \u2018free-riding\u2019 issue with the new policy.<\/p>\n

While some international researchers may be reluctant to come here in the first place, others will exploit a University of Copenhagen contract knowing that they will leave in two-three years before having to pass the Danish-language requirement, according to Catalin-Gabriel Stanescu, a Romanian assistant professor at the Center for Market and Economic Law.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIn my opinion this policy has less to do with internationalization and more to do with protecting local staff. It facilitates removing foreign staff that are already here by disregarding any skills or contributions they might have, unless they learn Danish. The requirement goes against what the policy claims to be trying to achieve: namely to foster internationalization and the integration of foreign staff. It refers, for instance, to ensuring participation in committee and administrative tasks. However, committees can choose their own language. According to the policy, this will be rectified by sending foreign staff to school, learning Danish, and then participate in the committee. It does not make sense. But one could simply hold mixed staff meetings in English. This doesn\u2019t cost any money, and everyone could participate.\u00ab<\/p>\n

\u00bbBy maintaining the option to conduct mixed staff meetings in Danish, the natives ensure that foreign staff are left out or cannot contribute for a number of years and thereby maintain their dominance over foreign staff, who will be reluctant to express themselves in a language they cannot master,\u00ab says Catalin-Gabriel Stanescu.<\/p>\n

I think it is<\/em> possible to learn Danish at this level in this timeframe. And we will be increasing the Danish-language teaching so that this is possible<\/p>\n

John Renner Hansen, former dean and author of the new language-policy<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He adds that learning Danish to a professional level in two-five years is unachievable for a full-time working adult and would, if actually implemented, be very costly for the university:<\/p>\n

\u00bbWill the University pay foreign employees to undertake 2 years of intensive Danish classes? I don\u2019t find this very likely,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n

A Danish-language requirement favours homegrown Danish academics, while disadvantaging international academics in promotions and contract extensions.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI do not dispute the right of the University to implement a language policy. What I do question is its real purpose and ability to foster internationalization. There are other ways to ensure internationalization and integration of foreign staff, such as: relocation packages, assistance with obtaining a CPR number, temporary accommodation and support in finding a place to live,\u00ab says Catalin-Gabriel Stanescu.<\/p>\n

Will let international researchers do their share<\/h3>\n

John Renner Hansen, the former Dean who chaired the committee that authored the new language-policy, rejects the idea that the new policy is to the disadvantage of international academics, and that it will encourage free-riding from incoming international academics who will come to Denmark knowing that they will leave before having to pass the Danish-language teaching requirement.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIf anything, you could argue that the free-riding is what is happening now, and that our new language policy will go against this,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n

Present rules already stipulate that working hours for associate professors and professors should be allocated with 50 per cent on research and 50 per cent on teaching. The policy simply makes this allocation possible, he argues.<\/p>\n

As for the fundamental question: Can you, as an incoming international researcher, learn Danish at a teaching-level within two-five years?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00bbYes you can,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI think that it is<\/em> possible to learn Danish at this level in this timeframe. And we will be increasing the Danish-language teaching so that this is possible,\u00ab says John Renner Hansen.<\/p>\n

While it is the first time that the Danish-language requirement is formulated with a two-five year timeframe, the dual-language Danish-English policy has been longstanding, and is approved by the Board of the University of Copenhagen. The new language draft is an explication of this overarching policy, according to John Renner Hansen.<\/p>\n

Having another half-day of work in the evening is not nice. But I do believe that we should engage with the wider environment that our research is a part of.<\/p>\n

Maria Rijo Lopes Da Cunha, postdoc in ethnomusicology at UCPH<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The draft still has to pass a few stops before becoming University of Copenhagen policy. After a period of feedback before 1 October, the draft will be brought before the staff-management general collaboration committee HSU, before finally being signed off by the university\u2019s Board.<\/p>\n

Most international researchers give the draft proposal\u2019s two-five year requirement negative feedback \u2014 but not all of them.<\/p>\n

Internationals need to engage with Danish community<\/h3>\n

Maria Rijo Lopes Da Cunha is a Portuguese postdoc in ethnomusicology at UCPH. She is not, yet, affected by the policy change herself, but says the draft language policy is \u00bbgood news\u00ab.<\/p>\n

The new Danish-language policy will help internationals become more integrated, participatory, and proactive in their departments and campuses, and they will be able to offer more support to colleagues with administrative tasks.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI understood the point that academics are hard-pressed with multiple roles, research grant applications, teaching, research, and then having to learn a language on top of that. I am trying to do that myself. Having another half-day of work in the evening is not nice. But I do believe that we should engage with the wider environment that our research is a part of. And we can only do that if we understand the local language,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI am an ethnomusicologist and a lot of my work is interpreting societies. If I do not understand real concerns because my language is limited, how can I know if the knowledge I create is going to have a real impact beyond by own milieu? By not learning the language, you are missing out on discussions and debates at your university and in the wider society, and possibly missing out on important points that contribute to your own research,\u00ab says Maria Rijo Lopes Da Cunha.
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But this new, stricter, language policy formulation is misguided, international researchers say. And it will backfire.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/researchers-not-happy-with-tough-new-danish-language-policy-draft\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Researchers not happy with tough new Danish-language policy draft \u2014 University Post","og_description":"Non-Danish professors on permanent contracts are to teach in Danish after only 2-5 years, according to a new draft language policy at the University of Copenhagen. But this new, stricter, language policy formulation is misguided, international researchers say. 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And it will backfire.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/arkivauditoriepaakua4.jpg","twitter_creator":"@Uniavisen","twitter_site":"@Uniavisen","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mike Young","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/researchers-not-happy-with-tough-new-danish-language-policy-draft\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/researchers-not-happy-with-tough-new-danish-language-policy-draft\/"},"author":{"name":"Mike Young","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#\/schema\/person\/e62b3eb6724edd81b313e91617c23614"},"headline":"Researchers not happy with tough new Danish-language policy draft","datePublished":"2020-09-29T06:21:22+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-23T10:36:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/researchers-not-happy-with-tough-new-danish-language-policy-draft\/"},"wordCount":2072,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/researchers-not-happy-with-tough-new-danish-language-policy-draft\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/arkivauditoriepaakua4.jpg","keywords":["language strategy","parallel language"],"articleSection":["International","Science"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/researchers-not-happy-with-tough-new-danish-language-policy-draft\/","url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/researchers-not-happy-with-tough-new-danish-language-policy-draft\/","name":"Researchers not happy with tough new Danish-language policy draft \u2014 University Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/researchers-not-happy-with-tough-new-danish-language-policy-draft\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/researchers-not-happy-with-tough-new-danish-language-policy-draft\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/arkivauditoriepaakua4.jpg","datePublished":"2020-09-29T06:21:22+00:00","dateModified":"2022-05-23T10:36:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/#\/schema\/person\/e62b3eb6724edd81b313e91617c23614"},"description":"Non-Danish professors on permanent contracts are to teach in Danish after only 2-5 years, according to a new draft language policy at the University of Copenhagen. But this new, stricter, language policy formulation is misguided, international researchers say. 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professors on permanent contracts are to teach in Danish after only 2-5 years, according to a new draft language policy at the University of Copenhagen. But this new, stricter, language policy formulation is misguided, international researchers say. And it will backfire.","use_post_excerpt":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":true,"contributors":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>International scientists in Copenhagen say a <a href=\"https:\/\/kunet.ku.dk\/newsroom\/news\/PublishingImages\/Pages\/New-UCPH-policy-International-researchers-should-be-able-to-teach-in-Danish-after-two-years-\/Language%20policy_EN_200914.pdf\">new language-policy document<\/a> at the University of Copenhagen is fundamentally flawed and will put them at a disadvantage relative to their Danish peers.<\/p>\n<p>This is after a new draft has been released that stipulates that professors, associate professors and assistant professors on permanent contracts should be able to teach in Danish after only two to five years of employment. It follows a more general Strategy 2023 which describes the University of Copenhagen as an \u2018internationally oriented university anchored in a Danish culture,\u2019 and does not apply to PhDs and postdocs on limited contracts.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Completely unreasonable and way too strict<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Elisenda Feliu, associate professor in mathematics at UCPH<\/p>\n<p> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>John Renner Hansen is a former Dean of the Faculty of Science and heads the committee that drafted the new language proposal. He explains to the University Post that the Danish-language teaching requirement is needed so that the University of Copenhagen have the staff available to man bachelor-level classes taught in Danish.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\">\n<p class=\"factbox-header feature-color\">New Language policy at the University of Copenhagen<\/p>\n<p>The drafted language policy memo includes the following points:<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All employees at UCPH must have English-language skills at the level necessary to perform their job<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tenure-track assistant professors, associate professors and professors to teach in Danish after 2-5 years<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Departments\/units should write down clear procedures for language choice at meetings<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All major admin IT systems must have Danish and English user interfaces<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New UCPH managers to develop the international environment<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Management must regularly put language on the agenda and discuss language-related issues<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On programmes where English is a natural working language on the job market, students should, as early as possible on the programme, be taught in English.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Courses in written academic Danish must be included on all Danish-language BA programmes.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 International full-degree master’s students offered free Danish classes to retain them in Denmark.<\/p>\n<p>\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Faculties should identify the need for internationalization through language skills other than English.<\/p>\n<p>You can see the new <a href=\"https:\/\/kunet.ku.dk\/newsroom\/news\/PublishingImages\/Pages\/New-UCPH-policy-International-researchers-should-be-able-to-teach-in-Danish-after-two-years-\/Language%20policy_EN_200914.pdf\">language policy draft in its entirety here (Kunet needs log-in)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u00bbThere will be no head of department with a big hammer at the end of the time period saying \u2018you will be fired if you don\u2019t live up to this policy\u2019. It should be seen as guidance, so that heads of department together with associate professors and professors can work out individual plans and possibly a reduction of international researchers\u2019 workload in the period where they are to take Danish-language courses,\u00ab John Renner Hansen says to the University Post.<\/p>\n<p>He adds that the draft does not affect staff with temporary contracts like PhD students and post docs.<\/p>\n<p>There is a real need for Danish-speaking teaching staff, Renner says, especially at the bachelor\u2019s level where teaching is predominantly in Danish irrespective of subject area.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbDepartments have a hard time finding staff to instruct classes at the bachelor\u2019s level. This is to the disadvantage of Danish staff, who are being forced to teach more,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>The new policy is also designed to ensure wider international staff participation on councils, boards and committees. For staff with a Danish CPR number, the Danish-language teaching at publicly funded language schools will be free during the first 5 years after first arrival to Denmark, according to John Renner Hansen.<\/p>\n<h3>Policy too strict<\/h3>\n<p>International researchers are not happy with the changes, judging from the dozens of critical comments <a href=\"https:\/\/kunet.ku.dk\/newsroom\/news\/Pages\/new-UCPH-policy.aspx?utm_campaign=941047_SCIENCEnews_20200918&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Main+list+-+Live+data-All_Users\">under the draft on the University of Copenhagen intranet [needs KUnet log-in]<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We have 8 nationalities at my floor and the only language for communication is English (Master\u2019s student included) \u2026 if UCPH wants to have research-based teaching as policy, it has to be in English<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Julien Colombani, associate professor in biology at UCPH<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The policy is \u00bbcompletely unreasonable and way too strict,\u00ab according to Elisenda Feliu, a Spanish associate professor in mathematics at UCPH, whose mother tongue is Catalan, but who has six years of experience teaching in Danish after being in Denmark for 10 years.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI started after four years, but it was too soon. You have to do your research and your other teaching. When I started the students complained about my accent, and then there is the preparation time: Every post on the Absalon platform took an hour, to make sure there were no spelling errors and was grammatically correct,\u00ab she says to the University Post.<\/p>\n<p>She says she understands the need for international researchers to learn Danish to take part in university life, \u00bband there has to be a language policy. But I don\u2019t agree with the timeline,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>Clare Louise Hawkins is a professor at the Department of Biomedical Sciences. She has completed three modules of Danish classes and admits to the University Post that while her \u00bbreading is not bad, her speaking is not too good,\u00ab after having to juggle a full time academic position with language school.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI teach on different courses, and encounter students with different levels of confidence in English, so I do understand the value of a teacher being able to communicate fluently in Danish. However, this may not be possible for all international researchers, and being creative in your approach can still allow you to deliver quality teaching,\u00ab she says, adding that a policy like this also demands proficiency in a complex specialized language.<\/p>\n<h3>At odds with idea of research-based teaching<\/h3>\n<blockquote><p>This policy has less to do with internationalization and more to do with protecting local staff<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Catalin-Gabriel Stanescu, assistant professor in market and economic law<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>A stricter Danish-language teaching requirement may make it harder to attract the top international scientists to the University of Copenhagen. And several researchers point out that this would be in conflict with a goal of being a top international university. Why should you, after all, go to Copenhagen and be forced to learn Danish if your career is in an English-speaking education and research environment?<\/p>\n<p>According to Julien Colombani, a French associate professor at the Department of Biology, the policy is fundamentally at odds with the idea of research-based teaching.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIn the field of biology research, all scientific articles, text books, international meetings and grants funding are based on the use of English. We have eight nationalities at my floor and the only language for communication is English (Master\u2019s student included) \u2026 if UCPH wants to have research-based teaching as policy, it has to be in English,\u00ab he says, adding that \u00bbif you want to attract the foreign talent, you need to have a policy that aligns with that.\u00ab<\/p>\n<h3>Protects local Danish staff<\/h3>\n<p>Several researchers take up the \u2018free-riding\u2019 issue with the new policy.<\/p>\n<p>While some international researchers may be reluctant to come here in the first place, others will exploit a University of Copenhagen contract knowing that they will leave in two-three years before having to pass the Danish-language requirement, according to Catalin-Gabriel Stanescu, a Romanian assistant professor at the Center for Market and Economic Law.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIn my opinion this policy has less to do with internationalization and more to do with protecting local staff. It facilitates removing foreign staff that are already here by disregarding any skills or contributions they might have, unless they learn Danish. The requirement goes against what the policy claims to be trying to achieve: namely to foster internationalization and the integration of foreign staff. It refers, for instance, to ensuring participation in committee and administrative tasks. However, committees can choose their own language. According to the policy, this will be rectified by sending foreign staff to school, learning Danish, and then participate in the committee. It does not make sense. But one could simply hold mixed staff meetings in English. This doesn\u2019t cost any money, and everyone could participate.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbBy maintaining the option to conduct mixed staff meetings in Danish, the natives ensure that foreign staff are left out or cannot contribute for a number of years and thereby maintain their dominance over foreign staff, who will be reluctant to express themselves in a language they cannot master,\u00ab says Catalin-Gabriel Stanescu.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I think it <em>is<\/em> possible to learn Danish at this level in this timeframe. And we will be increasing the Danish-language teaching so that this is possible<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">John Renner Hansen, former dean and author of the new language-policy<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He adds that learning Danish to a professional level in two-five years is unachievable for a full-time working adult and would, if actually implemented, be very costly for the university:<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWill the University pay foreign employees to undertake 2 years of intensive Danish classes? I don\u2019t find this very likely,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>A Danish-language requirement favours homegrown Danish academics, while disadvantaging international academics in promotions and contract extensions.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI do not dispute the right of the University to implement a language policy. What I do question is its real purpose and ability to foster internationalization. There are other ways to ensure internationalization and integration of foreign staff, such as: relocation packages, assistance with obtaining a CPR number, temporary accommodation and support in finding a place to live,\u00ab says Catalin-Gabriel Stanescu.<\/p>\n<h3>Will let international researchers do their share<\/h3>\n<p>John Renner Hansen, the former Dean who chaired the committee that authored the new language-policy, rejects the idea that the new policy is to the disadvantage of international academics, and that it will encourage free-riding from incoming international academics who will come to Denmark knowing that they will leave before having to pass the Danish-language teaching requirement.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf anything, you could argue that the free-riding is what is happening now, and that our new language policy will go against this,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>Present rules already stipulate that working hours for associate professors and professors should be allocated with 50 per cent on research and 50 per cent on teaching. The policy simply makes this allocation possible, he argues.<\/p>\n<p>As for the fundamental question: <em>Can you, as an incoming international researcher, learn Danish at a teaching-level within two-five years?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00bbYes you can,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI think that it <em>is<\/em> possible to learn Danish at this level in this timeframe. And we will be increasing the Danish-language teaching so that this is possible,\u00ab says John Renner Hansen.<\/p>\n<p>While it is the first time that the Danish-language requirement is formulated with a two-five year timeframe, the dual-language Danish-English policy has been longstanding, and is approved by the Board of the University of Copenhagen. The new language draft is an explication of this overarching policy, according to John Renner Hansen.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Having another half-day of work in the evening is not nice. But I do believe that we should engage with the wider environment that our research is a part of.<\/p>\n<p class=\"quotee\">Maria Rijo Lopes Da Cunha, postdoc in ethnomusicology at UCPH<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The draft still has to pass a few stops before becoming University of Copenhagen policy. After a period of feedback before 1 October, the draft will be brought before the staff-management general collaboration committee HSU, before finally being signed off by the university\u2019s Board.<\/p>\n<p>Most international researchers give the draft proposal\u2019s two-five year requirement negative feedback \u2014 but not all of them.<\/p>\n<h3>Internationals need to engage with Danish community<\/h3>\n<p>Maria Rijo Lopes Da Cunha is a Portuguese postdoc in ethnomusicology at UCPH. She is not, yet, affected by the policy change herself, but says the draft language policy is \u00bbgood news\u00ab.<\/p>\n<p>The new Danish-language policy will help internationals become more integrated, participatory, and proactive in their departments and campuses, and they will be able to offer more support to colleagues with administrative tasks.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI understood the point that academics are hard-pressed with multiple roles, research grant applications, teaching, research, and then having to learn a language on top of that. I am trying to do that myself. Having another half-day of work in the evening is not nice. But I do believe that we should engage with the wider environment that our research is a part of. And we can only do that if we understand the local language,\u00ab she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI am an ethnomusicologist and a lot of my work is interpreting societies. If I do not understand real concerns because my language is limited, how can I know if the knowledge I create is going to have a real impact beyond by own milieu? By not learning the language, you are missing out on discussions and debates at your university and in the wider society, and possibly missing out on important points that contribute to your own research,\u00ab says Maria Rijo Lopes Da Cunha.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"en","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Get a weekly newsletter in your inbox","button_text":"Sign up here","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":true,"references":[{"reference":{"ID":14316,"post_author":"12","post_date":"2013-01-10 11:45:20","post_date_gmt":"2013-01-10 10:45:20","post_content":"Non-Danish scientists and staff are being kept out of the University of Copenhagen loop.\r\n\r\nThis can be seen in an annual workplace report (APV) and is confirmed by scientists that the University Post has spoken to. Danish staff and scientists are being given more information, and are being allowed to define the language spoken at meetings.\r\n\r\nThe full results are soon to be published, but the main points of the report have been released on KUnet.dk. In general, the report shows a high job satisfaction rate among University of Copenhagen scientists and staff. 82 per cent declare themselves satisfied with their job, according to the University of Copenhagen\u2019s internal website KUnet.dk.\r\n<h2>University: Long way to go<\/h2>\r\nIn the write-up of the APV results on internal website KUnet.dk, the University of Copenhagen admits that \u00bbmany international staff members also point out that the University should be far better to communicate in English and be inclusive and respectful of non-Danes\u00ab.\r\n\r\nThe University of Copenhagen has a parallel-language policy that stipulates that all international staff should have access to the same information as their Danish colleagues. In practice this means that e-mails distributed widely to staff and students should either have an English parallel text or a link to relevant information in English. The parallel-language policy is the responsibility of the individual faculties.\r\n\r\nBut \u00bbthe University is a good distance from upholding the parallel language policy which has been adopted,\u00ab the University of Copenhagen writes on KUnet.dk, with the phrase underlined as a link. In a non-intended illustration of the problem, the link on this article on Kunet.dk is to the policy in Danish.\r\n\r\nThree years ago, the University Post spot-checked a random group of staff and scientists to see if they were receiving non-translated Danish e-mails. Six out of eight faculties failed the test. Apparently, the problem is still there.\r\n<h2>Avoids meetings that \u2018will be in Danish anyway\u2019<\/h2>\r\nJacek Mokrosinski is a Polish postdoc at the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. In a metabolism centre, where he also does research, there is no problem with non-English communication. But at the department-level, the English-language electronic communication is \u00bbpretty bad\u00ab, he says.\r\n\r\n\u00bbWe often get e-mails only in Danish. Official notices will be in English, but any registrations of absence will be in Danish only, and international staff often miss important issues,\u00ab he says.\r\n\r\nHe adds that he has started avoiding meetings he suspects will be held in Danish. A recent meeting explaining how parking spaces were to be reduced in connection with the construction of the new Panum tower \u00bbwas all in Danish, and I felt like I was just decoration,\u00ab he says, before adding: \u00bbIt was supposed to be a dialogue\u00ab.\r\n<h2>Respects wish to speak Danish<\/h2>\r\nThe need to hold meetings in two languages is a recipe for conflict between internationals and some non-Danish staff.\r\n\r\nSasan Nazemi, an Iranian PhD student, relates how a staff meeting over new immigration rules turned into an ugly stand-off between himself who doesn\u2019t speak Danish, and a non-Danish professor over his use of Danish at a meeting.\r\n\r\nIn another story, Sasan relates how an English-language e-mail sent to all staff, set off a huffy Danish response from a Danish colleague, also to all staff. This in turn provoked a torrent of reply-to-all responses that was only stopped after pleading by a higher administrator.\r\n\r\nAt meetings, Sasan sympathises with the rights of those, who do not wish to speak English.\r\n\r\n\u00bbIn my group, most of the lab technicians are not actually good at English. They prefer to speak Danish. Some of my international colleagues are pissed off about this, but I respect the lab technicians and their wishes,\u00ab he says, adding that \u00bbsome of the older (Danish) professors want to stick to the Danish too,\u00ab he says.\r\n<h2>\u2018Inform your non-Danish colleagues\u2019<\/h2>\r\nJoyce Kling Soren is doing PhD research on English-language teaching in academia and has studied the University of Copenhagen\u2019s parallel language environment.\r\n\r\nShe points to examples of electronic communication that clearly discriminate against non-Danish speakers.\r\n\r\nIn line with what is unfortunately common practice with urgent messages in the University of Copenhagen, the PhD centre at the Faculty of Humanities sent out an all-mail to 200 recipients with the following text at the top:\r\n\r\n\u00bbVi har ikke kunnet n\u00e5 at overs\u00e6tte denne meddelelse til engelsk, s\u00e5 vi beder jer orientere jeres ikke-dansksprogede kollegaer om indholdet\u00ab\r\n\r\nIn English: We have not been able to translate this message into English, so we ask you to brief your non-Danish colleagues about the content.\r\n<h2>Efficiency paradox<\/h2>\r\nAs Joyce Kling Soren explains, the trouble with this message is that no-one, no-one is going to react to it.\r\n\r\n\u00bbIt is in effect saying that it is \u2018not our responsibility any more to inform these people\u2019. And there is only a small chance that anyone will react and brief anyone about the content.\u00ab\r\n\r\nFaculties are responsible for upholding the broad University of Copenhagen parallel-language policy strategy.\r\n\r\nThe strategy involves an efficiency paradox that individual administrators and staff have to face up to on a daily basis. Joyce puts it succinctly:\r\n\r\n\u00bbIn terms of man-hours, staff strive to be as efficient as possible. And they may well ask themselves: Why should a number of secretarial staff be set to work on a translation to service one academic? I don\u2019t have an answer to this. But it may be worth it, if it helps top international scientists that work here, and makes the University of Copenhagen more attractive to others\u00ab.\r\n\r\nThe whole report will be published on Kunet.dk in January.\r\n\r\nSee the article from 2009: <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/internationals-bombarded-with-danish-e-mails\/\">Internationals bombarded with Danish e-mails.<\/a>\r\n\r\nuniversitypost@adm.ku.dk\r\n\r\n<em>Stay in the know about news and events happening in Copenhagen by <a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/adm\/universitypost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">signing up for the University Post\u2019s weekly newsletter here<\/a>.<\/em>\n<!-- end of module 1 -->\n","post_title":"Scientists frustrated by Danish e-mails and meetings","post_excerpt":"Defying university policy, e-mails, newsletters, invitations and meetings are still just in Danish, discriminating against a large minority of scientists and staff","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"scientists-frustrated-by-danish-e-mails-and-meetings","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-09-29 08:38:39","post_modified_gmt":"2020-09-29 06:38:39","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/?p=14316\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}},{"reference":{"ID":25225,"post_author":"12","post_date":"2009-09-25 08:39:55","post_date_gmt":"2009-09-25 06:39:55","post_content":"International research staff miss important information, regulations and social events, and are forced to rely on the garbled Google-translate system to attempt to understand Danish-language e-mails.\r\n\r\nThey are not receiving English versions of important mails from faculties and departments in spite of an official University of Copenhagen policy to promote English as a parallel-language to Danish.\r\n\r\nA spot check by the University Post of non-Danish speaking Ph.D.s shows that neither the Life, Health, Social and Natural Sciences, nor the Pharmaceutical or Law faculties live up to English-language standards.\r\n\r\nThey have not assured that administrative e-mails and invitations are in both languages.\r\n<h2>Google translating<\/h2>\r\nWhen internationals are asked whether or not they have missed important information, the answer is almost always the same. As Lourdes Cantarero a Spanish Ph.D. student at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences puts it:\r\n\r\n\u00bbMost of the time, I don\u2019t even know whether I have missed something important\u00ab.\r\n\r\nShe, like almost all of the researchers that the University Post has been in contact with, is regularly forced to use the Google-translate application, an application that for non-Danish speakers often renders an English text more confusing than enlightening.\r\n<h2>As if they don\u2019t care about us<\/h2>\r\nYuhari Yumada is a Japanese Postdoc. student at the Faculty of Health Sciences. As she has been here for a while, she can now understand most of the written Danish. But for a long time, key information was withheld from her.\r\n\r\n\u00bbFor example, I did not know that people could get a key to the entrance from the secretary, and was unable to get in, when it was outside working hours,\u00ab she says.\r\n\r\nDanish e-mails to her inbox included invitations for annual general assemblies at her department, and for key social events.\r\n\r\nThere are not many international researchers in her Department and Faculty, Yuhari admits, but the not-translated Danish e-mails, \u00bbmake it as if they don\u2019t care about us,\u00ab she says.\r\n<h2>Should be no barriers<\/h2>\r\nThe University of Copenhagen has a clear policy on English language translations of e-mails both to its international students and to its 1300 full-time and part-time non-Danish researchers.\r\n\r\nRealising that the University of Copenhagen is an international institution, the strategy paper \u2018U of C action plan - the way to 2012\u2019, states clearly that the university \u2018should be a workplace where the potential barriers between Danes and non-Danish speaking should be broken down\u2019.\r\n\r\nMails distributed widely to staff and students should either have an English parallel text or a link to relevant information in English. This parallel language mail policy is the responsibility of the faculties, but is apparently not being carried out.\r\n<h2>Faculty management surprised<\/h2>\r\nThe University Post has attempted to reach each of the faculties which failed in our survey, for comment. Director of the Faculty of Health, Arnold Boon is from one of the faculties that responded with surprise when they heard that they had failed the spot check.\r\n\r\n\u00bbThe Faculty of Health has a general policy that all mass-distributed e-mails and information should be in both Danish and English,\u00ab he comments in a written response.\r\n<h2>No simple explanation<\/h2>\r\nIn the mean time, international researchers and staff are being kept out of the university\u2019s e-mail loop. Cindy Vestergaard, a Canadian despite her Danish surname, is doing her Ph.D. in political science, and is, she admits, tired of deleting the torrent of Danish-language e-mails.\r\n\r\nThe University Post asked her to forward the first Danish-language e-mail in her inbox as we spoke.\r\n\r\nIt turned out to be an invitation to relevant Ph.D. courses, highly relevant for her, but with no English text with a simple explanation of the content.\r\n\r\n\u00bb99 per cent of all I get in my mail box is in Danish. The latest was a highly relevant upcoming annual meeting for the department of Political Science,\u00ab she says.\r\n<h2>Luckily, he knows German<\/h2>\r\nKestutis Aidas is a Lithuanian Ph.D. student from the Faculty of Science. Since he came to the University of Copenhagen he has been an avid user of the Google-translate appliance, he admits, as some of the e-mails from administration are in English, while some are not. This exercises his powers of interpretation:\r\n\r\n\u00bbI know German to some extent. So most of the time, I can get a grasp of what the mail is about.\u00ab\r\n\r\nmiy@adm.ku.dk\n<!-- end of module 1 -->\n","post_title":"Internationals bombarded with Danish e-mails","post_excerpt":"Six out of eight faculties at the University of Copenhagen do not live up to language policy","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"internationals-bombarded-with-danish-e-mails","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-09-29 08:39:51","post_modified_gmt":"2020-09-29 06:39:51","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/?p=25225\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}}],"category":false,"theme":645,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":45,"name":"International","slug":"international","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":45,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":315,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":46,"name":"Science","slug":"science","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":46,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":832,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[{"term_id":1121,"name":"language strategy","slug":"language-strategy","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1121,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":645,"name":"parallel language","slug":"parallel-language","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":645,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":6,"filter":"raw"}],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":18,"name":"Feature Article","slug":"feature_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":18,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":1200,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":674,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/arkivauditoriepaakua4-1280x853.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111220"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111464,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111220\/revisions\/111464"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}