Groups of learners read the same peer-reviewed article and a prompt. We then write a summary or analysis of the article in whatever language we are trying to learn and improve. This could be a second language, or could simply be in our primary language as a way to improve our communication skills. It could even include other media such as artistic renderings. Some prompts may be creative and not involve article reviews.
Participation is hoped to:
- foster a sense of community
- provide a forum to discuss the latest science
- improve our language and communication skills
- provide content that can communicate science to the public
- familiarize us with version control and collaboration on GitHub!
Note: if you're not comfortable with GitHub, and learning it on top of language and science is too confusing, feel free to look at the articles, write your reviews, and exchange them with a partner via any means you're comfortable with.
You can always add new work or edits by forking the repository and submitting a pull request to this one.
✉️ If you'd like to be able to approve pull requests, send Dr. McMinds a message to get added to the group! I'm happy to cede some authority on this, especially for approval of any content in a language other than English. I think most active users will want this ability so they can work essentially independently with a buddy.
Currently, the repo is organized such that prompts are organized by year, then source material language (e.g. multilingual_journal_club/prompts/2023/english/prompt_2023_01/). A readme in this directory should include the writing prompt and a link to the source material. Writings are organized in sub-directories for each target language. Additional files may be added for summary thoughts from each group, pointing out important concepts that they note based on their corrections and discussion. A list of prompts organized by topics is also available here, but may not always be up-to-date.
Writings should be created in this repository as plain text or markdown format, and other participants should review and edit assigned writings with corrections or improvements to make them more natural or impactful. Pairs or small groups of participants with complementary language skills can meet regularly to discuss their writings and edits, and to have the opportunity to improve their spoken language. The entire group may meet on a longer interval to continue discussion of favorite articles or language points.
Note: this repo enables asynchronous participation, as well - just pick a prompt, upload your writing, and maybe create an 'issue' or 'pull request' to alert the group so someone can review and edit it. No real need to participate in discussions, if you don't want.
The point of this activity is to offer and accept critique of our language and communication skills. Please do not be afraid to make mistakes, and try not to be offended when critiques are offered! Be friendly, everyone! Also, keep in mind the various purposes of different language styles - 'misuse' of language can sometimes lead to misunderstanding of content, but often, there are arbitrary rules that do not contribute to ambiguity. Try to work together to understand not only what is correct, but why. That will lead to a more solid understanding of language.
To submit a writing:
- Choose a prompt.
- Navigate in the browser to the target language directory within the approporiate directory (e.g.
multilingual_journal_club/000_example/english/). - Click
add file, thencreate new file. - Enter your writing.
If yours is the first work in your target language, you can create a new subdirectory such as français by typing français/your_file_name.txt in the Name your file... box.
- Click
commit new filewhen you are done.
This may automatically prompt you to create a new 'branch' of the repository, which is essentially a copy of it that has proposed changes (like a new file). You may then submit a 'pull request' to ask for permission to merge your changes into the main branch - or, you may choose to have a partner collaborate with you directly on the new branch.
To provide feedback on someone else's work, either provide inline comments and edits via the pull request, or directly edit their file by navigating to it in the browser and clicking the pencil-shaped 'edit' button. Your changes will need to be 'committed' in the same way as new-file creation - you will have to commit your changes to a branch other than 'main', and then create a pull request if you want to merge your changes into the main branch.
When creating pull requests, you have the option to 'assign' the request to someone - if you do this, they will get a notification and can review your changes, approve the request, and complete the merge. The main branch will then have the updated version of the writing, and you can use the compare tool to see the differences between the old version and the new one.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes with with version control system on GitHub. Learning requires boldness, and the main branch has some protection - it needs two individuals to agree to a change before it can be made. And if something disastrous happens, we can always roll back to an old version! That's the beauty of git.
Feel free to create new Discussions or Issues if you need help with anything!
Again, if these version-control complications are too confusing, feel free to participate by manually sharing files with a partner for feedback and perhaps just joining in group discussions when they happen
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Change iNaturalist settings to show organism names in multiple languages
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www.linguee.com - Ryan's favorite website to see natural one-to-one translations between languages (using examples in context helps you decide whether a given translation is correct, as opposed to blindly trusting an AI translator)
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Markdown guide to wean you off of proprietary and overcomplicated Word or Google Docs (this README is written in markdown)
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GitHub for scientists, a guide to using GitHub for non-code projects in science (like even collaborating on manuscripts!)
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https://youtube.com/@DrGeoffLindsey - a fun channel Ryan found that can help understand how sounds differ among languages
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iNatle - a game created by Ryan where you can learn what organisms are called in other languages.