Writing for studentBMJ (Spanish)
when your native language (French)
is not English (German)
studentBMJ is read and written by international medical students. But writing in a language that may not be your first is understandably difficult. Here, two of our non-native English speaking student advisers, Jasmin Arrich and Adrián González Aguirre, give some advice on how they do it and persuade you that it is possible
Germanic thoughts
You are a medical student from a non-English speaking background and have always wanted to write for other students. Maybe you have already written but never thought you could do it in English because it is not your first language. This makes you the perfect candidate to write for studentBMJ.
studentBMJ is an international medical students' journal that has a huge audience around the world. Articles by medical students from different countries are published regularly, but the editors, student advisers, and readers would like more articles from international authors. Writing for students with so many different cultural backgrounds is exciting.
Any theme that will interest international medical students is suitable. The type of subject can range from local news from your own medical school to matters of global importance, from thoughts you want to share with others to your experience of your elective abroad. Author's guidelines give you important hints on the format of your text and Deborah Cohen's article shares some good general advice (see box).
Start at the beginning
First of all, read our guide to authors at studentbmj.com Decide on what your article will say to fellow medical students and write it. Email it to the student editor (studenteditor@bmj.com) when you are done.
Our decisions process
We have 65 student advisers, from around the world as well as the United Kingdom. They read all submissions once a month in a secure area of studentbmj.com and submit comments and decisions about what should be accepted. A smaller committee of advisers and the student editor collate the results and discuss borderline articles. We do not have any quotas--if your article is good, we will accept it.
You're among friends
All our advisers are medical students and go through this process themselves when they write articles. They understand what being an author is like and, as we have representation from non-native English people, know what that is like.
What next?
Your article will either be accepted, rejected, or returned to you for revision. If we reject your article, we will tell you why; we can assure you that we do not reject articles purely because of the English. Try to take the reasons on board, and have another go.
Anna Ellis student editor, and Rhona MacDonald, senior editor
To have an article accepted, your written English does not have to be perfect. The most important thing is what you have to say, and building your message or argument in the article. If you can express yourself in your own language you should also be able to do it in English.
Once you have a good topic, the best way of writing an article in English is no different from writing an article in your own language: start with the beginning, move on to the middle part, complete it with an ending. After this you can write the whole article in your language first and then translate it to English. This might help you if you are writing in English for the first time, if the structure of your text is complicated, or if you are not quite sure what to say next. In any other case it is easier to write in English directly. In this way you will also be able to improve your style and write more fluently. If you are uncertain about how to build your article it is always a good idea to arrange your thoughts first on a separate sheet of paper.
Translating a specialised medical term can sometimes be tricky and you might not always have an English speaking medic at hand. A specialised medical dictionary or surfing the internet on your subject can help you out. Most medical expressions are similar in English and often you can recognise them in an English text. And in the end, the editors at studentBMJ always put words right if their meaning is not quite there.
Keep it simple. Languages like German tend to have long and complicated sentences that are difficult to translate to English. Save yourself the trouble and break them up a bit. Short and clear sentences are also easier for other foreign students to read. And never try to translate a proverb, a saying, or an image to English unless you are sure the expression exists in English too.
Having said that, "Speech is silver; writing is golden." And writing in English is worth a little extra effort.
Jasmin Arrich final year medical student, University of Vienna
Email: jasmin_arrich@yahoo.com
A Mexican perspective
Writing in English is a challenge, but it is really rewarding. I spent two months at the BMJ as a Clegg scholar (see box). When I arrived, I was scared; writing in Spanish and English are obviously not the same. But there are things that make writing in English easier, and here are some that I find useful.
Have an idea. You do not need to worry about much else. Having a great idea is essential, and, if you have one, you already have an article. After that, spend some time trying to convert that idea into a message--a clear idea that you want to transmit to the readers. After that start writing.
I think it is best to write directly in English. Making translations changes the order of words and often sentences lose their impact, at least when translating Spanish into English. So make the effort to write in English.
Do not worry about spelling. I find it annoying writing with a dictionary next to me--I feel like it is watching me like a doctor pacing up and down between the students in an exam hall. It makes things slower and reduces your creative process. So write and when you really do not know the word in English put it down in your own language and continue writing.
No matter how disorganised your thoughts are, structure is not important right at the beginning. Fill a blank piece of paper with ideas, construct sentences to support your central idea, and never loose the point of your message. Then take these ideas and transfer them to a separate piece of paper in a well structured order so that your article progresses and builds on the sentence before.
Improve your article. Correct the things that you find wrong, check the spelling, and make sure it is organised. And then you have a coherent piece to send to the editor. Editors have this strange hobby called editing. They put on their editing hat and transform your paper into something better, maybe they will chop some sentences and change the order of them and make your article fill all the needs for their journal. I once heard a psychiatrist talk about his published papers, "When I read those wonderful sentences I feel so proud, and it's great that everyone will think I write them." Everything can be improved, including published papers, but we need to stop somewhere.
Do not fear language. Do not worry about the quality of your adjectives or the order of the words, make English flexible, use it, bend it, stir it, and write without shame.
Adrián González Aguirre final year medical student, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, México
Email: grangeroloco@hotmail.com
