Raising the profile of Spanish as a language for/of science, one student at a time
File(s)
Presentation
Author(s)
Gonzalez-Becerra, Iria
Type
Presentation
Abstract
In a world where English operates as what Swales (1997) memorably called a "Tyrannosaurus Rex" - a dominant force that progressively devours the linguistic diversity of scientific communication... why would STEM undergraduates invest in other languages? And why should their institutions care?
This presentation develops the case of the languages provision at Imperial College London as a context where the monoglot habitus of British academia is being actively challenged and the profile of Spanish as a language of science is being raised - one student at a time.
Drawing on two institutional studies conducted at the Centre for Languages, Culture & Communication, I contextualise Imperial's Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP), identifying trends in student motivations and the value of language learning for a STEMB-focused education. I argue that IWLPs are instrumental in absorbing the "lost" Spanish learner pipeline in the UK - students who wish to continue Spanish but have chosen STEM careers over other degrees - and that developing 'global graduateness' is essential in a VUCA and BANI world where intercultural agility is no longer optional.
I then showcase the collaborative ecosystem enriching Imperial's provision and carving a space for Spanish-speaking scientific cultures, role models, and histories within a STEM curriculum (including partnerships with stakeholders and professional associations such as SRUK/CERU or the recently formed Latin America STEMB Network at Imperial, to
demonstrate how language centres can also amplify the "Spanishes of science" - the plural, vibrant, and globally significant scientific traditions of the Spanish-speaking world.
I conclude with a call for action: language teachers, cultural bodies, and scientific networks must work together to ensure that science is understood as culture, and that the right to do science with an accent - in Spanish, in all its Spanishes - is protected, amplified, and heard.
This presentation develops the case of the languages provision at Imperial College London as a context where the monoglot habitus of British academia is being actively challenged and the profile of Spanish as a language of science is being raised - one student at a time.
Drawing on two institutional studies conducted at the Centre for Languages, Culture & Communication, I contextualise Imperial's Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP), identifying trends in student motivations and the value of language learning for a STEMB-focused education. I argue that IWLPs are instrumental in absorbing the "lost" Spanish learner pipeline in the UK - students who wish to continue Spanish but have chosen STEM careers over other degrees - and that developing 'global graduateness' is essential in a VUCA and BANI world where intercultural agility is no longer optional.
I then showcase the collaborative ecosystem enriching Imperial's provision and carving a space for Spanish-speaking scientific cultures, role models, and histories within a STEM curriculum (including partnerships with stakeholders and professional associations such as SRUK/CERU or the recently formed Latin America STEMB Network at Imperial, to
demonstrate how language centres can also amplify the "Spanishes of science" - the plural, vibrant, and globally significant scientific traditions of the Spanish-speaking world.
I conclude with a call for action: language teachers, cultural bodies, and scientific networks must work together to ensure that science is understood as culture, and that the right to do science with an accent - in Spanish, in all its Spanishes - is protected, amplified, and heard.
Date Issued
2026-06-27
Citation
2026
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Author(s).
Identifier
https://symposium.sruk.org.uk/event-2026/programme-2026/
Subjects
Communication
Languages
Coverage Spatial
13th SRUK/CERU International Symposium 2026, University of Oxford