Emilie Dubois

Copyright Emilie Dubois

This is a young woman who has completed a doctorate in biology at a university in Quebec, but has been refused permission to settle there because she wrote part of her thesis in English, so that she could publish it in a scientific journal.

She was born and bred in France, so this exclusion has nothing to do with any inability to speak or write in French, the language of Bureaucratic Heaven. What disqualifies her is her demonstrable ability to convey complex scientific concepts in English, rather than any discernible inability to do so in French. This is racism over the most tenuous of associations. By doing what is customary in scientific circles and writing her paper in English, Dr Dubois exploded a fondly-held belief of the anglophobes that English is a barbarian tongue, unsuited to the communication of any intellectual or civilised concept.

If the authorities in Quebec have a crumb of rationality behind their prohibition, it may be that they are trying to save Quebec from any repeat of the settlement there of the celebrated firearms designer, Sir Charles Ross, who was a bit of a rough diamond by all accounts. Being a proud, even a touch arrogant, Scotsman, Sir Charles did not have an English bone in his body, but that's not the sort of detail that haters actually care about. No, Dr Dubois used a barbarian tongue and she must be cast out, for the linguistic purity of Quebec.

In the outside world, it is important that scientists be able to convey their ideas to other scientists, and English is now the preferred medium for doing this. Yes, centuries ago it was done in French, if not Latin, but centuries ago isn't now. My English teacher* and lifelong friend, the late Alan G. Myers, once told me that he had been asked to translate a long, complicated and important-looking physics paper into English, by a female Russian scientist who was much impressed by his translations of Avante Garde poetry and classic Russian literature. Alan's knowledge of physics extended as far as being able to connect the bare ends of the power cable for the school's video recorder to a British Standard electrical outlet using matchsticks, and knowing that in cold countries you kept your rifle bolt inside your clothing so that you'd be able to shoot polar bears when the need arose. 

Willing to do anything to please a lady, he decided to have a stab at the important-looking paper and his translation was gratefully received by the female Russian scientist, but he was deeply worried because although he'd rendered the document into English, he barely understood a word of his own translation. The paper duly won a major international physics prize, leaving Alan secretly worried that his ignorance of physics might have somehow created an impressive but bogus new scientific concept which was winning prizes because nobody on the prize committee was able to understand it. I persuaded him that this was a bit of a long shot and he should stop worrying. So, although an inability to author a scientific paper in English can be rectified by a distinguished translator, it saves a lot of needless worry if you can write the thing in English yourself and be understood to say what you actually mean.

Dr Dubois might actually find it easier and more agreeable to settle in Britain than in Quebec, Brexit or no, because the belief that Brexit means that all British people are bigoted racist barbarians is simply a symptom of the widely-held creed amongst the European elite, that there can never be anything wrong with bureaucracy, so no rational person would want to leave a multi-national community dedicated to the celebration of bureaucracy in all its forms. If anything illustrates the dangers and limitations of bureaucracy, it is the treatment of Dr Dubois by the Quebec government.

A presentable young woman with a research degree, let alone a doctorate, in Biology or almost any other scientific discipline, would have to try very hard indeed to get thrown out of the United Kingdom, and if she settled here instead of where she clearly isn't wanted by those in power, would be an ideal role model for a young female relative of mine who wants to study molecular biology. 

* When I told Alan that I was writing novels with a view to publication, he assumed a worried frown and henceforth informed his peers that he had taught me English as a foreign language from the native Swahili. This was an understandable precaution, but I do not speak Swahili in fact, although I have relatives who do.