Challenges faced by science journalists and communicators working in vernacular languages and insights pertaining to science communication courses

Abstract

There is an increasing communication gap between citizens of India who speak vernacular languages and scientists who read and write in English using a lot of scientific and technical terminology. It is up to the scientists and science journalists to bridge the linguistic divide and tackle the challenge of translating scientific jargon into vernacular languages so that people can understand science communication. There is no nodal agency or service of science communication available in India to provide scientific and technological content from laboratories to national or vernacular media. Challenges faced by journalists to communicate science in vernacular media, need of a nodal agency to provide science news, training of scientists and journalists in science communication and utilisation of trained science communicators in scientific organisations should be seriously considered if we wish to reduce the gap. This chapter deals with the approach to bridge the gap between science and society connected by vernacular media.