Math PhD language requirement

[robcol]

<p>I want to get a PhD in mathematics. I checked many universities' math grad program websites and read that math PhD candidates should show proficiency in German, French or Russian. What kind of an exam is given? Do questions measure your general ability in those languages or test if you can read math in those languages? How hard is it? While I am still at college, should I take courses on one of those languages?</p>

[ucbalumnus]

<p><a href=“http://math.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/pages/THE%20HANDBOOK%202012.pdf[/url]”>http://math.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/pages/THE%20HANDBOOK%202012.pdf&lt;/a&gt; page 18 describes the language examination used by the Berkeley math department:</p>

<p>

@Berkeley math department

The student must pass a written examination in one of French, German, or Russian. Each examination consists of translation of a short passage of mathematical literature from the foreign language into English; the use of a dictionary is allowed. The translation must be written in clear and precise English and must demonstrate that the student has understood the mathematical content of the passage. Language examinations are offered in the fifth week of each Fall semester; date and time will be posted on the bulletin boards outside 910 Evans. The examination may be repeated an unlimited number of times. Neither coursework, nor evidence of native fluency, may be substituted for the examination.

</p>

<p>I.e. it is more of a “test if you can read math in those languages”.</p>

[ucbalumnus]

<p>You may want to check your knowledge by looking up math journal articles or books written in French, German, and/or Russian and checking if you can understand them.</p>

<p>[SMF</a> - Publications - Bulletin de la SMF - Parutions - 141 (2013)](<a href=“http://smf4.emath.fr/Publications/Bulletin/141/html/]SMF”>Les Publications | Société Mathématique de France) has some abstracts of math papers in both French and English to look at (the full articles are behind a paywall).</p>

[SoMuch2Learn]

<p>Is this unique to Berkeley? If not, is there a list somewhere?</p>

<p>Why is this required?</p>

<p>TIA</p>

[robcol]

<p>Thank you ucbalumnus! So as a person who speaks none of the above languages, I should take courses on them in college right? Because I don’t think I will have time to learn a new language once the PhD program starts.</p>

<p>SoMuch2Learn: I think they require this because people who get a PhD do so because they want to become a professor eventually. And as an academician, I think, one should be able to read the subject he teaches/researches in another language. Look at the history, there are many famous mathematicians from Germany, France and Russia. I wonder why they didn’t put Chinese in that list. Because it is to hard to learn?</p>

[GLOBALTRAVELER]

<p>Actually…RobCol hit this on the money…</p>

<p>“Look at the history, there are many famous mathematicians from Germany, France and Russia.”</p>

<p>Also, many of the larger academic “symposiums” (and the such) in Mathematics (and usually pure Mathematics) are held in Europe.</p>