Lost in the Translation:
Writing About Science for the General Public
by
Writing, like science, is primarily a matter of
noticing what goes on in the world and communicating these insights to
others. Both require a certain amount
of translation, and in the process, distortion. Writing about science is thus doubly cursed, and makes some surprising
demands on the writer. Among the (only
partly tongue-in-cheek) requirements to be discussed are: Lie; cheat; steal;
dare to be stupid; don’t trust your sources (or your editors); waste people’s
time; quote out of context; make arbitrary calls; don’t expect anyone to
understand you; don’t expect anyone to believe you; prepare to make mistakes;
avoid “hardening of the categories”; debase yourself, but never your readers;
eschew objectivity; emote.