Abstract
THE British Esperantist Scientific Association has been founded by a body of British scientific workers and technical experts who are interested in the use of Esperanto as an international medium for the discussion of scientific affairs. Before the War there existed an Internacia Scienca Asocio Esperantista ; but this body, like so many others, disintegrated during the last ten years, and is only being reconstituted with some difficulty. 'BESA' (as the new Association is popularly called) is taking an active part in this work ; meanwhile, however, it also aims at arousing an interest among British men of science in the potential value of Esperanto for the exchange of scientific information and at creating in Great Britain a nucleus of workers who are themselves adepts in the use of the language for scientific purposes. Several of its members are engaged in the compilation of technical vocabularies in various fields-an essential task inasmuch as (though Esperanto has been in use for general purposes for sixty years) there is as a result of the interruption of normal communications in recent times a considerable need for the standardization of many new technical terms which have come into use during this period. The Association has also made informal contacts with Unesco and other international organisations with regard to the whole question of international language. Since its inception in February 1947, the Association (which has an advisory panel of distinguished workers in various branches of science) has held a number of meetings at University College, London. Business proceedings are conducted in English, but technical papeis are read and discussed in Esperanto. Membership of the Association is open to all who are interested in the application of Esperanto to science and technology, whether professionally occupied in these fields or not. The president is Dr. J. C. Flugel, of University College, London, and the honorary secretary, Mr. E. D. Durrant, of 15 Beaufort Road, Reigate, Surrey.
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Esperanto and Science. Nature 162, 918–919 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/162918c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/162918c0