New Perspectives in Science Education

In our ever-changing and complex world, fostering scientific literacy has become an essential skill, empowering individuals to critically engage with scientific information and make well-informed decisions. An increasing number of laypeople are turning to the vast information available on the Internet to self-educate on public health topics. For instance, they seek advice from experts in specific subject areas to understand how Covid-19 spreads or to clarify uncertainties about physiological reactions during pregnancy. Additionally, they actively engage in information exchange with magazines, websites, journalists, and other platforms on relevant topics. All of this reflects the efforts of laypeople to break down the barriers in expert-layperson communication.
The vertical structure of medical discourse in Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) primarily distinguishes between internal communication and external discourse. External discourse, which is patient-oriented, involves doctor-patient interactions and communication with a broader audience [1]. The objective of discourse popularization is to ensure that scientific information becomes accessible to a wider audience. Therefore, it is imperative to adjust the language used based on the level of popularization required [2].
This paper explores strategies for popularizing scientific discourse in the field of public health in both Portuguese and Chinese, highlighting effective ways to enhance scientific literacy in these language communities. The corpus analysis is carried out using the corpus manager and text analysis tool, Sketch Engine [3].