Sunday, 7 August 2016

phd - How to answer a professor asking "what your masters work is about?" when my thesis is not in English?



I have contacted a professor, looking for a PhD position. He replied that my field is so near to his research field, and to consider my application; he needs to know more about my masters thesis.



I need to see your masters work.



My thesis and most of my publications are in a non-English language. I have one English paper published in a nation-wide conference's proceedings, and this only presents no more than a quarter of my master's thesis.


How should I reply to this professor to better describe my master's work?


PS: I have a detailed CV in which I have brought all my transcripts of my BSc and MSc, translated titles of my publications and projects and all my job experience.




UPDATE: I sent a copy of my English paper, my CV, my thesis abstract and some parts of my thesis besides to a research statement in which I wrote some research topics I am interested to work on.



Answer




The reason he might be asking to see your thesis is to get familiar with what you did, and to evaluate the quality of your work. If all the application materials (your CV etc) have English titles, he might not realize that the thesis is in any other language.


So, I would respond to him addressing what he needs, and not what he asked for literally. I would write an extended abstract (summary) of your thesis in English. I would send the following, the extended abstract, conference paper, and thesis. He can gain insight into all of your work from the thesis abstract you just wrote. Your conference paper evaluates your writing. And finally your thesis is sent just because maybe he understands the language. Even if he doesn't speak the language, the references, figures, tables, formulas etc. in the thesis should give him additional information about the content and quality of your work, especially in the context of your abstract.


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