The Use of Narrative and Metaphor in Intercultural Science Communication: An Analysis of Spoken Discourse in Japanese Science Q&A Programs

Abstract

In Japan, as in many other countries, scientists whose work is publicly funded must communicate their results to the taxpayer. However, for many, this task is more difficult than speaking at conferences or writing journal articles. The present article demystifies the communication of science to non-specialist audiences by describing how experts on a Japanese radio program for elementary school students explained their research using communicative strategies linked to storytelling and metaphor. Several key storytelling strategies tailored to different audiences were observed, including chronological “hardship anecdotes” delivered by speakers, eliciting relevant experiential narratives from audiences, and the use of onomatopoeia to visualize scenes. Moreover, speakers used metaphors, examined the knowledge of questioners, and taught scientific approaches rather than knowledge. The results indicated the overall effectiveness of a communicative approach that personalizes and humanizes scientific knowledge into more familiar frames of reference. These strategies contextualized complex knowledge more immediately for non-experts, reducing the epistemic gap between them and the scientists. In terms of intercultural communication, the results show that overcoming epistemic differences via personalized, in-depth storytelling that focuses on hardship, analogy, and epistemic inquiry may also help novices readjust their communicative practices and adapt to novel cultures.