An international survey led by the University of Queensland has quantified the toll of "clear and significant" language barriers experienced by scientists whose first language is not English. The study, led by Dr Tatsuya Amano from the University of Queensland, surveyed 908 environmental science researchers. The study explored five areas of scientific activity: reading, writing, publishing, disseminating and attending conferences. The findings show that people for whom English is not their first language are at a distinct disadvantage in every aspect.


An investigation led by the University of Queensland has revealed that non-native English-speaking scientists face severe language barriers, leading to increased activity time and higher rejection rates. This problem leads to reduced participation in conferences and early-career dropouts, resulting in huge losses in global scientific contributions. Source: University of Queensland

"Compared with native English speakers, non-native English speakers take twice as long to perform each activity," said Dr. Amano. "Their papers are also rejected two and a half times more often and are required to be revised twelve and a half times more often. These challenges put non-native English speakers at a particular disadvantage because getting their papers published is difficult for many. Speaking is already quite a stressful process. We were also surprised to find that a third of people give up on attending international conferences and half of them give up on speaking at international conferences simply because they don’t feel confident communicating in English, so this language barrier stalls many promising careers."

Researchers worry that these barriers push many non-native English speakers to abandon science careers at an early stage.

Dr. Amano said: "This is a serious issue in terms of equity in academia and a huge loss for the scientific community. We may lose a large number of people who have made huge contributions to science simply because their first language is not English."

Unleashing the potential of disadvantaged populations is one of the pressing challenges facing science today, researchers say. "We already know that collaborations that involve diverse groups of people solve better problems and lead to higher levels of scientific innovation and impact. As we face several global issues, such as biodiversity and the climate crisis, it is more important than ever that we draw on diverse people, perspectives, knowledge systems, and solutions."

As part of the research, this international collaborative project outlines several ways the scientific community can help solve the growing problem.

Dr Amano said: "There are a variety of things that anyone can do to support non-native English speakers - if you are a tutor, you should acknowledge these disadvantages and provide financial, logistical and moral support. While many institutions offer training opportunities, they should work harder to take these disadvantages into account when assessing the performance of non-native English speakers. As Science As gatekeepers, many journals should also do more to proactively address this issue, such as providing free language editing support and supporting the multilingualization of science more broadly. We need to abandon this old notion that fluency in English is a passport to academia and allow anyone, anywhere in the world, to thrive and shine in academia."