학술논문
The manifold costs of being a non-native English speaker in science.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Amano T; School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.; Ramírez-Castañeda V; Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America.; Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America.; Berdejo-Espinola V; School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.; Borokini I; University and Jepson Herbaria, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America.; Chowdhury S; School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.; Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.; Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.; Department of Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.; Golivets M; Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle, Germany.; González-Trujillo JD; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC-MNCN), Madrid, Spain.; Montaño-Centellas F; Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia.; Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America.; Paudel K; Greenhood Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal.; White RL; School of Applied Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom.; Veríssimo D; Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Source
Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101183755 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1545-7885 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 15449173 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS Biol Subsets: MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
The use of English as the common language of science represents a major impediment to maximising the contribution of non-native English speakers to science. Yet few studies have quantified the consequences of language barriers on the career development of researchers who are non-native English speakers. By surveying 908 researchers in environmental sciences, this study estimates and compares the amount of effort required to conduct scientific activities in English between researchers from different countries and, thus, different linguistic and economic backgrounds. Our survey demonstrates that non-native English speakers, especially early in their careers, spend more effort than native English speakers in conducting scientific activities, from reading and writing papers and preparing presentations in English, to disseminating research in multiple languages. Language barriers can also cause them not to attend, or give oral presentations at, international conferences conducted in English. We urge scientific communities to recognise and tackle these disadvantages to release the untapped potential of non-native English speakers in science. This study also proposes potential solutions that can be implemented today by individuals, institutions, journals, funders, and conferences. Please see the Supporting information files (S2-S6 Text) for Alternative Language Abstracts and Figs 5 and 6.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
(Copyright: © 2023 Amano et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
(Copyright: © 2023 Amano et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)