My week in Japan drove home the obvious. English-speaking researchers need one major talent to prove themselves: the ability to do science. Non-English speakers need two: science and English. This will be true for the foreseeable future, but the scientific community should take steps to lessen its impact.
Doing so will benefit both English and non-English speakers. If non-English speakers are able to publish more easily, knowledge will be available more quickly, so advances can be quickly validated and adopted by others.
Less obviously but perhaps more importantly, the quality of science and individual scientists may improve. When non-English speaking scientists have a paper rejected, they can turn to the ready excuse that they lack language skills. The fact that that excuse is, too frequently, valid could lead them to stew rather than design better experiments. Something similar is at work when non-English speakers are scooped.
The uneven playing field can hurt English speakers too, though less directly. No scientist wants colleagues to think that she was chosen for language skills instead of expertise and creativity.
In the fast-moving, high visibility field of stem cells the rift between English and non-English speakers is even more harmful. One possible, albeit partial, solution: a cadre of science-savvy English speakers who are also fluent in the researchers’ native languages. Their services should be acknowledged, of course, but such professionals can help get scientific articles in order without claiming formal authorship.
Here are some other takes on the topic:
https://www.nature.com/news/2007/070122/full/nj7126-454a.html
https://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v445/n7125/full/445256d.html
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