When Nada Abdel Aziz began her master’s degree in biotechnology at Cairo University, she already spoke better English than many of her peers. She had studied the language at school, and although her undergraduate degree was officially taught in English, lectures and discussions often shifted naturally into Arabic.

“At the beginning, networking and presenting in English were extremely difficult,” she says.

A mentor encouraged her to take an intensive English course alongside her studies. Funded through a grant, the programme required six hours of language training every week, in addition to conversational classes. Even then, Abdel Aziz says it took years of working in English before she felt fully comfortable discussing science and presenting her work in English.

Today, Abdel Aziz is an associate professor of biotechnology at her alma mater in Egypt, a senior honorary lecturer at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and a recipient of prestigious awards including L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science Award and the African Academy of Sciences African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence (ARISE).

Her experience reflects a challenge faced by many researchers in Africa, where relatively few people speak English as a first language, despite its dominance in global science. Nearly all scientific journals publish in English, and international conferences, funding applications and collaborations are often conducted in the language.

A 2023 study1 in PLOS Biology found that researchers working in a second language spend substantially more time reading and writing scientific papers in English than native speakers. Non-native English speakers were also significantly more likely to experience paper rejection or revision requests linked to English writing and communication barriers.

For many African researchers, the challenge extends beyond grammar and vocabulary. It impacts confidence, visibility and access to international scientific networks.

Science in a second language
“We always get comments that we need to revise the language,” Abdel Aziz says.

Professional editing services can help, but they are expensive and often inaccessible to researchers in lower-income settings. Many scientists rely on colleagues to review papers informally, or spend additional unpaid hours refining manuscripts.

A 2024 study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B2 found that although some journals offer English-language editing or translation support, such services are often poorly communicated or difficult for authors to identify.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are beginning to change how some researchers navigate these challenges.

Abdel Aziz says she uses tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity to help polish written communication.

But researchers caution that AI is not a complete solution.

Scientific writing often depends on technical precision, and mistranslations or inaccurate phrasing can alter meaning. Researchers also worry about journals flagging AI-assisted text and about the broader implications for data privacy and intellectual property.

For many scientists, however, the greatest challenge is presenting their work on international stages.

Finding a scientific voice
Felix Toteu, a former coordinator of the Earth Science Programme in Africa at UNESCO and vice president of the Central Africa region at The African Academy of Sciences, grew up speaking French in bilingual Cameroon.

Although his university education was officially in English, lecturers moved fluidly between English or French.

“Students would just have to adapt,” he says.

Like Abel Aziz, Toteu could write papers in English long before he felt comfortable presenting his work in English.

“I (had) never stood before an English-speaking audience to present, and that was a big challenge,” he says. “I was sweating.”

Research suggests those experiences are common. The PLOS Biology study found that between 30% and 50% of early-career researchers working in a second language often avoid English-language conferences or oral presentations because of language barriers and lack of confidence in English communication.

Even informal scientific conversations can become difficult.

Abdel Aziz recalls struggling to follow fast-moving discussions at conferences, and finding it difficult to contribute spontaneously alongside native English speakers.

Associate Professor Tatsuya Amano, a Japanese scientist specialising in conservation science and now affiliated with the University of Queensland, understands that feeling well.

When he moved to the United Kingdom for research work, he found even everyday scientific interactions exhausting.

“On the first day at the lab I was joining, I was so anxious that I had a stomach ache and rushed to the toilet,” Amano says.

He later launched translatE, an initiative focused on improving access to science for non-native English speakers and examining how language influences participation in global scientific research.

“Everything took much longer than (for) others who were fluent in English,” he says.

Amano says language barriers also affected how visible he felt within research environments.

“I felt I had to justify my place by producing high-quality research, as otherwise I was a nobody without a voice,” he says.

Beyond translation tools
Researchers say international mobility and supportive scientific environments can make an enormous difference.

Toteu describes opportunities to study and work abroad in France and the United States as transformative for his confidence and communication skills.

“That was very important,” he says. “I consider myself quite fortunate.”

But many African researchers have limited opportunities for international exchange because of financial, institutional and visa barriers.

Support systems for multilingual scientists also remain limited. None of the researchers interviewed for this article could identify major African international programmes specifically designed to help scientists overcome linguistic barriers in research communication.

Some researchers are instead pushing for practical changes within scientific spaces themselves.

Arby Abood, who co-organised an Arabic session in the Genetics Society of America multilingual seminar series, says conferences should do more to accommodate multilingual participation.

He advocates for bilingual slides, multilingual seminars and greater acceptance of key scientific terms in different languages.

“Defaulting to English-only simply concentrates access among those already fluent,” he says.

Researchers also warn that consequences extend beyond individual careers. Linguistic exclusion can shape which regions, ecosystems and scientific questions receive global attention.

The Royal Society study found that biodiversity databases were often less complete in regions where English is not the dominant scientific language, suggesting that language can shape how scientific knowledge is produced and shared globally.

For Adel Aziz, support from mentors and colleagues was critical in helping navigate scientific spaces dominated by English. She and her team now rehearse presentations repeatedly before conferences and international meetings.

Small gestures matter too, researchers say. Colleagues who listen patiently, slow down conversation or make room for different accents and communication styles can change whether scientists feel able to participate fully.

“You can instantly feel that kind of attitude in the person you are speaking to,” Amano says. “And that makes a huge difference in communication.”

Original article written by Nadine El Sayed and published in Nature Africa.