100 or so years ago, couldn’t this article have been written about the use of German in science papers? I’m really not sure that this is a problem per se, but rather just a dynamic that is going to exert itself in any type of worldwide communication. Shall we change the international language of aviation from English to Chinese because there’s a greater number of native Chinese speakers? Doesn’t seem very sensible to me.

I grant that it’s incredibly easy for me to sound dismissive of this issue as a native English speaker, but I don’t think throwing AI-as-a-buzzword at the problem is much of a solution.

That said, I did really like this potential solutions described by the article; sounds like a great tactic not only to address this issue, but to build relationships and cross-border research networks.

“Conference organisers also have myriad opportunities to support non-native English-speaking participants. For example, last year’s Animal Behaviour Society conference incorporated a multilingual buddy program to improve inclusivity.”