The use of English language as the official language in science had an undoubtable role in moving science forward but posed an extra challenge for people whose first language is not English. In this Viewpoint, six non-Native English speakers share their experience as academics, clinicians, researchers and editors who carry out the core tasks of their jobs in a second language, and suggest potential solutions to help overcome issues associated with a linguistic barrier. Their stories show the substantial challenges that non-native English speakers have to face every day regardless of their career status, but also highlight the opportunities that this form of diversity can offer.
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S.C.E. used ChatGPT version 3.5 as a tool for language assistance (clarity and grammar check).
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S.V.C. has received a lecture honorarium and travel support from Ipsen and has served on an advisory board for Prostatype Genomics (unrelated to the current manuscript). S.V.C. is supported by a National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant (P30-CA008748) to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and U01-CA266535, as well as the Prostate Cancer Foundation and American Cancer Society. The other authors declare no competing interests.
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The contributors
Sigrid V. Carlsson, MD PhD MPH, is an Assistant Attending Epidemiologist in the Departments of Surgery (Urology Service) and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA, where she serves as the Director of Clinical Research at Josie Robertson Surgery Center. She is an Associate Professor affiliated with the Department of Urology, Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden and Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Department of Translational Medicine, Division of Urological Cancers Medical Faculty, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Her area of expertise is screening for prostate cancer.
Sandro C. Esteves is the Medical Director of ANDROFERT Clinic and a Professor of Urology at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. He is also an Honorary Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology at Aarhus University, Denmark. With more than 25 years of experience, Sandro is a Board-certified Urologist specializing in male reproductive health and assisted reproductive technology. He additionally serves as an advisory board member of Nature Reviews Urology.
Elisabeth Grobet-Jeandin, MD, is a urologist working in Geneva University Hospitals (Switzerland). She completed a double Master’s degree in medicine and law before specializing in urology. Her main research themes are onco-urology and minimally invasive surgery. She is an associate member of the Young Academic Urologists Working Group Urothelial of the European Association of Urology.
Maria Chiara Masone is a Senior Editor for Nature Reviews Urology. She conducted a PhD in cell biology with the Open University (UK), during which she worked at the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine in Naples (Italy). She moved to London in 2019 to start a career in publishing as a Commissioning Editor for Frontiers in Genetics. She joined the Nature Reviews Urology team in September 2021.
Maria J. Ribal, MD, PhD, is a uro-oncologist and the Head of multidisciplinary Uro-Oncology Unit at Hospital Clinic, as well as Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona. She is the author of >160 publications and >350 invited lectures. She is involved in clinical and basic research and is currently Chair of the EAU Guidelines Office. In 2009, she received the Crystal Matula award, a prestigious EAU prize granted to a young promising European urological academic.
Yao Zhu is a Professor of Urology at the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, China. He is an expert in performing surgeries for urological cancers. Additionally, he holds the position of Vice Chair in the Youth Council of the China Anti-Cancer Association. His research focuses on improving care for patients with prostate cancer.
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Carlsson, S.V., Esteves, S.C., Grobet-Jeandin, E. et al. Being a non-native English speaker in science and medicine. Nat Rev Urol 21, 127–132 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-023-00839-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-023-00839-7
