Multilingual Scholarly Publishing: Exploring the Perceptions, Attitudes, and Experiences of Plurilingual Scholars in Foreign Language Publication

Abstract

In numerous disciplines, English holds the status of an academic lingua franca, with many scholars, especially in natural sciences, medicine, and engineering designating English as their default academic language. However, the increasing dominance of English in academia has prompted a growing interest in multilingual publishing, bringing forth a substantial body of research echoing the challenges and experiences faced by scholars attempting to publish their research in a foreign language, particularly when targeting top-tier journals. There is an ongoing debate regarding the assumption that native speakers enjoy a privileged position in academic publishing compared to non-native speakers. This debate notwithstanding, there exists a consensus that more research is needed to explore multilingual academic publishing. Hence, this study responds to the imperative for further research on academic publishing in non-native languages. It endeavors to elucidate the challenges encountered by plurilingual scholars when publishing their research in a foreign language and investigates the influence of the foreign language on their writing practices. The study is based on a self-administered survey conducted among plurilingual translation scholars and linguists. Data are collected by a semi-structured questionnaire that comprises questions regarding foreign language competence, languages of publishing, motivations for publishing in a foreign language, the writing and revision process, as well as the peer review process. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the perceptions and experiences of plurilingual scholars, drawing upon insights derived from the survey questionnaire. The findings indicate the imperative of an author-centric publication process tailored to address the challenges faced by non-native authors. Additionally, there is a necessity for more transparency and fairness in the peer-review process for submissions in a foreign language. The conclusions drawn from the study aim to foster linguistic inclusivity, advocating for the recognition and promotion of multilingualism within the scholarly publishing landscape.