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Language(s) of Academia

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Overhead view of a table holding a large sheet of squared paper titled “AUTHORSHIP” with bullet‐point handwritten notes, a spiral‐bound notebook partly covered by a small brown leather pouch and a green book, a purple pen, a circular red paper mark, and a clear glass of water.
Photo: Jean Noir
18.09.26

At a meeting initiated by Die Junge Akademie (German Young Academy), 24 academics from 18 countries came together to reflect on how languages shape academic research and its dissemination.

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From 2 to 4 September, 24 academics based in 18 countries across six continents came together at Goethe University in Frankfurt to discuss the role of language in academia. While the discussions were conducted largely in English, the participants brought their own linguistic backgrounds to the exchange. They were members of the young academies of Belgium (Dutch), Colombia (Spanish), Finland (Finnish), Germany (German), Hungary (Hungarian), India (Assamese, Punjabi), Indonesia (Indonesian), Kenya (Kimeru), Lithuania (Lithuanian), Nepal (Nepali), Nigeria (Yoruba), Norway (Norwegian), Palestine (Arabic), Sudan (Arabic) and Switzerland (French, German), as well as the Global Young Academy (Polish, Romanian).

Academics work with language every day, yet opportunities to reflect explicitly on how language shapes participation, access, and the quality and reach of their research are rare. The meeting created a space for such reflection, recognising both opportunities and challenges.

Workshop: Language(s) of Academia, 2 to 4 September 2026, Frankfurt am Main
Group of 22 adults of mixed genders and ethnicities standing in two rows on a stone plaza in front of a modern building entrance. Behind them is a light-colored rectangular stone façade with an overhanging canopy and glass doors. All individuals wear casual clothing and face the camera.
Foto: Jean Noir
Overhead view of four people seated around a table covered with a white grid-patterned cloth and scattered pink and green paper circles. Three smartphones showing chat messages or notes lie on or are held above the table. One person in a striped top points to a phone screen amid pens, notebooks and a glass of water.
Photo: Jean Noir
Bright conference room with four tables and chairs arranged in small clusters. About 15 people of diverse ages and ethnicities sit or stand around tables, writing on large sheets of paper with markers and talking. Floor-to-ceiling windows line the back wall, and a side table holds drinks and snacks.
Photo: Jean Noir
Two women stand in front of a grid-lined flip chart mounted on a metal easel in a bright office. The woman on the left wears an orange top and has her hair in a braided bun; the woman on the right wears a black top. Both attach pink oval and green circular sticky notes to the paper.
Photo: Jean Noir
Six adults sit around a table strewn with large sheets of paper, markers, notebooks, coffee cups and a water glass. A man in a gray blazer raises his hand while speaking. Others - a bald man with glasses, a woman in a polka-dot shirt, a woman in a green headscarf and two more - listen. Stacked chairs line the wall behind them.
Photo: Jean Noir
A man wearing glasses and a striped shirt sits at a table and points with a pen at a large sheet of grid paper covered in handwritten text on academic terminology. A coffee mug and a closed laptop rest on the table. Several chairs and people’s legs are visible in the blurred background.
Photo: Jean Noir
Mehrere Personen sitzen um einen Tisch herum, auf dem ein großes Blatt kariertes Papier liegt, das mit handschriftlichen Notizen, Stichpunkten und Markierungen übersät ist. Im Vordergrund hebt eine Frau mit einem blaugrünen Kopftuch und einer braunen Weste die Hände, während sie mit einem Mann mit Brille und einer Frau mit einer Brille mit dunklem Rahmen spricht.
Foto: Jean Noir
Overhead view of four seated adults gathered around a small table covered in large sheets of grid paper filled with handwritten notes. Two participants hold notebooks and pens, while another writes directly on the paper. Chairs and personal items rest on a dark floor beneath them.
Photo: Jean Noir

Initiated by members of Die Junge Akademie’s “Language” working group, the meeting focused on language as both a core element of academic diversity and a potential source of exclusion. Discussions explored the role of language in science communication, professional success and working conditions, the distribution of power within academia, national and regional interests, and the rapidly changing implications of large language models.

Academic work increasingly relies on English, bringing substantial advantages but also significant challenges. A global lingua franca facilitates international exchange and collaboration. Yet reliance on a single language can also create barriers to participation and limit access to research, both outside academia and among non-English-speaking communities.

To come closer to the ideal of “glocal” research – globally shared yet locally accessible – academics, academic institutions and policymakers need to treat language choices as an integral part of research practice. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to carry this discussion into the participants’ institutions, disciplines and wider academic communities.

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