“As a non-native English speaker, when I went to graduate school I intentionally made it my goal to write scientific manuscripts in English. At first, I was translating what I was reading in English into Japanese, then writing in Japanese, then translating that into English. Eventually, I found out it was actually a lot easier to write in English because the language structures are completely different. At some point, I made a conscious choice not to use Japanese at all when I am reading, thinking, or writing about science. I still love reading all other things in Japanese, like a good novel, but I found it very helpful to limit science to one language.
My advice to other non-native English speakers is to start with small things like listening to science podcasts in English and only reading popular science books written in English. These are easier to understand so, when you are listening or reading, you can practice not translating them.”
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“As a non-native English speaker, when I went to graduate school I intentionally made it my goal to write scientific manuscripts in English. At first, I was translating what I was reading in English into Japanese, then writing in Japanese, then translating that into English. Eventually, I found out it was actually a lot easier to write in English because the language structures are completely different. At some point, I made a conscious choice not to use Japanese at all when I am reading, thinking, or writing about science. I still love reading all other things in Japanese, like a good novel, but I found it very helpful to limit science to one language.
