TOKYO -- Non-English-speaking environmental researchers take nearly twice as long to read English-language papers, compared with native English speakers, according to a study published in the scientific journal Plos Biology last week.
The subjects of the study had varying levels of English proficiency and income levels. The survey was conducted based on a 2021 questionnaire sent to 908 environmental scientists from eight countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Japan, Bolivia, Ukraine, Spain, Nigeria and Britain. While the Bolivian, Ukrainian and Spanish researchers were categorized as having "moderate English proficiency," the Bangladeshi, Nepali and Japanese scholars had "low English proficiency."
