Language Skills and Capabilities in the UK Research Base

This report presents the findings from the British Academy-commissioned project, Language Skills and Capabilities in the UK Research Base, which set out to examine and evidence the recognition, role and use of multilingualism in UK academic research fields outside Modern Languages.

By building a profile of different types of language use and capability in the research base, this evidence is intended to support better recognition of languages as a strategic priority for all academic disciplines.

What is presented in this report is not an audit of language skills among researchers but an appraisal of researchers’ perceptions of the role of languages in their own work, disciplines and institutions.

It examines whether there is current (unmet) demand for certain languages in different disciplines and also whether there is evidence of ‘hidden’ multilingual use in research processes or outputs that are currently obscured or under-recognised.

To investigate, the Academy commissioned the Centre for Language Acts and Worldmaking, based at King’s College London, to design and launch an online survey distributed UK-wide to higher education and research institutions, and to conduct interviews with some of the survey participants.

To nuance the survey and interviews, the Academy analysed further qualitative evidence to build a comprehensive profile of the state and perception of languages in UK academia. This included a literature review and an analysis of five impact case studies submitted to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), including structured interviews with the submitting research teams.

The result is an evidence base which uncovers the ways in which languages are relevant to academic researchers in their professional lives, researchers’ perceptions of the value of and need for language learning for research, as well as about the language training which they have already undertaken, and whether there are any discipline-specific trends or differences.

Multilingual capabilities are integral to research excellence, impact and integrity in a globalised and connected research environment. Diverse language skills enrich and expand research across all academic disciplines.

Academic researchers see the direct and indirect value of multilingualism, though demand for languages can vary across different disciplines and research stages.

There is rich multilingual potential among UK academic researchers, but this potential may be underutilised and undervalued, and language use can sometimes remain ‘hidden’ within the research process.

Barriers to language acquisition and application risk undermining the importance of language capabilities in the research base. These include a lack of time and funding, a lack of discipline-specific demand, a lack of training opportunities at institutions, and researchers’ own self-perception.

There are ways to better capture, incentivise and capitalise on multilingualism in academic research. This includes ensuring the visibility of languages in assessment criteria as part of the Research Excellence Framework, grant applications, and the provision of institution or department training.

Languages are strategically vital for the future of the UK, which has the potential to become a linguistic powerhouse. The British Academy’s languages programme aims to monitor trends in languages education provision and mobilise expertise to inform debate about languages in education and society.