It is an unspoken truth that the language of Science is English. On my research trip to Brazil I was less overwhelmed by the amount of research activity I had planned than by the requests for translations and editing of manuscripts, CVs and cover letters all written by Brazilians in English. Their labs functioned in Portuguese, but they were aware that if they wanted succeed in the sector or for their work to be read outside of Brazil, their manuscripts needed to be in English. Scientific currency is journal publications and the majority of scientific journals are in English including the career making elite journals such as Nature, Cell etc. I recognize this as a large barrier for the brilliant scientists I had the privilege of working with in Brazil. I marvelled at their ability to read and write highly technical manuscripts in English only armed with online translators, translating, checking and re-checking each line. To conceptualize the effort required, I imagined myself reading journal articles and writing all my papers in French, a language of which I only have a rudimentary grasp. As my Portuguese language abilities improved I recognized that much gets lost in translation and that subtle nuances and phrasing are lost or might sound awkward in English. I also despaired that the international success of individuals hinged on English language abilities over scientific ability.
On top of English creating disparity, logistics is a set back for science in Brazil (or across the developing world for that matter). Chemicals ordered for labs in Canada arrive in 1-2 days any longer and the research activities are set back. In comparison it took months for chemicals to reach my lab in Brazil. Intra-Brazilian transport and infrastructural problems trumping absolute shipping time from the US. This was compounded by the challenge of placing orders with local distributors who struggled with keeping stock information up to date. The same problem holds true for equipment, with a whole department being put out of commission when the shared pieces of expensive equipment broke down. I joked that the Science Gods were against me at every step when machinery would break and could not be replaced. However the less humorous truth is that this is a reality of the every day life of a scientist in Brazil. I came to realize how much of the success of my Canadian science career was a product of privilege.
I urge my fellow scientists in the West to pause before lauding themselves on innovation, productivity, superior science and allowing themselves to secretly think that it is somehow the product of being superior professionals. Instead cultivate an appreciation for the facilities and opportunities you have, while being cognizant of the barriers facing other scientists around the world. I assure you lack of capability is not the issue. Open access journals, international collaborations and field research involving the local government and the local scientific community are vital.
After all, Science in its inception, was destined for the progression of all mankind.