Challenges of bilingual publication — Translating a

In many areas of medical science, the link between career progression and research output measured in terms of publication success inevitably places pressure on authors to publish in high-impact journals. While many countries have increased their investment in research, the results are often likely to be first communicated outside of that country and in a language that most of the population, investigators included, do not speak proficiently. While international communication of research generally benefits the larger scientific community, efforts are needed to ensure that this does not create a publications drain away from its original source. One solution is to raise the international profile of local journals, usually by gaining an impact factor or increasing it. Success in this endeavour requires local journals not only to reach a wider audience but also to succeed in attracting extensively cited articles from within their own community. Although some authors may choose to publish their best work in a local society journal out of loyalty, it seems self-evident that a larger number would follow their lead if those journals were to have a high impact and strong international reputation. Breaking the circle of limited international prestige that makes it difficult to attract the highest quality work is clearly a formidable task.