Many institutions offer programs and resources that can help students, researchers and even professors mitigate an English-language deficiency. However, if your institution does not provide this service, or if you’re interested in a more independent approach, then there are many other resources that English-language learners can tap.
If you google “English language resources,” the search engine will return over 700 million results in under 1 second. There’s no shortage of digital tools to help non-native English speakers learn and practice their language skills, but here are a few well-respected options to start with:
Online Courses: Established universities all over the world provide many affordable and even free online courses that are designed to improve English-language ability. Some of these courses are specifically geared toward improving English for science and technology topics.
This highly rated Coursera course, English for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, was created by the University of Pennsylvania, USA, and was funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational Cultural Affairs. It’s free to enroll, with the option to purchase a certificate of completion that can then be connected to a LinkedIn profile.
TED Ed: Ted talks are fascinating dives into specific topics, both scientific and otherwise, and the popular videos are already subtitled in over 100 languages. Ted Ed videos, however, are particularly suited to improving English-language skills, as the educational shorts are accompanied by comprehension questions, additional resources and a discussion forum for each video.
Scientific Writing Tools: For English learners that are focused on improving their English writing for the purposes of publishing in an international journal, there are many specific digital resources suited to expanding vocabulary or polishing grammar skills. This book, Science Research Writing: A Guide for Non-Native English Speakers, includes helpful appendices that go over commonly used abbreviations and prefixes in scientific writing.
Interested in a resource from an optics professional? 2017 OSA Ambassador Felipe Beltran-Mejia wrote an article for OPN on the topic of writing scientifically in a second language.