Summary
Multilingual preprints are becoming increasingly common. Many researchers now post preprint versions of the same article in two languages, often combining English with a local or regional language to reach broader audiences and comply with funder or institutional expectations about outreach.
This article explores why multilingual preprints are on the rise and what they mean for global research communication. It discusses the opportunities they create—greater visibility, inclusion of non-English-speaking communities and faster dissemination of local knowledge—as well as the challenges of maintaining accuracy, avoiding divergence between versions and managing journal policies on prior publication.
The article concludes with practical guidance on planning, drafting and checking multilingual preprints so that researchers can enjoy the benefits of wider reach while protecting consistency, citation integrity and future publication prospects.
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The Rise of Multilingual Preprints: Opportunities and Challenges for Global Research
The preprint has become one of the defining features of contemporary scholarly communication. By posting a manuscript publicly before (or alongside) journal submission, researchers can share results more quickly, invite early feedback and establish priority. For a long time, however, the majority of preprints followed the same pattern as journal articles: a single version, usually in English, aimed primarily at a specialist audience.
That pattern is beginning to change. In many disciplines and regions, researchers now publish multilingual preprints: two versions of the same study—sometimes more—written in different languages and posted on preprint servers, institutional repositories or regional platforms. A typical combination is an English preprint for international readers and a second version in a local or national language aimed at practitioners, policymakers, patients, or the wider public.
On the surface, the benefits seem obvious. Multilingual preprints increase accessibility, allow communities to engage with research in their own language and help fulfil funder requirements for outreach. Yet they also introduce new questions. How do we ensure that all versions remain aligned over time? Do parallel preprints count as duplicate publication? How should authors handle citations and updates across languages?
To make sense of this evolving practice, it is useful to examine both the opportunities and the challenges it presents, and then outline practical approaches to managing accuracy and consistency.
1. Why Multilingual Preprints Are Emerging Now
Preprints themselves are not new, but their combination with language diversity reflects several recent shifts in research culture. The first is a growing recognition that English-only dissemination creates barriers. Local clinicians, educators, NGOs and community organisations may be directly affected by a study’s findings yet unable to access them easily when they are published solely in technical English behind journal paywalls.
Secondly, funders and institutions increasingly emphasise impact beyond academia. Grant applications now ask how research will benefit society, not only how it will produce international journal papers. Sharing preprints in both English and a local language provides a concrete, trackable way to demonstrate such engagement.
Thirdly, preprint servers have multiplied and diversified. Alongside large global platforms, regional repositories in Latin America, Asia and Europe encourage submissions in multiple languages. Some even support bilingual records that link different language versions under one entry. This infrastructure makes multilingual dissemination technically easier than in the past.
Finally, translation tools and professional services have become more visible. While machine translation cannot replace expert human work, it has raised awareness that language adaptation is possible, and many groups now budget for professional translation or bilingual editing when planning dissemination strategies.
2. Opportunities Created by Multilingual Preprints
When carried out carefully, multilingual preprints offer genuine advantages for both authors and readers.
2.1. Greater equity in access to knowledge
Publishing in more than one language helps mitigate the dominance of English in global scholarship. Practitioners and policymakers who may not routinely read English-language journals can engage with findings that affect their region. This is particularly important in fields such as public health, education, environmental management and social policy, where local context and community trust are crucial.
2.2. Improved visibility and citation pathways
Multilingual preprints can increase a study’s visibility in search engines and regional databases. A policymaker searching in Spanish, for example, may never find an English-only article, but a Spanish-language preprint hosted on a regional server can appear in local search results while still linking back to the corresponding English version. Over time, this layered presence may encourage more diverse citation networks that include both international and local sources.
2.3. More nuanced engagement with stakeholders
Different languages can serve different communication goals. The English preprint might focus on methods, statistical detail and theoretical contribution for a specialist audience, while the local-language version emphasises practical implications, limitations and implementation contexts for practitioners and community groups. Together, they provide a more complete picture of the research’s potential value.
2.4. A platform for early translation before journal publication
Creating multilingual preprints can also serve as a “testbed” for later translations of the final article. By refining terminology and style early, and by receiving feedback from native speakers in both language communities, authors can improve any eventual bilingual journal publications or outreach materials.
3. Challenges: Accuracy, Consistency and Policy Confusion
Alongside these benefits come several non-trivial challenges. Unlike promotional blog posts or press releases, preprints are treated by many communities as part of the scholarly record. If different language versions diverge significantly in data, claims or limitations, confusion and mistrust can arise.
3.1. Maintaining conceptual and numerical accuracy
Translating scientific content is more than a matter of swapping words. Statistical results, technical terms and nuanced claims about causality or evidence strength must all be conveyed consistently. When authors prepare multilingual preprints under time pressure—perhaps immediately after submitting a manuscript to a journal—the temptation is to “roughly translate” or copy-paste from older drafts. Small errors creep in, and over multiple updates, different versions drift apart.
3.2. Version control and updates
Preprints are often revised as new analyses are added, errors are corrected or journal reviewers raise important points. The challenge in a multilingual setting is ensuring that all language versions are updated in sync. If the English preprint is on its third revision but the local-language version remains at the original draft, readers may unknowingly rely on outdated information.
3.3. Journal policies on prior publication and translations
Most journals now accept preprints, but their policies regarding translated or adapted versions are not always explicit. Some consider a translation of a preprint as the same preprint; others may treat a non-English prose summary posted online as “prior publication” if it is too close to the final article. Authors who experiment with multilingual outputs need to read guidelines carefully and, when necessary, contact editors to clarify boundaries.
3.4. Risk of inconsistent citations and confusion
When the same study exists in two preprint versions, citations may fragment. One reader might cite the English preprint; another might cite the local-language version using a different repository identifier. Without clear cross-references, databases can treat these as separate works, making it harder to track impact accurately.
4. Strategies for Managing Accuracy and Consistency
Despite these challenges, multilingual preprints can be managed effectively with a bit of planning. The goal is to treat all language versions as components of a single scholarly object, connected by careful documentation and workflow design.
4.1. Start from a stable reference version
Before generating translations, identify which version of your manuscript will serve as the master document. This is usually the latest pre-submission draft that you are comfortable posting in English. All translations should be based on this version, and any later changes should flow from it. Keeping a clear hierarchy prevents the situation where changes in one language are forgotten in another.
4.2. Use professional translation or bilingual editing
Machine translation may be tempting, but for academic work it is rarely sufficient on its own. Subtle misinterpretations of technical terms or hedging language can change the meaning of entire sections. When posting preprints in more than one language, it is worthwhile to invest in professional translation or expert bilingual editing, ideally by someone familiar with your field.
If you want to ensure that your English and local-language versions are aligned, services such as manuscript editing and academic proofreading can help harmonise terminology, correct errors and maintain consistent tone across languages.
4.3. Document equivalence clearly in the preprints themselves
Each language version should make its relationship to the others explicit. In the abstract or a short note at the beginning, you can state, for example, “This is the Spanish translation of the preprint DOI:10.xxxx/xxxxx originally posted in English” and provide a direct hyperlink. On the English version, you might add: “A Spanish translation of this preprint is available at…”
These mutual references help readers understand that they are seeing parallel versions of the same work, not separate studies. They also make it easier for citation databases to link records.
4.4. Synchronise updates and version numbers
When you revise your preprint—perhaps to correct an error or add new analyses—schedule time to update all language versions. Many repositories allow you to upload a new version while preserving older ones for transparency. When you post an updated English preprint, update the translated version as soon as possible and adjust any version numbers or dates in the header.
Including a brief note such as “Version 2, updated to align with reviewer feedback; results unchanged but description clarified” in each language helps readers track how the work has evolved.
4.5. Treat lay and specialist versions differently
Sometimes authors wish to write a local-language preprint that is deliberately more accessible and less technical than the English version. That can be valuable, especially in public-facing fields. In such cases, you can emphasise that the local-language document is an extended summary rather than a full technical translation. Use phrases like “This preprint presents a non-technical overview of the study reported in…” and link clearly to the full version. Clarity about purpose prevents confusion about which version should be cited as the primary research report.
5. Navigating Journal Policies and Future Publication
One of the most common concerns among authors is whether multilingual preprints might jeopardise the chances of publishing the work in a peer-reviewed journal. While policies vary, several general patterns have emerged by 2025.
First, many journals explicitly state that preprints do not count as prior publication, regardless of language, as long as they are non-peer-reviewed and properly cited in the submitted manuscript. Secondly, some journals encourage or even require authors to deposit preprints to support open science practices. In these cases, multilingual preprints are usually considered acceptable as long as they correspond to the same study and are clearly linked.
However, problems can arise if the local-language preprint is substantially adapted or expanded beyond the version submitted to the journal. For instance, if one version presents additional datasets, interpretations or policy positions not included in the submitted manuscript, editors may worry about fragmentation of the record. The safest approach is to keep all preprint versions broadly aligned with the manuscript you intend to publish, and to mention the existence of translations in your cover letter or “preprint statement”.
When in doubt, it is always reasonable to send a brief query to the journal’s editorial office. A short email asking “Would you consider an English preprint on server X, alongside a translated version in language Y, to be compatible with your prior-publication policy?” can prevent misunderstandings later.
6. Citation Practices for Multilingual Preprints
As multilingual preprints become more common, citation norms will evolve. For now, the simplest practice is to treat the English or most comprehensive version as the “canonical” preprint and cite it using its DOI or repository identifier. When referencing the work in the language of the translation, you can note in parentheses that a translation is available.
For example, a reference list entry might include: “Author A, Author B (2025). Title in English. Preprint, DOI:… Spanish translation available at DOI:…”. This approach keeps the record unified while acknowledging the multilingual reality.
If you are citing a local-language preprint because it is the main version relevant to your readers, include a note in the text such as “Study X (originally published as an English preprint and later translated into Portuguese) shows that…”. The goal is to maintain transparency about how different versions relate to one another.
7. Looking Ahead: Multilingualism as Part of Open Science
The rise of multilingual preprints is part of a broader movement toward more inclusive and open science. Just as open-access journals broke down paywalls, multilingual dissemination challenges language walls that have long excluded important communities from scholarly conversations. When researchers share work in both international and local languages, they acknowledge that knowledge flows in multiple directions, not just from English-speaking centres outward.
For this promise to be realised, however, accuracy and consistency are essential. Poorly translated or unevenly updated preprints risk creating confusion rather than understanding. Responsible multilingual practice therefore requires careful planning, professional linguistic support where possible, and a commitment to treating all language versions as equally legitimate components of the research record.
Ultimately, multilingual preprints are not a burden but an opportunity. They allow authors to connect with diverse audiences, honour local contexts and make their work visible in both global and regional spheres. With thoughtful workflows and attention to detail, researchers can use this growing practice to strengthen, rather than fragment, global research communication.
If you are considering preparing bilingual or multilingual versions of your own work, our manuscript editing services and academic proofreading services can help you maintain accuracy and consistency across languages so that each version of your preprint reflects the same high standards of scholarship.
