FAQ

• How much time do I need to commit?
• How does the contact work?
• Can I participate together with others?
• Do you also provide opportunities for long-term mentorship?
• Will all volunteers be matched?
• Will all those seeking the support of a language buddy be matched?
• How do you recruit volunteers?
• What is the timeline of the project?
• Who is behind the project?
• Are there other projects that support authors from countries in which English is not the first language?

How much time do I need to commit?

Depending on your availability, you can choose different options (e.g. availability for editing a paper - which will probably take a few hours - or for strategizing about where to publish a paper - which might be a matter of a 30 minutes call). You decide how often you can be available per year.

How does the contact work?

We connect you and the Ukrainian scientist by email - it is up to you to then decide how best to communicate, e.g. via email, a chat program, or a video call.

Can I participate together with others?

Yes, you can, for example, put down your name as leader or member of a working group and it is then up to you how you divide the work between you.

Do you also provide opportunities for long-term mentorship?

No, we understand the "language buddy" program as a form of short-term, low-threshold support that is not as time-intense for mentors and mentees as other, long-term mentorship programs. If a longer-term contact develops between a pair of language buddies, all the better - but this is not what you sign up for.

Will all volunteers be matched?

We hope so, but we cannot promise - it will depend on demand.

Will all those seeking the support of a language buddy be matched?

This is our intention but we cannot make promises - it will depend on whether there are enough volunteers in our database, in the right fields.

How do you recruit volunteers?

We use our personal networks as well as the networks of various academic communities. If you read this, our message has somehow reached you - and it would be fantastic if you could spread the word to more people! Thank you so much!

What is the timeline of the project?

We will start recruiting volunteers in the fall of 2022. Once a sufficient number of volunteers have signed up, we will open the call for Ukrainian scholars seeking support.

Who is behind the project?

We - Tina, Lukas, Marieke, and Lisa - are members of the Young Academy of Groningen and active, in various forms, in support of at-risk-scholars. We have received seed money from the Young Academy Groningen for this project. We have received inspiration and feedback from a number of Ukrainian friends and colleagues to whom we are most grateful.

Are there other projects that support authors from countries in which English is not the first language?

Of course, we are not the first ones to notice the problem of unequal access to English language skills - it is a structural problem for worldwide science and scholarship. AuthorAid, for example, offers many resources and online courses. Our hope is to complement such efforts with a more bottom-up, personal approach.