Le Baron wrote:The argument can be made that it is 'useful' to have knowledge of languages for academic purposes, and some do. However, the argument that it is 'essential' is make-believe.
Nothing is essential. You can live abroad entirely in English. People do. Nor has anyone said foreign languages were for the mathematical l field. However, to have access to important research, it may very well be significantly useful and it makes you a better researcher.
In my own area, I remember having an article in Russian that described the evanescent field equations for TIRF microscopy and a unique setup with a drilled wheel for signal/angle coupling (and the math describing that). I spent several days trolling the Slavic & Eurasian department to get help. I even went on a few dates with another graduate student there.
So certainly, not essential. But it would have made me a better researcher if I had known the language, there were a lot of other interesting articles I never read and topics I failed to have access to.
Imagine if I had stuck to it? Maybe a French woman kept me from a different timeline... https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018 ... ze2014.pdf