The Impact of Lay Summary Language Translation on Scientific Attention

Due to language differences, science is often inaccessible to those who need it, limiting the diffusion of knowledge. To explore the impact of language translation on the rate and direction of science, we examine the effects of translating the lay summary of an academic publication on the scientific citations it receives. We draw from a major international translation programme rolled out by Cochrane, a leading provider of systematic reviews of research in health care and health policy. In this setting, the lack of access to accurate and up-to-date scientific information may harm medical practice, potentially putting lives at risk. To test for the causal effect of lay summary translations on scientific citations, we build a matched sample of Cochrane reviews that were/were not translated and apply difference-in-differences analysis. Focusing on ten languages, we find that the availability of a lay summary translation increases the yearly scientific citations received by the focal review from countries where the translation language is spoken. The effect varies across languages and geographies. We explore the implications of these findings for our understanding of the diffusion of scientific ideas and the promotion of equal access to health care evidence.