“Je suis désolé, je parle français”: How English Hegemony Undermines Efforts to Shift Power in Global Health

Introduction

At an international public health conference in 2022 that drew more than 3,000 sexual and reproductive health (SRH) professionals from around the world, a French-speaking researcher began his presentation by saying, “Je suis désolé, je parle français” (I’m sorry, I speak French). Despite the conference having heavily advertised English-French interpretation services, the interpretation was of poor quality, and at the start of his presentation, the researcher learned that interpretation was not working in his room. As the only Francophone presenter in a 4-person panel speaking to a largely Anglophone audience, many attendees left as he began his talk, presumably because they could not understand him. After the session, a Francophone attendee asked his colleague seated next to him to add English language instruction to his project’s budget, seeing limited English proficiency—and not poor interpretation services—as the true barrier to his full participation in the broader field.

As another example, an international organization based in the United States offers a competitive annual leadership course for its global staff in country offices around the world, noting English fluency as a requirement to apply. When staff raised concerns that the English requirement was exclusionary, a course organizer suggested non-Anglophones should instead view the requirement as motivation to improve their language skills via an English-only course.

These anecdotes provide salient examples of how English hegemony—defined as the domination of the English language over other languages—heightens inequality between Anglophone and Francophone SRH professionals in research and practice. Francophone nations comprise a significant percentage of countries that receive SRH donor funding, yet French speakers remain linguistically isolated.

We, the authors of this commentary, comprise a diverse and multilingual group of Francophone African SRH professionals and their allies. As Francophones who regularly experience these inequalities, we argue that English hegemony limits the representation of diverse populations, further burdens already-disadvantaged groups, opposes global localization and power-shifting priorities, and stifles innovation by inhibiting the dissemination of learning published in languages other than English. We recognize that English hegemony is not unique to the SRH community and that Francophones are not the only language minority. However, we focus on French language exclusion for this commentary, given our positionality and the prioritization of Francophone countries in the global SRH agenda.

We argue that English hegemony limits the representation of diverse populations, further burdens already-disadvantaged groups, and opposes global localization and power-shifting priorities.

Still, we recognize that in advocating for greater French language inclusion, we advocate for a colonial language that has also been used to exert global dominance and marginalize indigenous languages. Before World War I, French was the global lingua franca, not English. Furthermore, during the 150 years of French colonial rule in Africa, colonizers used French language instruction to advance French assimilationist policies. As African countries transitioned to independence in the mid-20th century, France promoted La Francophonie, an ideology of shared cultural identity among Francophone nations, to maintain control and combat English dominance. Given this history, we do not presume our positions reflect all opinions on English hegemony within the global SRH community. Instead, we advocate for improved French language inclusion as part of a greater discussion on the relationship between language and power within our profession. We look forward to dissenting opinions and the multilingual conversation to follow.

“Je suis désolé, je parle français”: How English Hegemony Undermines Efforts to Shift Power in Global Health, Shani Turke, Marieme Fall, Marie Ba, Sokhna Aminata Diop, Mohamed Ly, Elizabeth Larson, Elizabeth Arlotti-Parish, Sarah Nehrling, Global Health: Science and Practice Oct 2024, 12 (5) e2400201; DOI: 10.9745/GHSP-D-24-00201