We contend that the exclusive focus on the English language in scientific research might hinder effective communication between scientists and practitioners or policy makers whose mother tongue is non-English. This barrier in scientific knowledge and data transfer likely leads to significant knowledge gaps and may create biases when providing global patterns in many fields of science. To demonstrate this, we compiled data on the global economic costs of invasive alien species reported in 15 non-English languages. We compared it with equivalent data from English documents (i.e., the InvaCost database, the most up-to-date repository of invasion costs globally). The comparison of both databases (~7500 entries in total) revealed that non-English sources: (i) capture a greater amount of data than English sources alone (2500 vs. 2396 cost entries respectively); (ii) add 249 invasive species and 15 countries to those reported by English literature, and (iii) increase the global cost estimate of invasions by 16.6% (i.e., US$ 214 billion added to 1.288 trillion estimated from the English database). Additionally, 2712 cost entries - not directly comparable to the English database - were directly obtained from practitioners, revealing the value of communication between scientists and practitioners. Moreover, we demonstrated how gaps caused by overlooking non-English data resulted in significant biases in the distribution of costs across space, taxonomic groups, types of cost, and impacted sectors. Specifically, costs from Europe, at the local scale, and particularly pertaining to management, were largely under-represented in the English database. Thus, combining scientific data from English and non-English sources proves fundamental and enhances data completeness. Considering non-English sources helps alleviate biases in understanding invasion costs at a global scale. Finally, it also holds strong potential for improving management performance, coordination among experts (scientists and practitioners), and collaborative actions across countries. Note: non-English versions of the abstract and figures are provided in Appendix S5 in 12 languages.

Centre for Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Gulf University for Science and Technology Hawally 32093 Kuwait

Centro de Estudos Geográficos Instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do Território IGOT Universidade de Lisboa Rua Branca Edmée Marques 1600 276 Lisboa Portugal

College of Fisheries Guangdong Ocean University Zhanjiang 524088 China

Département de Biologie Faculté des Sciences Université Chouaïb Doukkali El Jadida 24000 Morocco

Department of Animal Biology Sciences and Technics Faculty Cheikh Anta DIOP University B P Dakar 5005 Senegal

Department of Community Ecology Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ Halle 06120 Germany

Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute Tsukuba Ibaraki 305 8687 Japan

Grupo de Ecología de Invasiones INIBIOMA CONICET Universidad Nacional del Comahue Av de los Pioneros 2350 Bariloche 8400 Argentina

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations UMR IRD INRAE CIRAD Institut Agro Montferrier sur Lez 34988 France

Institute of Biology Freie Universität Berlin Berlin 14195 Germany; Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries Berlin 14195 Germany

MIVEGEC IRD CNRS Université Montpellier Montpellier 34394 France

Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia Aplicada Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação Instituto de Ciências Naturais Universidade Federal de Lavras UFLA Lavras Minas Gerais 37200 900 Brazil

Russian Plant Quarantine Center Krasnoyarsk Branch Krasnoyarsk 660075 Russia

School of Life Sciences Sun Yat sen University Guangzhou Guangdong 510275 China

Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt Department of River Ecology and Conservation Gelnhausen 63571 Germany; University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses Vodňany 389 25 Czech Republic

Sukachev Institute of Forest Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences Federal Research Center «Krasnoyarsk Science Center SB RAS» Krasnoyarsk 660036 Russia; Siberian Federal University Krasnoyarsk 660041 Russia

Université de Rennes CNRS EcoBio UMR 6553 35000 Rennes France; Institut Universitaire de France 75231 Paris Cedex 05 France

Université Paris Saclay CNRS AgroParisTech Ecologie Systématique Evolution 91405 Orsay France

University of Helsinki Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry Department of Forest Sciences Helsinki 00014 Finland; Aalto University Department of Built Environment Water and Development Research Group Aalto FI 00076 Finland

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Marine Policy Center Woods Hole MA 02543 United States; University of Southern Denmark Department of Sociology Environmental and Business Economics Esbjerg Ø 6705 Denmark; Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters Hellenic Center for Marine Research Athens 16452 Greece

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