An article on The Challenge of Publication for English Non-Dominant-Language Authors in Mathematics Education sensitised two of the authors to the problems and learning potential of translating research work in mathematics education. A translation of the original article from English into French serves as illustration for two types of challenges. The first originates from variations between different communities of research practice using different languages as their dominant language. The second is associated with the use of terms drawn from different theoretical frameworks which are culturally situated. We argue for tolerance of language usage by drawing on Bakhtin’s (1981) notion of centrifugal forces in understanding international influences that promote both standardisation and diversity.