On Thursday 12 September, a delegation from the Network of European Musicological Societies found itself in the beautiful Senate House in London. This was one of the venues for the 150^th anniversary conference of the Royal Musical Association. We were delighted to join scholars from all over the UK and abroad who were presenting their latest research. A panel consisting of Anders Førisdal (Norwegian Academy of Music), Annelies Andries (Utrecht University), and Núria Bonet (University of Plymouth) chaired by Désirée Staverman (Royal Dutch Society for Music History of the Netherlands) discussed the topic of multilingualism in music academia.

We focused especially on initiatives undertaken by NEMS, which seek to balance the practicality of using English as a lingua franca and offering space for linguistic and cultural diversity. These initiatives include helping musicologists in developing their transnational careers (such as ECR events on applying to European grant schemes), creating a platform for communication between European musicological societies (such as with the NEMS website and newsletter) and building bridges for research communication across linguistic and cultural borders. The panel discussed with the audience members what technologies can aid multilingual communication and what further initiatives are desirable to sustain and expand multilingual communication opportunities. It provided us with much renewed energy and plans for the future.