But what use are they if those who can use the literature to implement sustainable forest management practices don't speak the language the documents are written in? English may well be the language of international diplomacy, business and trade. But that is not always the case when it comes to end-users working in the areas of agriculture and forestry.

Students at Japan's Kyoto University recognised this need when they recently took on the challenge of translating into Japanese one of CIFOR's key publications from 2003. This decision followed the translation and introduction of the first chapter of Fast-Wood Forestry - Myths and Realities at an English language lecture at Kyoto University in 2003 by student, Ms. Yukiko Mukai. After her presentation, students in the class showed interest in the topic and proposed translating the other chapters.

Professor Ohta sought the advice of CIFOR's Dr. Takeshi Toma's on translating Fast-Wood Forestry and CIFOR gave the project its enthusiastic endorsement. Six students committed themselves to the task and worked closely with Professor Ohta and Dr. Toma to produce a thoroughly reviewed and revised translation for publication.

CIFOR's Fast-Wood Forestry - Myths and Realities, by Christian Cossalter and Charlie Pye-Smith, is an interdisciplinary review of all the arguments for and against fast wood plantations, examining the myriad environmental, social, and economic perspectives forming the often hotly contested debate surrounding fast-wood plantations. This multi-disciplinary approach makes Fast-Wood Forestry an excellent choice for sharing important forestry information among a wide range of scientists and researchers.

As Dr. Toma says, "Research is only as good as its dissemination and implementation. In this instance it was important to translate a book that had practical value and which could attract a diverse range of readers. This is particularly important for Japan."

According to Toma, a vast wealth of literature is disseminated by many international organizations to institutions and individuals around the globe, usually in English and, to a lesser extent, French and Spanish. But despite these good intentions, they often fail to acknowledge the daunting language barrier faced in many countries where the research could be of enormous benefit.

In 2003, CIFOR researched the effectiveness of its Forest Policy Expert, POLEX. POLEX is a regular email message written by CIFOR Director General David Kaimowitz and distributed to major forest stakeholders around the world. Summarizing the most recent and key forestry publications, its attraction to readers has been its ability to provide forest experts with a short, succinct and highly-readable analysis of the latest findings in forest research.

What has made it particularly effective has been its translation into Spanish, French, Indonesian, and Japanese. Research by CIFOR's Hiroaki Kuramitsu clearly demonstrated that POLEX recipients appreciated receiving the brief but important POLEX messages in their native language. As Mr. Morita of the Japanese Forestry Agency says, "it is difficult, if not impossible for me to read all the messages that are sent in English. So the presence of the POLEX Japanese version is useful for the purpose of saving time and collecting the most updated information concerning forest policy".