The choice of language for publishing is a topic of particular significance for scholars of languages other than English (LOTE) due to the importance of publishing in the professional language for maintaining expertise in the written academic register of the respective language. While the multilingual ability of such scholars means they can potentially publish in multiple languages (i.e. their first language, the professional language and English), the limited market for publications in LOTE greatly diminishes such opportunities and restricts career development. Informed by Bourdieu's theory of practice and Brofenbrenner's ecological systems theory, we explore factors that influence the choice of language for publishing among 53 Chinese academics (scholars of Russian, Japanese or Korean), and how these academics navigate the challenges of publishing in their professional language. With fieldwork conducted at 10 universities across five regions, we identify regional specificities that contribute to greater inclusiveness with regard to the status of LOTEs in academic careers. Further, we identify the productive disruptive role of returned graduates (with doctorates completed abroad) in improving the institutional ranking of journals which publish in LOTEs. Finally, we underscore the importance of protecting the investment in sophisticated linguistic proficiency attained by scholars of foreign languages.