In this contribution, the self-reported linguistic practices of researchers engaged in an international research project are analysed and discussed. These researchers constitute a community of practice of intercomprehension, using mostly romance languages to communicate and, at the same time, also researching the phenomena. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire intended to perceive the linguistic profile of the team, as well as their choices in terms of publication, communication in scientific contexts and daily academic life. The data points towards complex multilingual practices, dependent on the context and the intentions of researchers, making a case for characterising them as agentive, and displaying investment in practices in different languages, according to perceived advantages, in terms of target audiences, disseminating results, and dialogue with other colleagues. Not only do researchers have "complex social history and multiple desires" (Norton, 2000), but these desires can be, or become contradictory and clash. Some signs of tensions in the management of the linguistic resources, and of "linguistic resentment" were observed related to English, but researchers balance this aspect with the acknowledgment that the language is useful to attain certain academic goals. This contribution thus displays the complexity of researchers' linguistic practices and aspirations.