Third Class US and UK Students Vs Competent ESL University Professor

The core issue here is the massive gap between speaking a language and writing it at a research level. A non-native professor might be a fantastic teacher and speak fluent English, but producing complex academic papers is a completely different skill. Without specialized training in advanced writing, their prose will still show structural flaws that undermine their authority. Interestingly, we see the exact same issue with underprepared native English-speaking students; they might use fancier words, but their writing lacks the actual precision required for higher education. Ultimately, both groups suffer from the same problem: they have mastered conversational English, but they haven't mastered the highly specific language of academic research.