Should Non-Native Speakers Write on Medium at All?

How not to have impostor syndrome among Americans

Recently I read this blogger’s claim that content on LinkedIn is bad quality. Yes, most of the posts there aren’t literature. They resemble monologues in telenovelas. Writing is often cliche, boastful, or tacky.

But something else he mentioned stuck into my mind: many users’ English is bad, so they can’t see the writing as terrible. As a non-native speaker, you always feel called out, even if the guy didn’t mean to insult anyone. You just can’t speak a foreign language like you do your mother tongue.

This leads us to several questions non-natives often ask themselves.

Should Only Native Speakers Write in English?

My English is bad. I have a master’s in postmodern English lit, been speaking it for 35 years. Still, it will never be as good as a native’s. I’ve learned it the same way this guy learned Spanish at school. You can never express your thoughts in a foreign language like you do in your mother tongue unless you’ve lived there. Should I write in English when I sound less intelligent?

There is always a sense of inadequacy when you write in a foreign language, so you have 2–5 online dictionaries at hand. I look for whole phrases because I don’t want negative transfer: to wrongly use phrases from my mother tongue in the English text. Americans don’t say When grapes ripen on a willow as Serbs do, they say When pigs fly. It takes you more time to write a piece, but it doesn’t mean your writing isn’t good enough.

Must a Non-Native Know Grammar Perfectly?

Yes, you have to know the rules. You can’t just write, Things that makes me happy — I’ve seen it written, don’t ask — but how about native speakers? I’ve read a countless number of times a native wrote They’re instead of Their, Who’s instead of Whose, and You’re instead of Your. I couldn’t understand how you can’t know the difference. It’s not rocket science. I wouldn’t rely on the quality of someone’s grammar to support the theory. Some people who can’t understand the difference between Its and It’s earn tons of money from writing. Let’s look at the next layer of a language.

Should a Non-Native Talk Like a Native?

Shouldn’t Americans say, If I were you instead of If I was you since English comes from England? Why do you say sidewalk when you mean pavement? Why do Australians call it footpath? Why don’t we all say thee and thou for the word you? What would Shakespeare, the greatest writer in the English language, say about this? Why don’t you use old English sprecan instead of to speak? Why doesn’t English resemble German and Swedish anymore? Why change the language?

The answer is because language is a natural process. Thanks to American global influence, English replaced Esperanto for world-wide communication. English is a means to convey ideas between two people with different mother tongues. As a result, non-native English may further simplify and become even more different from the native form in the future. That’s what languages do. They change.

It is not a good idea to expect a foreigner to speak like a native because someday the way they speak may also become an acceptable option. No one said sidewalk in 18th century Britain. Still, always try to write the correct options. The only thing I truly learned at university is: When you have even the slightest doubt about your sentence, consult a dictionary.

Are Writers Outside the U.S. Spoiling the Internet With Their Writing?

80% of the money earned on Medium comes from readers who don’t live in the U.S. If Non-Americans finance the authors here, couldn’t some of them write as well? Is it OK to write about topics that don’t refer to American everyday life? How often do 25% of Medium readers from India read about Trump and Obama compared to 20% of American readership?

There are successful writers whose English isn’t their first language. Their styles and vocabulary are quite different, but they all found wide audiences, such as Darius Foroux, Niklas Göke, and Sinem Günel. Let’s conclude that non-natives can write engaging articles and become influencers as well.

Does Medium Need Non-Natives?

Imagine Medium gets a completely native English readership, about 30–35% of the current audience, which includes the U.S. plus the Commonwealth. Then native English readers wouldn’t pay just $5 a month to read the content but more. Or the authors’ fees would be much smaller.

We can say Medium would lose a lot of money and a wide audience without non-natives.

Is There Anything to Write About if You Aren’t Watching American News?

No politics, no American healthcare, no references to everyday life, college anecdotes, and you can’t write about Black Lives Matter.

How limiting is that with topics and references you choose? Non-natives write about love, mental health, business, creativity, writing, philosophy. It seems the more removed from the American lifestyle, the more timeless articles you produce. If written well, evergreen always goes well.

Can a Non-Native Have Any Impact on the Readers?

Non-natives can change readers’ perspective if the audience is ready to listen. Good socialism didn’t start with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Wouldn’t you learn something from the French or Swedish about their socialist reforms? Isn’t Thailand more than great beaches, vacations, and beautiful scenery? Do you know some ex-socialist countries have 12-month paid maternity leave? That people east and south of Germany have the same level of consciousness as Westerners? Why not listen to someone with a different way of life?

We are used to American-centrism, but should we be? Different perspectives bring freshness to the conversation. Americans know so little about the world outside the U.S., especially outside the Western world. And maybe they could accept something else that could improve their wellbeing since mindfulness and hygge are thriving.

What are Non-Native Speakers Unable to Say?

It depends on your level of English. You have to get basic grammar and writing skills right. But after all, it’s the story that matters. Stories pull readers, not the intricacies of sentence construction and comma splices.

While I was an ESL teacher, I always stimulated my students to talk more by saying,

“The purpose of a language is to convey a message.“

The biggest lesson one can learn from people outside the English-speaking world is that they are entirely the same as Americans. All people have the same feelings and worries. Our brains are the same from an evolutionary point of view. We go through the same troubles, love problems, and existential crises. We have hopes to secure a safe life for those we love.

Conclusion

If I were from the US and watched CNN, maybe I’d be skeptical toward a non-native writer at first. But then I’d look outward. Most American people can’t see much of what is going on outside their country. And it’s good to hear those people’s voices.

Your English is fine as long as you have a compelling story to tell, and don’t write Things that makes me happy. If the reader is smart enough, they won’t judge you for speaking the 4th grade English because most readers want that. Also, your English is probably better than the reader’s Spanish or French. Remember it’s the story that matters. Just write and learn.

I’ve created a 5-day free course on writing that you can read on Medium. Check it out: