You are Not a Native English Speaker – How to Write Excellent Articles in English
Are you a non-English writer? Do you feel that it is not possible to survive in freelance writing as you are not a native English speaker? Shed this writer’s block. Use these simple tips like of use simple words, thinking in english, learning grammar, etc., and you too can write excellent articles. All the best!
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I started freelance writing 3 years ago. I signed up with few freelance job websites and started bidding on projects. After about a month, I got my first assignment. It was about digital photography. My client gave me some keywords and asked me to write 5 articles using those keywords. I speak good English, but is not a native English speaker. When I submitted my first article, he said “Anu, your article is nice, but is not to the standards of a native English speaker.” I thought that is the end of freelance writing; fortunately, my client pointed me out to websites that helped me hone my skills. I don’t know whether everybody will get such a wonderful client and therefore, would like to share some tips on writing excellent articles even if you are not a native English speaker.
Read as much as you can: If you wish to write articles, you must be prepared to read more articles. This is the thumb-rule to write articles. Why should I read if I have to write? When you read, you get these advantages:
a. Your vocabulary gets widened
b. You understand the sentence structure, spellings and grammar
It is not necessary that you should only read articles; you may read an English newspaper, a journal, textbook or even a novel.
Image via flickr
Think in English: If you think the sentences in your own language and try to translate them in English, you end up writing a lousy piece. Think in English; this is the second point you must keep in mind.
Use simple words: It is not necessary that you must use jargons when writing articles. Keep the sentences short and use simple words. Do you think everybody will keep a dictionary handy when they go through your articles? Keep the words as simple as possible.
Image via contented
Go through online English teaching websites: There are various websites that teaches English grammar, use of punctuations, question marks, dashes, etc. These websites also allow you to take simple quizzes. Use them to your advantage.
Don’t rely completely on automated tools: Majority of non-English writers uses online spell-check tools and grammar tools to check for spelling and grammatical mistakes. I am not asking you to completely stop using these resources, but don’t rely on these automated tools completely.
Proofread your articles: Whether you are a non-English or an English writer, proofreading articles is definitely a must. For writing quiet, we might have written quit. No online editors will show these as spelling mistakes. Proofread your articles. Write your article and take a break; when your mind is fresh, you will be able to proofread the articles better.
Image via jamedia
Be original: When you read various articles, chances of getting influenced by their writing style is more. Have your own style of writing as this is the key to be a successful writer.
Finally, take a look at these 50 must visit websites for writers.
I am still improving my English writing skills; my fellow writer, please do point me if I have left any tips.
You might also be interested in looking at how to overcome writer’s block.
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Share Your Writing Tips
January 21st, 2010 at 1:03 pm
very good entry my friend
January 21st, 2010 at 1:31 pm
good tips!
January 21st, 2010 at 4:07 pm
These are all good suggestions; it takes a lot of work to master another language. I took Spanish for years but once I left school and didn’t use or read Spanish I lost everything. Now I can’t read it, speak it or write it.
January 21st, 2010 at 10:07 pm
I am not a native English speaker. Thanks a lot for the tips.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Those are all good tips–I immigrated to the US and they do work.
Inna
January 21st, 2010 at 11:56 pm
This article is for me. I struggled with English in my young days and still do. Thank you.
January 22nd, 2010 at 12:20 am
it’s a very good piece of info for me..i too lack too much of grammar n vocabulary in English. i agree that reading others articles improve ur skills pretty much.. learning new words also helps a lot…gr8 article…
January 22nd, 2010 at 7:00 am
wow that was reall helpful
January 22nd, 2010 at 9:22 pm
VERY VERY USEFUL FOR NON NATIVE ENGLISH PEOPLE. Great Share.
January 22nd, 2010 at 9:24 pm
These are wonderful and helpful tips! I noticed that most of the writers here on Triond are not native English speakers, so this is a big help for all. Thanks for sharing.
January 23rd, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Great tips, thanks for posting
January 23rd, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Great tips, useful for all, thanks for posting
January 23rd, 2010 at 1:43 pm
It’s very much valuable to me. Thank you!
January 24th, 2010 at 7:43 am
Very useful advice again.
January 24th, 2010 at 9:05 am
To all those who have commented, I wrote this article because I knew how difficult it is to write for a non-native English speaker.
January 24th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
very helpful suggestions for me…i will seriously think on this..
January 25th, 2010 at 1:24 am
Very helpful for everyone..Who are new as well as old..
January 25th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
useful information….
———————————————-
http://www.dayanjones.com
January 26th, 2010 at 7:49 am
Wonderful tips. From now on I’ll try to “Think in English.”
January 27th, 2010 at 7:15 am
very nice….useful….
January 28th, 2010 at 2:23 am
Here is one of your mistakes in this article:
“Majority of non-English writers uses online spell-check tools”
Correct: writers use online (remove the S in uses)
Your article is great and helpful for those who aren’t native English speakers. I’m one of them
January 28th, 2010 at 6:17 am
Excellent Advice
January 28th, 2010 at 6:41 am
Really good advice and piece. Thanks!
January 28th, 2010 at 6:59 am
Excellent article with great advice all around. Very good work.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:20 am
@Aslam, Thank you for pointing out my mistake. I shall correct it.
January 28th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Quite interesting and useful tips.Thanks
January 29th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
this is important information for everyone who writes.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:22 am
thanks for the tips…I daily read English newspaper to improve my English.
January 30th, 2010 at 12:57 am
really very very nice work
January 30th, 2010 at 3:52 am
y it will help me a lot
January 30th, 2010 at 7:41 am
I love your tips. Thanks.
January 30th, 2010 at 7:52 am
very needed info.
I am English and still I struggle with the language
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:06 am
very helpful and informative.
you wrote succinctly.
thanks for sharing. bookmarked!
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:01 am
Well done & some of the pointers are really gr8.thxs for the share.
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:04 am
@Standingproud, I never knew native English people also have difficulty with the language.
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:01 am
good write here… during my school days, I don’t like English, but I get to live it at later stage, if I liked it during my school days, I may be a professional writer by now.. (LOL).
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:22 am
great share^^
February 3rd, 2010 at 2:45 pm
i only write poetry
with computer help
i say the lappy grammatises
that easy
simple too
good article
written article
have u
now copy this and feed to lappy and see
reopost it to me
100/100 u will get u will see forge NATIVITY
lhlhlh
February 4th, 2010 at 3:43 am
Well done, I enjoyed reading this. Even native English speakers need to heed your advice about reading lots.
February 4th, 2010 at 6:09 am
@LH, thnk u for visiting my article and posting ur valuable comments.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Very interesting and informative article..
February 11th, 2010 at 1:44 am
Fantastic resource list! Thanks so much for sharing all your research.
February 11th, 2010 at 5:06 am
I also commit mistakes with my english…
March 9th, 2010 at 5:29 am
Informative article. Very useful for non-native English speaker like me. thanks for sharing.
March 10th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Very useful tips. I’m sure many people would appreciate them.
March 10th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
@sirijotha, I wrote this article from my personal experience and this is really helpful to me. This is why I thought of sharing this article with my fellow writers.
March 10th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
I totally agree on that. I am also a non native English writer and also learning. Key is to read a lot. That is true, but also to dare. Do not mind a lesser article. Dare to increase your skills. It is no use to learn how to write, if you do not dare and I believe many native English writers might also have to polish their work from time to time. My Dutch writings are more horrible than my English, I feel.
March 19th, 2010 at 3:35 am
Hey, I chanced upon this article just now. I happened to write on the same topic in 2 parts. I was pleasantly delighted to know we have covered very much the same ground.
March 20th, 2010 at 7:27 am
@Uma, I read your article on the same topic and I too thought the same. I think we covered very much similar because both of us belong to the same country and have experienced similar situations.
May 12th, 2010 at 3:21 am
\”Read as much as you can\” – I couldn\’t agree more. Thanks for sharing this article.
August 8th, 2010 at 11:27 am
helpful tips my friend. =)
August 26th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
well written article..i enjoy reading your articles..thanks