How Some Non Native English Writers Have More Advantages Than Others

First thing you need to do to start writing in English, is to have a small knowledge of the language.

For some writers this might me harder than for others.

I notice that as a Flemish, Dutch speaking person I might have the advantage that Dutch is quite close to English. They are both Germanic languages, but yet both so different as well.

The use of times and punctuation are not like in Dutch, but basically the grammar structure is closer to my native language than to French.

But I do have certain advances beside that. I have learn English at school. I admit is was British and my on line writing is adapting more to American, but basically I do have a certain knowledge for starters.

Another reason why for example a French person might have more trouble learning English, is the broadcast system of the country.

When watching foreign TV stations, I notice a lot of stations do broadcast the same American series like on my local stations. But here is the catch: many countries synchronize these series by having actors of their language reading the lines in their language.

It is kind of funny to see English speaking actors talk French, German or Italian with a different voice.

Dutch broadcasts don’t do this. We subtitle. So you hear the original lines in English, in the original voices of the actors, but you have to read what they say in Dutch below.

This way you do learn some English, while paying attention. You may know more words than you think this way, but you just have to look up the right spelling and spelling correctors are also a great way to learn.

Lately I wrote four articles that did not gave any misspellings, because I pay attention at my most obvious mistakes and avoid them already by instinct.

So subtitling is better for language development than synchronizing. We only do that for cartoons, to make them more accessible for kids that do not read that well yet.

Also the place a person comes from indicates a lot.

I notice a lot of people from India or the Philippines here.

So far India was a former English colony and still part of the Commonwealth, so it is not unlikely English is still a second language to many Indian people, or Pakistani, since that was also part of that whole.

Most Indian or Pakistani people here in Antwerp do speak English and are better at it than Dutch.

The Philippines on the other hand have long been under American surveillance and English is also still quite widely used there.

Many people in those countries do know English, since it is in their culture as well. When I was at high school a boy from the Philippines, who was a refugee castaway on a ship that made it to Antwerp, was brought to our school.

He could not read or write and lives his entire life on the streets of Manila, but he did speak some English and that was how we communicated with him, although he could barely read and not write.

So those people do have an advance in taking on English, while you may consider that they come from countries that might not have the sophisticated Western education system and many children in those countries do not even attend school.

In India many kids still work for small payment, while this is banned here in Europe. Yet, I see great content written by Indian authors here.

But is see few French on line writers and when I was in France, I was stunned that most French only know French, while I presumed it a Western educated country.

I do believe all who are motivated to write can make good content, also the non native English ones, if they are willing to learn and work. Same goes for native English writers.

Those who just prefer to let the computer write, might be on the wrong end.