My English is very fine
I can’t remember anyone that, based on my accent when I speak English, has managed to guess that I am from Norway. Most of the time they think I’m from Germany. Not sure why, but apparently my Norwegian accent is very, very subtle.
Some of the more funny guesses has been Northern American, Scottish and the latest one, South African.
Zef side!
It also seems that I write well enough to have my articles and columns published. Next week I have two articles due. This week I have already handed in two; one already published, the other waiting to be approved by the editor.
I have been told by several native English speakers that I have a very good grasp of the English language. Sometimes better than those who speak English natively. Even a few English teachers [native speakers] have told me that they try to listen and look for typical mistakes made by foreigners when they speak and write in English, but I never seem to make any noticeable mistakes, at least when I converse with them.
Before I could enrol at the school here, without having to take an extra language course, I had to take an English test. I scored the second highest score recorded at that school.
Yet now and then there is a minority who tell me my English skills suck, in lack of a better word. My writing is FUBAR and I don’t make any sense when I speak.
Being very critical of my writing, it is really not encouraging to be told my English skills are not adequate. I hope one day to make a living as a journalist. That means I have to be a wordsmith ninja. But if my English skills are still at a grasshopper level, after been using the language almost my whole life, is there any hope for me?
Or is my self-criticism being manipulated by people who are just full off shit? Because if my language skills are that poor and I’m only talking gibberish, how can I then get top marks on essays and seminars?
I am only human. Like every other human I am bound to make mistakes now and then. The difference is that I might be one of the few who are willing to admit it, and will not judge those who also makes mistakes. Shit happens. Pick yourself up, learn from your mistake and move on with your life.
At least I know four different languages, fluent in three of them. When speaking or writing in one language I also have to focus on only focusing on that language, without using words and/or grammar from the other three languages I know.
But I guess the best thing I can do is to look at what I have accomplished. English is my 3rd language. I don’t have a degree in English lit. Nor do I have a degree in Journalism. Yet I have 13, and counting, articles published in a local newspaper in Brisbane that has about 30.000 readers.
Still there are those few who find flaws with my spoken and written English.
It’s a kak situation.
NB: Could probably proof-read and re-draft this for an additional 12 hours to make it “perfect”, but you know what? I couldn’t fucking care! Because to more you polish what you write, the more you risk ending up making a 2×4 into a toothpick, when you actually wanted a baseball bat. Got a problem with that? Fuck off!
Jeg synes du skriver engelsk meget godt. Don’t let the bastards get you down..
Haha! Takker og bukker! Maybe I should ask some of my critics, “when did you last get published in a newspaper, in your 2nd or 3rd language?” ;)
My guess would also have been German in style of language use – but it is not an insult – it would be an uneducated guess. As a South African I recognise that you are not from here. You understand the meaning of words well. I think the giveaway regarding your origin is in your sentence construction and that takes years of reading and writing a specific language (as you probably know) to master.
Thanks for your reply. It was very interesting to read.
I did write a very long reply to you, but WordPress decided that it would be a good time to log me out, again.
The gist of it… I don’t mind feedback. It’s the non-constructive criticism. Fair enough, I made a mistake, but what was it and how can I correct it? Yet, sometimes people are surprised English isn’t my native language and I get mostly top marks on my assignments. I guess that when some find out English isn’t my native language, they for some odd reason find more pleasure in criticising my mistakes.
What you call mistakes I would call tell tale signs that you are from a European country. I honestly find nothing wrong with the way you write. I regret that your first reply is lost now.