👋 Buongiorno, Bonjour, Hola, Hello

I was criticized for my English… and it made me doubt my writing skills.

🌻 The beauty in writing

Living in Europe with an American accent, I’ve heard that my English isn’t professional.

Granted, I've consistently reminded myself that “professional” has varying definitions and we all have diverse communication styles.

I’ve worked for lawyers, in education, with journalists and in startups. I speak 4 languages and address the French differently than Spaniards, Italians or Americans (and vice versa).

I can understand what professional sounds like and can often grasp cultural nuances.

It's tough when the people criticizing or doubting my language skills are not native speakers themselves, and believe “professional” is just British.

As someone consistently learning languages, I’d NEVER dare correct a native speaker... I’d ask if things are said that way because it could mean I missed something in my language class or a cultural nuance. I often say language is more than just words because of this.

Due to criticisms of my English, I’ve doubted my writing capabilities in my career.

I have worked in spaces where I would spend hours defending my:

→ rules for the written language
→ cultural nuances
→ grammar choice
→ word choice

No matter how hard I tried or the proof I would send along with my articles, my efforts wouldn't resonate.

I’d be told to use different apps that take away the human voice to write a full text.

Here’s something about me: I’ve always been a bit rebellious.

So when I was told to write by using these apps, I once finished an article by ONLY using them and not adding any of the written work myself. I was trying to prove that by only using these kinds of resources, the human voice was gone.

When I say that the article sounded choppy, I mean capital C-H-O-P-P-Y.

This experience took a toll on my confidence and in my writing capabilities.

I questioned my voice, my style, my intelligence, and even my language proficiency.

Me... a native English speaker questioning my own English.

But I learned this: the criticism I faced does not define my abilities as a writer, communicator, or a professional.

In fact, I knew where this criticism was coming from.

They were stuck in the rules of their native language, which is where our accents and thought processes come from when speaking a second language. And that’s normal.

But building good intercultural relationships comes with a grounded understanding that not every region that speaks the same language speaks the same way.

Italy has 34 spoken languages and related dialects.
21 countries have Spanish as their official language.
29 countries for French.

We can’t force our own rules in one language, dialect or region to another, because the rules don’t often transfer from one to the other.

And you know what?

Diversity in communication styles is what makes writing and language beautiful.

🎙️ LinkedIn Audio Event with Tatiana Reuil

Intercultural communication and cross-cultural interactions are so much more important than we think, especially in businesses that rely heavily on remote work and have a diverse team.

I’m excited to announce that I will be going live with Tatiana Reuil on September 28th at 1 p.m. EST.

We will also share how you can incorporate these strategies within your marketing and content efforts.

The impact of words extend far beyond the page.

Have a good weekend!

Verónica