Non-Native English speakers, tell me your experience!

[KuromiMago]

So, I've been writing fiction in portuguese, my mother tongue, since I'm 13. My skills gotten a lot better, and around 2019 there where a practice or two with doing creative writing directly into english (with no draft in hue-language), and by the time of now I can confidently write something in english, but my confidence in publishing is...lacking.

If I write directly in english it tends to come out a lot more mechanic, as if I'm telling myself what it is suppose to be written. Because of that I, most of the times, needed to do a tight revision, almost a rewrite, on any material I made. This, finally, led to my present-day model: I write firstly in portuguese, already aiming to publish it here some day (but not soon, making a readerbase in Brazil is hell), and then my always-mentioned roommate (who is also a co-author of sorts) translates it.

We're still trying to find some rhythm, but surprisingly this let us produce a lot more of content, but also gatekeeps publishing progresses behind the translator 'side, which kinda of frustrates me.

This is my experience as of now, and we're trying to improve and establish a better work flow.

But this got me thinking: probably there are other aliens here too, and what type of experience was writing outside of your native language?

EDIT: funnily enough I comitted a lot of grammar war crimes writing this, which will make me look even dumber! But hey, this is what happens when you take a break from writing and drawing, on meds (nothing heavy) to withstand your shitty back.

 

[blurredila]

I'm Brazilian too, Im not fluent in English, Id say I have intermediate knowledge, I don't write and in most cases I use the browser translator to read the stories (existem histórias com palavras muito complexas que não sei o significado, também ocorre com alguns jogos como jrpgs)

 

[RepresentingDesire]

Well I might not be an Author but I have already written english texts, so I'll commit the audacity and say my opinion here. I like english more than my native language (german), it's more fun to write english texts than german ones. That's all there is to it.

 

[PancakesWitch]

it felt a bit like that to me (spanish first language) but over time you'll get used to it to the point you'll think things in english too, and your writing will become more fluent. However, vocabulary is still my weakness, as i tend to repeat words a lot as I write. This is where editing tools help, such as grammarly and quillbot, so your writing doesnt feel repetitive i guess.

 

[Katako]

I'll say my English is around average in actual comparison to a native English speaker.
The need for English language is when I play Roblox a decade back, I had no idea what other people is saying so I just re-write those in-game chats into a translator. Overtime, I get a better understanding on how grammar works.
Not that I'm confidence about my current English fluency, but I do like writing in English more than my native language.

 

[Corty]

Writing in English is something that gets better over time. Like everything you have to do it repeatedly. And heeding feedback you get, that helped me most at the start.

And getting Grammarly. That also was the next big leap.

 

[Deleted member 76176]

I always preferred English to my native language, both because it was an easier subject to score well in and that I always struggled with long-form answers and essays in my native language. My English skill itself, however, was nothing extraordinary—it was pedestrian, in fact. I remember someone asking me just a few years ago why I chose to chat in English despite sounding broken. And he was right; I didn't understand basic grammar logic, was awkward (still am), and couldn't type any complicated messages. The reason I continued was really simple: I didn't have anyone to practice with.

Fast forward to now, I still have a tenuous grasp of grammar and vocabulary, but I got a lot better. I can hold decent conversations semi fluently and I don't have to constantly google to search for meanings.

 

[Deleted member 148356]

learned English from watching mostly movies with subtitles when I was young. Flaws were using an 'and' a lot in writing and having bad grammars. Transition to Chinese/Japanese translated to English novels, I can now understand most stuff except complex western novels. Those give me headaches with their description so just stay with simple writing my favourite kind of style writing.

 

[Enkiari]

The internet has been the greatest teacher when it comes to English. Be it novels, manga, forums, videos, or games. They all helped to form my vocabulary and the way I speak.
For a good chunk of my life, it was my third language. I always liked reading, and writing something I could call my own seemed like the logical next step.
Unfortunately, my native language lacks expressions for most 'Fantasy' terms, and that being the Genre I enjoyed the most, I had to adapt. It also meant I never learned to use proper grammar the 'proper' way - that is to say, at school.
Online editing tools have been a mainstay in my life as a writer. I cannot do without them.

 

[MatchaChocolate69]

I feel like a stuttering and malfunctioning robot when I write in English. What I write is more or less understandable, but what I lack are the nuances and subtleties. I am there, I think, with the literal sense, but I struggle to write between the lines, to make the unsaid perceived. Perhaps it is because I am accustomed with my language which can be very complex. Despite this, I believe it's just a matter of practice and exercise. I love my native language and would like to write in it, but it's a dying language, spoken by fewer and fewer people and is gradually destined to disappear.
English is the door to the world, and it allows me to reach an audience I could never have if I wrote in my language.

 

[nemonusquam_]

English is my second language, and I actually write better in it than in my native tongue.
I don't know how to explain it; it's like I can "separate" from the verbal quirks, idioms and slang terms that permeate my primary language.

 

[P.R.S]

So, I've been writing fiction in portuguese, my mother tongue, since I'm 13. My skills gotten a lot better, and around 2019 there where a practice or two with doing creative writing directly into english (with no draft in hue-language), and by the time of now I can confidently write something in english, but my confidence in publishing is...lacking.

If I write directly in english it tends to come out a lot more mechanic, as if I'm telling myself what it is suppose to be written. Because of that I, most of the times, needed to do a tight revision, almost a rewrite, on any material I made. This, finally, led to my present-day model: I write firstly in portuguese, already aiming to publish it here some day (but not soon, making a readerbase in Brazil is hell), and then my always-mentioned roommate (who is also a co-author of sorts) translates it.

We're still trying to find some rhythm, but surprisingly this let us produce a lot more of content, but also gatekeeps publishing progresses behind the translator 'side, which kinda of frustrates me.

This is my experience as of now, and we're trying to improve and establish a better work flow.

But this got me thinking: probably there are other aliens here too, and what type of experience was writing outside of your native language?

EDIT: funnily enough I comitted a lot of grammar war crimes writing this, which will make me look even dumber! But hey, this is what happens when you take a break from writing and drawing, on meds (nothing heavy) to withstand your shitty back.

Literally me lol