I had a Communications job in a foreign language and this is what I've learned

If you have been following me for a while now, you probably know that I am a Brazilian journalist who moved to London almost 3 years ago. I arrived here with almost 8 years’ experience in corporate communications in Latin America, but repositioning myself in the UK professional market was still a challenge for several reasons, including my lack of experience in the country and the language barriers.

A few years later, I have re-established my career in London and have been working with communications again – a real passion for me! After an experience heavily focused on internal communications and content creation, I’d like to share what I’ve learned so far, to help expat communicators find their place in the sun (not enough to boost your tan in England though) and conquer the fear of communications in a different language.

1. Communications roles are similar everywhere in the world

If you are a communications professional, I am sure you have been told many times to prepare PowerPoint presentations, haven’t you? How about those requests to draft statements for a crisis, which you only found out today? No doubt you have also experienced requests to pitch the media, or organise an advertorial, only to find out, after days of planning, that there is no solid story to tell.

Well, the truth is, every communicator has experienced these situations at one time or other, whether they have worked in Brazil, the US, Europe, or anywhere in the world. The Mongrel complex makes us believe certain things would never happen in a “first world country”, but communications roles have the same particularities everywhere in the world.

Trust your experience; it will be valuable for you everywhere you go!

2. Language should never be a barrier…

We all know the importance of written skills for a communications role, as well as the ability to communicate verbally. However, it is important to point out that language should not be a barrier for you to pursue your career in a different country.

In my journey, I have met several people working in Marketing and Communications who don’t speak perfect English, but are brilliant professionals or leaders and are proof of how other skills can (and should) overcome your language skills.

The fear of failing in the language will feed your impostor syndrome and make you commit mistakes due to insecurity. Stop thinking that you're not good enough simply because your English is not as perfect as someone who speaks it natively. You have other abilities that are more important for the job, and acknowledging that will help you get motivated and focus on what really matters for your professional growth.

3. …But sometimes it can be a hindrance.

Several communications roles imply content creation, which inevitably puts language in the spotlight. For that reason, you should never stop learning! Language is a living thing; it grows, expands, and is constantly changing. Sure, you can learn how to write an article in perfect grammar, but is it fun enough for your audience? Is it creative? Does it get their attention and interest? As communicators, we need to navigate trends, audiences, persona, and messages. Grammar books cannot teach you these things.

Unfortunately, depending upon the industry or business you work for, your ability to play with words will be much needed, and here is when the language can hinder your career.

Don’t take your knowledge for granted and never stop studying.

4. You will never become a native, accept it!

That’s it. Just accept it! You will commit mistakes from time to time and you will feel terrible every time you notice it only after the content has been published to your audience. I’ve felt it a couple of times and it ruined my day.

However, I promise you, the number of mistakes will fall with time and you will find better mechanisms to review and proofread your work. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help, it’s always great to have a second pair of eyes.

Make peace with yourself by accepting you are not a native; there is no magic spell to become one.

5. You are more skilled than many!

Here is another Mongrel complex; we tend to believe English speakers are inherently much more highly educated than we are. However, writing is not a skill everyone is naturally born with – we study years for it!

Get ready to receive messages that are full of mistakes, and don’t be surprised when they come from high-level roles, such as Directors and even C-level positions. Other people often do not have time to check that they have correctly dotted their i’s and crossed their t’s. It’s your role to help them with it. You will also identify people who are naturally skilled in writing. These are the ones you should learn from; maybe even consider having them as your mentor or proofreader.

It’s important to learn how to deal with feedback from those with less than perfect writing skills, whenever they point out your mistakes or ‘correct’ your content, only to make it grammatically wrong. This is the hardest thing! How do you correct a native speaker, who is convinced about something, but it is actually wrong in their own language? You will have to find your own (gentle, kind, lovely) ways to do it.

It’s easy to put yourself down when working with communications, different languages, and native speakers. However, they hired you for this role; they believed in you. So own it. You are the expert!

Confidence comes with time; experience comes from practice. Knowledge, however, doesn’t come in a passport.?