Writing

Whether you’re working in your first language or in one that you’ve learned, the only way to learn to write well is to read.

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Remember, written English and spoken English are not the same language. Even native English speakers must learn written English as a foreign language, albeit one that’s closely related to their native tongue.

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Written English, like spoken English, has many variants. When we’re talking about spoken language, we call these variations “dialects.” When we’re talking about written language, we call these variants “genres.”

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Every genre has different rules. You cannot learn how to write in one genre by reading another, any more than you can learn how to speak one regional dialect of English by listening to another. This means that if you read only professional emails, you will not learn how to write engineering textbooks, and if you read only cookbooks, you will not learn how to write mystery novels.

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Not even native speakers master every genre. There are too many. You will not master writing in every genre, either. Instead, focus on the genres that you know you will need to use.

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For example, if you’re a sociology student, you’ll want to read and practice writing in specific genres, including but not limited to professional emails, CVs and resumes, and research papers published in sociology journals. Don’t waste your time learning how to write computer science papers, or instruction manuals, or mystery novels.

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Of course, you will need some of the same basic tools regardless of which genre(s) you set out to learn. You will need to memorize the same basic vocabulary and internalize the same basic grammatical rules.

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However, even these tools vary to some degree depending on the genre. If you’re a chef, for example, and your main goal is to write recipes, you will use lots of bulleted lists, and you won’t need to master as many grammatical rules or use as many complex syntactical structures. On the other hand, you will need to learn the names of many dishes and ingredients. If you’re studying medicine, meanwhile, you’ll need to learn hundreds of thousands of technical terms, mostly the names of chemical compounds and parts of the body derived from Greek and Latin, but you won’t need to learn what the parts of a car are called.

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Because written English varies so much from one genre to the next, it will be very difficult to develop a toolkit that works in every situation. Not only will semantic categories, grammatical rules, and cultural points of reference from your native language try to sneak into your written English, but also, terminology and conventions from one genre of written English may sneak in as you’re trying to write in another genre.

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This is normal. Don’t get discouraged.

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But do ask for help. Ask others to read your work, give you feedback, and help you polish and refine what you’ve written in accordance with the rules of the target genre.

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Just as you may never speak exactly like a native English speaker, you’ll probably never write exactly like a native English speaker writes. With spoken language, that’s not a problem. It’s easy for to ask someone to slow down or repeat what they just said, or to use context clues and body language to clarify meaning. Your spoken language doesn’t have to be perfect to get the job done.

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Written language works a bit differently. It does have to be clear, polished, and well written, or else it will not do what you want it to do. Poorly written articles are not likely to get published. Messily written emails are not likely to earn the respect of your bosses and colleagues.

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However, with written language, you have a hidden advantage. You don’t have to write it perfectly on the first try. You can edit and rewrite as much as you want, and once you’ve caught all the mistakes that you can catch, you can show it to an editor.

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Editors play an important role in any writer’s life, even if that writer is a native speaker. If you know you’ll need to do a lot of writing in English in the future, I strongly recommend building relationships with one or more professional editors.

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Don’t hire just any editor. Before you hire someone, do your research, make sure that they understand your project, and if possible, interview them to make sure that they can give you clear, useful, and relevant feedback. The best editors will not only correct your errors, but will also suggest revisions that make your writing clearer and more elegant, explain their recommendations and give you the tools you need to learn and grow as a writer.

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I recommend looking for editors who understand how multilingual people write, speak, and think. People who are familiar with linguistic interference and interaction effects will be able to help you translate not only your words and sentences, but also your ideas so that they make sense to native English speakers.

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Finally, if you’re writing in a specialized discipline, try to find an editor who’s familiar with that discipline. If you can’t find one, then in addition to hiring an editor, ask for feedback from your colleagues. They will know more about the relevant rules, terminology, conventions, and genres than an editor who hasn’t been trained in your field, and they will help you catch mistakes that even your editor may miss. ?

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Don’t feel self-conscious when you ask for help. Even native speakers rely heavily on feedback from readers and editors. Written language, after all, is no one’s mother tongue.