Editing for non-native speakers of English? Say more
Writing in a non-native language undoubtedly adds an extra layer of difficulty to writing. If you are a non-native English speaker who is thinking about hiring an editor to look at your writing in English, read on to see my answers to some questions you might have.
How is my English language level affecting my writing?
Which of the following statements do you most relate to?
“I have been studying and operating in English since I was a child, I am fluent, and I have never felt that my language level negatively affected my chances of acceptance or publication.” Excellent! There are other places that you could benefit from an editor’s support, but it sounds like this isn’t a huge barrier for you.
“I have been speaking and writing in English for a long time, but I was never taught how to write in English at a high level (or at least, that was never my sole focus). I think that my writing is good, but I think the input of a native English-speaking editor could help improve my chances of acceptance and publication.”That makes sense. We can be blind to our own writing, even when it is in our native language. When you are working in a second language, even if you are experienced, there are a lot of things that are extremely difficult to spot and to solve. You may need help with word choice and variety, punctuation, and sentence structure and length. You may also want someone to help you write in a certain style; for instance, you may need help with a close reading, descriptive language, or transitions and signposting, etc., etc.
“Although I have done academic or professional writing in my native language, I don’t have much experience writing at a high level in English. I think my organization or sentence structure is making my ideas hard to understand and I feel like my sentences don’t flow in English. I’m worried that my writing will be rejected due to the quality of English and/or I’m not expressing myself clearly.” Good self-awareness. Things you learned to do in high-level writing in one language may not be part of high-level writing in English. Take sentence length as an example. While long, multi-clause sentences are accepted in Spanish writing, they are not as well received in English, and you could easily receive feedback such as “shorten overly long sentences.” If you think that your language level means your ideas aren’t being transmitted well, you’re wise to consider whether an editor could help you clear things up.
Ultimately, we all come to language learning from a different place. If English is your second language, you may have been studying English since childhood or adolescence, or maybe you learned it as an adult. For a lot of scholars, learning to write well in English was not the central focus of their studies, and learning to write at a high level in English may not have been part of their studies at all. More likely you were conducting interesting research and at some point you happened to need to publish in English. This means that you have highly specialized knowledge of a particular topic, but your language skills may come up a little short when it comes to the level of writing required to convey this specialized knowledge.
How does English language editing improve my writing?
When I edit the writing of a non-native speaker of English, my process is largely the same as for a native speaker; I am assessing organization, presentation of ideas, clarity, transitions, sentence structure, word choice and variety, punctuation, spelling, grammar, and consistency. The difference is, when I am confused or something seems wrong to me, I approach the issue knowing that something may literally have been lost in translation.
This can also happen to an author writing in their native language! Putting ideas into words is not an easy process and it is rarely perfect on the first try. But understanding that a language issue may be at the root of the problem is helpful in trying to solve it. For instance, the author may have chosen a word that seems right but actually misdirects or distracts the reader. Thanks to the context of what I have read so far, I can suggest an alternative or ask a clarifying question. If word order in a sentence seems off, I can reorganize a sentence for clarity. If a term or acronym that may be unfamiliar to an English-speaking audience is introduced without explanation, I’ll add a few words to introduce it or flag where the author needs to do so. If a single sentence runs on too long and loses the reader, I can break it up into pieces while preserving the meaning.
Some authors also need help with writing style. You may be trying to spice up your introductory paragraphs or convey a vivid narrative; you may need to describe a scene in a film or a piece of art or music. This is a different kind of writing and it’s something an editor can help you refine.
Will it still sound like my writing, my voice?
Yes, that is a goal I take seriously. The goal isn’t to do a lot of rewriting, but rather to do just enough tweaking so that sentences read smoothly and ideas flow naturally into one another, and the reader doesn’t get distracted by odd language usage. The finished product will still sound like you.
How does hiring an English language editor work?
When you reach out to me, I evaluate what you’ve told me and I might ask for more information. Then I will explain how I think I can help. This can happen over email or on a video call, depending on your preference and what your writing needs. After we both have all the information we need, you can make your decision about hiring me.
Here are some things I need to know when you reach out to me:
What kind of writing it is (article, manuscript, cover letter, etc.).
What stage your draft is at (mid-stage, or almost ready for submission).
What your concerns are (language-wise or otherwise).
How you think I could help. If you don’t know, you can say so.
Your timeline for completion.
Send me your draft.
I need both your explanation and the draft to assess how I can help.
If your writing is a really rough draft and needs organizational work before we can address the language issues, I can talk to you about completing a developmental edit. Once you have made those changes, I can go back to do a line edit or copyedit.
My services do not include writing or rewriting paragraphs or sections of your work myself. I can make suggestions for you, but you are the one best equipped to make big changes to your own writing.
What makes you a good English language editor?
First of all, I’m a language learner myself. I started studying Spanish at age twelve, and continued through high school, college, and graduate school. At some point, like most researchers, the language was no longer the focus and instead became a tool I used to access texts and perspectives that I wouldn’t have been able to access in English. I also spent time abroad and needed to use my Spanish in both casual and professional situations. I have made a lot of mistakes and I still do. As we all do, I have my strengths and weaknesses. Even though I was trained to write academic Spanish, there are parts of my writing that still sound like a non-native speaker wrote them. And that’s okay! Speaking a second language is a never-ending learning experience and a perpetual exercise in humility. I understand the challenges that come with writing at a high level in a non-native language because I have faced them myself.
Second, I have worked as Production Editor at a bilingual journal since 2022. Part of my job is to edit the English writing of non-native English speakers. I have had a lot of practice deducing what I think an author means when something gets confusing, or tweaking punctuation or word order to clarify a sentence. Sometimes it can take a long time to work through! But it is rewarding work because it is exciting to see ideas spread and cross between languages.
How do I decide whether I need this or not?
Reach out with your draft and the information I requested above. Reaching out doesn’t commit you to anything, but if I learn about your project and see your draft, I can tell you what I would do to help, and then you can make the call. I’ll be glad to hear from you—as I said before, it’s rewarding to see ideas cross language barriers, and it’s a pleasure to help writers get those ideas into the world.
