Tips for Non-Native Foreign Journalists Writing in English
Foreign journalists who are not native English speakers and need to write in English often struggle with expressing themselves effectively and avoiding grammatical or editorial errors. It takes them longer to write their story, article, or report in English than in their native language, and most of the time, they do not avoid mistakes without proofreading assistance.
For foreign journalists looking to improve their writing and editing skills in English, FOREIGN PRESS has compiled some helpful tips:
In general, non-native English speakers tend to think in their native language and then translate their thoughts into English. That leads to long, incoherent sentences, which fail to convey their message to readers. Foreign journalists who must write their reports under strict deadlines should always keep their sentences short and avoid long sentences that are hard to follow. In today's fast-paced news environment, where readers need to obtain information quickly and efficiently, writing a story with long sentences undermines the goal of engaging your audience. Thinking in your native language and translating into English causes foreigners to make the mistake of writing long sentences in English. Reading and listening in English will help you think in English, rather than thinking in your native language and translating into English.
Read aloud each sentence at least twice. When you hear yourself reading what you wrote, you can always point out mistakes, missing words, or punctuation errors. By reading aloud, you will also determine if a sentence is too long and needs to be shortened.
Reporting on an issue implies you are an expert on the subject. Don't assume everyone who will read your article knows the background behind everything you mention or of any single reference. It is important to be as clear as possible when writing short sentences. If your article or report does not address an audience of experts on the subject, you need to write clearly with no jargon that may leave your audience unsure of what you are trying to convey.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in editing promises to break down all non-native speakers' barriers when writing in English. With the advancement of artificial intelligence, there are many software tools that allow nonnative speakers to edit their writing in seconds. WordTune is one of the leading software programs that helps foreign speakers writing in English to edit their sentences in a way native speakers write. WordTune provides several options for phrasing each sentence.
Writing in English can be frustrating for non-native speakers. Remember that practice, repetition, and persistence are the keys to advancing your English writing skills.
