English vs Native language
Nikita
4 replies
Wondering about people with English as their second languge - Do they feel difficult forming their sales pitch ?
English is a second language for me as well and it doesn't come as naturally to me as my own language. There are so many indiehackers who don't speak English at all.
How do they manage ? Do you know anyone who struggles with their pitch or their work just because English isn't their first language.
Replies
Fabien Snauwaert@fabiensnauwaert
Gliglish
I can see how this could make people feel shy and lacking in confidence, but I think it's a limiting belief.
Take Andrey Azimov. Super nice guy. His copy is usually rife with mistakes, yet he's doing very well as an indie hacker.
Or take Pieter Levels. He likes to curse (in interviews) and his writing sometimes feels awkward. Yet his copy is super convincing. He goes straight to the point and his proposition value is always very clearly.
They both feel authentic.
So I don't think it matters all this much.
This reminds me of a guy who self-published books on Kindle. He didn't know good grammar and a ton of reviews were making fun of it or complaining about it. But the story was captivating and his book made millions (don't remember the title, sorry.) It's something the book industry hadn't seen before and he'd no doubt been rejected by traditional publishing. Eventually, he got to fixing the bad grammar and the like, but it's a chance it didn't prevent him from publishing in the first place.
I learned four foreign languages and keep wondering about proper phrasing all the time (including in my native language.) I feel it's useful in order to get better. But there's such a thing as overthinking, for sure.
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I understand what you are saying, I think I am more concerned about typos or more specific or detailed things. But I understand that it depends on the skills of each one, I studied several languages, so I have more ease when it comes to express myself or communicate. I think it's hard but there comes a time when you feel confident and although you can make mistakes, your message is perfectly understood. Practice makes perfect they say!
Hunted Space
English is my second language as well and sometimes it doesn't feel natural expresing myself in it. But i still think is important to learn english since it is the most common language :)
Yes I agree with you 100%! This happens to me tons!! I think the answer is just to practice practice practice!