Writing in English as a Second Language: An Editor's Advice

Some of the most interesting manuscripts I've worked on have come from authors writing in English as their second (or third, or fourth) language. I work with writers from all over the world, and I want to say something upfront: writing a book in a language that isn't your first is an extraordinary achievement. Don't let anyone, including yourself, downplay that.

That said, there are some common patterns I see repeatedly in manuscripts from non-native English speakers. Knowing about them won't make them disappear overnight, but it will give you things to look out for when you're self-editing.

Articles: the smallest words that cause the biggest headaches

If your first language doesn't use articles (Mandarin, Japanese, Russian, Polish, and many others), English articles will be the bane of your existence. "A," "an," and "the" seem like such tiny, insignificant words, but using them incorrectly or leaving them out changes how a sentence reads to a native speaker.

There's no magic shortcut here, unfortunately. The rules for article usage in English are genuinely complicated, and even linguists struggle to explain them in a way that covers all cases. My practical advice: read a lot of published English fiction in your genre. You'll absorb the patterns naturally over time, and it's far more effective than memorising grammar rules.

When I'm editing, I fix article issues without making a fuss about it. It's one of those things that a native-speaking editor handles almost automatically, and it's not something you should beat yourself up about.

Prepositions: no, you can't logic your way through them

English prepositions are genuinely arbitrary. There's no logical reason why you're "interested in" something but "fascinated by" it, or why you "depend on" someone but "rely on" them (actually, those two are the same, which doesn't help at all).

German speakers tend to translate their preposition logic directly, which gives me things like "I am afraid from spiders." Spanish speakers sometimes write "I dream with" instead of "I dream about." French speakers occasionally use "at" where English uses "to." These are all perfectly logical translations from languages where those prepositions work differently.

My tip: keep a personal list of preposition combinations that trip you up. When you've written a sentence and the preposition feels uncertain, search for the phrase in quotes on Google. If you get millions of results, you've probably got it right. If you get very few, try a different preposition.

False friends: words that look helpful but aren't

False friends are words that look the same (or very similar) in two languages but mean different things. They catch out even advanced English speakers because the word feels so familiar that you don't think to check it.

A German author once wrote about a character who was "becoming" a gift, when they meant "receiving" (bekommen in German means to receive). A French author described a room as "sympathique," translated as "sympathetic," when they meant pleasant or nice. A Spanish author wrote that a character "assisted" a lecture when they meant "attended" (asistir means to attend).

These are the kinds of errors that spell-checkers will never flag because the words are all perfectly valid English words. They're just the wrong ones. If your first language has a lot of overlap with English vocabulary (French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch), be especially careful with words that seem too conveniently similar.

British vs American English: pick one and commit

This trips up native speakers too, so don't feel bad about it. But if you've learned English from a mix of sources (British teachers, American TV, Australian friends), your manuscript might be a patchwork of different conventions.

"Colour" or "color." "Travelling" or "traveling." "Realise" or "realize." "Car park" or "parking lot." None of these are wrong, but mixing them in the same book looks inconsistent and unprofessional.

My advice: decide which variety you want based on your target audience. If you're aiming at the UK market, go British. If your readers are primarily American, go American. If you're not sure, I'd suggest going with whichever variety you feel most comfortable with and being consistent. When I edit for non-native speakers, I always ask which variety they prefer and then make everything consistent throughout.

Idioms: use them, but carefully

Natural use of idioms is one of the things that makes English prose feel fluent rather than translated. But getting idioms slightly wrong has the opposite effect. "It's not rocket surgery" (mixing up "rocket science" and "brain surgery") or "I could care less" when you mean "I couldn't care less" are the kinds of near-misses that jump out at native readers.

If you're not 100% sure of an idiom, look it up. And don't overuse them. A few well-placed idioms sound natural. One in every paragraph sounds like you're trying too hard.

Your perspective is your strength

I want to finish with something important. Writing in a second language comes with grammatical challenges, yes. But it also comes with something many native English speakers lack: a genuinely different perspective. Your cultural background, your way of seeing the world, your storytelling traditions. These make your writing distinctive and valuable. Don't sand them all away in pursuit of sounding like a native speaker.

The best manuscripts I've edited from non-native speakers have been the ones where the author's unique voice shines through. My job as an editor isn't to make you sound British or American. It's to make sure the English works so that your voice comes through clearly.

If you're writing in English as a second language and you'd like a supportive, experienced editor to help polish your manuscript, I'd love to hear from you. You can see my full range of editing services here, and I'm always happy to discuss what level of editing would suit your needs.