I Write in My Second Language

(Sometimes) I don’t care if I don’t sound natural.

As you can tell from my bio, I’m an Indonesian. My mother tongue is Bahasa Indonesia or Indonesian language.

I’ve been introduced to the English language at school since I was 6, which was 16 years ago. It’s one of my favorite subjects (at one point in high school I wanted to pursue a degree in English Literature) because it feels so natural to me. I feel I can ‘sense’ the language, the structure, the vocab, I know when it doesn’t sound right.

Outside of school, I like reading in English. In high school I also took some English courses: a class of 10 students taught by a local teacher where I was the only one being active 😢, a Kumon English course focused only on reading comprehension, and the last one a Wall Street English course focused on the conversation.

Photo by Diomari Madulara on Unsplash

Other than English, I’ve taken some Mandarin courses (always dropped it after a couple of months), learned a bit of French, Spanish, Mandarin, and German myself using Duolingo. There’s a sense of accomplishment when you ‘get’ the language, even if it’s only basic structure.

But now let’s stop talking about those languages. In this post, I’m only going to focus on English.

So, why do I write in English?

1. Almost everyone (this means my mom and dad) says that the English language is important. Well, they’re right. More and more companies require job applicants to be able to speak English. And me being a virtual assistant/digital marketing freelancer earning money from Upwork? It’s because I can communicate in English.
   This (little) advantage that I have over others is something that I can’t take for granted. It’s a privilege.
2. I’m actively avoiding social media in Indonesia. They’re full of hoax and unnecessary hatred and negativity. So rather than wasting my energy there, I choose to be active in this ‘global’ community. This way I can also be an ambassador for my own country, bringing some awareness and attention to her.
   And in order to do that, of course, I have to write in English! :)
3. After starting my freelancing career, I realize that I’m able to work for a wider group of people. I don’t have to focus on local or national organizations. There’s a whole lot of opportunities out there, waiting to be found by people with outstanding skills. And sometimes they don’t have to come from the same country.
   You just have to be able to communicate in their language, present your ideas, and work alongside them.
4. I continue to learn as I write. As much as I want to sound natural when writing in English, I know it’s not possible unless I’ve lived somewhere where everyone is speaking the language.
   So I just continue writing. Through my writing, I meet amazing people and I get to practice my English even more!
5. I just love the language!

Sometimes I still struggle to find the right phrases, use all the right words. I want to sound natural. But then I remember this: in the end, I just want people to understand my ideas.

Writing in English doesn’t mean I don’t love my own language.

Some sentences just sound more beautiful in one particular language.

This was the conclusion I reached in a Twitter conversation years ago with a friend.

What’s your second language? And have you tried writing in it?

Thanks for reading! I’m happy to connect with fellow writers/freelancers, you can find me on my website, Pinterest, and Twitter.