Why being a native speaker is not enough
We are often asked whether we or our proofreaders are native speakers of the languages we offer services in (English, Latvian or Russian). This is also a typical first question to language teachers and translators.
While being a native speaker certainly does give an advantage for language-related tasks, it is also important to understand why it is far from being sufficient in itself (and why sometimes it can even be a detriment).
So here are four reasons why being a native speaker is not enough by itself:
1) Grammar
Languages are very complex things. Speaking only requires one to be used to the rules, writing or editing requires knowing not only the rules themselves, but also the reasoning behind them, especially when an unconventional or unusual solution is required.
2) Creativity
Being totally used to their own language, native speakers often find it hard to explain its rules and justify their choice of words and grammatical structures. This can lead to unimaginativeness. Native speakers, in general, are less comfortable with breaking the rules (that they know of), so taking off on a really creative flight can prove more difficult for them. In the past, our clients have asked us to invent a new tense for a verb, coin a new noun or add a new meaning to a common adjective, etc. The strategy that proved the most effective for tasks like this was to let a fluent, but non-native speaker do the creative writing, and then get the text proofread by a professional native editor.
3) Qualification
The reason we never rely solely on the abilities of native speakers, but hire experienced professional editors/proofreaders (who are also native speakers), is really simple. Being a native speaker can give one false confidence about language skills. Let’s be honest — most native speakers don’t pay much attention to their language itself. They use it at a level appropriate for everyday communication, but rarely direct their attention to the language itself. Moreover, most people use only a tiny fraction of the whole repertoire of the language in their daily lives. They are rather like experienced drivers who know the traffic rules they need in everyday life, but have forgotten everything else they were taught at driving school. One needs to have particular interests to know the full spectrum of rules. Professionals not only keep a much larger database of vocabulary and grammar rules in their heads, but they are not ashamed to check them in professional sources or consult their colleagues. Being less confident about grammar can often prove to be truly a saving grace.
4) Skill vs inheritance
Creative writing and business copywriting requires a level of skill that cannot be achieved by daily communication alone. No one is born a good writer or a copywriter — you have to become one. Being a native speaker can give you a good start, but becoming a good writer still requires years of training and being criticised by other professionals. It also requires regular practice, so the next time you are hiring a person for a language-related task, try asking them what were the last five books they read instead of just checking whether they are a native speaker. We bet it would give you a better picture of their level of qualification!
