Top Mistakes Nonnative Speakers Make While Learning English

There is a lot that can go wrong when trying to learn a language. Whether it is English, French, Spanish, or any of the 7,111 other languages that people speak today, learning a new language is never as simple as memorizing vocab and understanding grammatical structures (although it would definitely be nice if it were). This is because each language has unique aspects that are not exactly the same in others. The most obvious example of this would be how languages like French and Spanish have gendered nouns whereas languages like English do not.

While I do not know all the common mistakes people trying to learn Mandarin or Hindi make, based on my experience as a teacher and tutor, I have noticed that there are some very common mistakes nonnative speakers of English make when trying to write. Below is a list of the top three recurring mistakes that I have seen. Note: not all of these mistakes are necessarily "wrong".

1. Using a translator 

Ok, so this one is a good example of what I mean by the above note. Translators are a great tool to use when unsure of what word to use or, if you are a tourist in a country that does not speak your language, to ask basic questions. However, I have noticed that nonnative speakers of English often tend to rely too heavily on a translator and this can be a significant mistake.

Here is why: translators work by taking a word or words in your native language and giving you a word in English that is supposed to mean the same thing. The reason I stress the "a" is because there are many words in English that technically mean the same thing but are not always correct translations. For example, consider the following words:

Corrupt- .having or showing a willingness to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain

Pollute- defile or corrupt

Both words mean something very similar. You could say they both mean "to ruin". However, even so, they are not both always synonymous or interchangeable. Consider the following sentences:

Adolescents who are sent to adult prisons may be further corrupted by what they experience.

Adolescents who are sent to adult prisons may be further polluted by what they experience.

Which sounds better to you? Although both words may technically work, "corrupt" is more appropriate in this context because it has more to do with human morality. You could say a person has been "polluted" but it sounds awkward. You would more likely use polluted in the context of "the atmosphere has been polluted by years of industrialization" or "the water has been polluted because of the oil spill".

English vocabulary can be very difficult to master, but fortunately for you, it is not impossible. Our Vocabulary Proficiency Help lessons are structured to help you learn the specific vocabulary you need to sound like a professional. Your translator is a great tool and one you should continue to use, but by improving your knowledge of English vocabulary words, you will not have to rely so heavily on it. 

2. Not having a mentor 

Having a mentor is important in any field or profession whether it is business, real estate, law, medicine et cetera. Regardless of what you are training to become or working to develop, it is always crucial that you get input from an expert (i.e. someone who has been in your place before). However, it is perhaps even more crucial to have a mentor when trying to assimilate into a new culture or learn a new language. This is because learning things like social nuances or language skills are incredibly difficult to master on your own, whereas fields like business can be simpler to understand individually.   

One of the biggest mistakes nonnative speakers of English can make is trying to master the language without help from anyone. I have seen several students who decline tutoring or extra help because they feel they do not need it. Unfortunately, these students are the ones that need guidance the most.

Now there are a couple of ways you can improve your English proficiency through the help of a mentor. The first way is finding an indirect mentor. An indirect mentor is someone you do not actually know but look-up to (i.e. a role model of sorts). Maybe you really like the way someone writes and try to mimic their writing style. Maybe you really like someone's ideas and choose to read their books or watch their videos. Whatever it is about this person, an indirect mentor is someone you try to be like or try to mimic their habits.

The second way you can improve your English proficiency through the help of a mentor is finding a direct mentor. A direct mentor is someone you know and personally work with to improve your English proficiency. In addition to receiving the benefits of actually working with your mentor, a direct mentor will often be someone you look up to and try to mimic. Finding a direct mentor can be a little more difficult than finding an indirect mentor, but there is a higher chance of improving your skills if you work directly with someone as opposed to just reading their books.

Whether you choose to find an indirect or direct mentor, the benefits you will receive by doing such will be substantial. It might seem noble to try to learn English on your own but there is no shame in working with others to improve your proficiency. In fact, even native speakers of English can benefit from having a mentor.

3. Focusing too much on minor details

When writing a paper, report, email, letter, or whatever else, there are many different elements you need to focus on. These include actual content, grammar, word choice/vocabulary, and format. All of these elements of writing are important in there own way, however, another common mistake nonnative speakers of English make while writing is they tend to focus more on minor details than on more crucial ones. 

Based on my experience, many ESL students want help to ensure their writing is properly formatted or to see if their grammar is perfect. Even though grammar is an important aspect of professional writing (see our story here- "Grammar Does Matter"), it is not the only important part. These students tend to obsess about details like grammar and structure so much so that they tend to forget about the content of their writing.

In my opinion, content is the most important element of writing because, without a clear purpose, a reader can lose interest in whatever they are reading regardless of how perfect the grammar is or how nice the formatting looks.

For example, let's say you are asked to write an email to a group of colleagues to let them know the results of a completed advertising campaign. Do you think that it is more important to format the email correctly or to provide a clear, concise email that explains the results of the campaign? Obviously, both formatting and content are important, however, it is probably more important to your boss that your email makes sense. 

While each element of writing is important to a certain degree, I would recommend you address each element in the following order:

1. Content (I.e purpose/meaning)
2. Grammar (I.e. sentence structure, correct tense usage, et cetera)
3. Vocabulary (I.e. correct word choice)
4. Formatting 

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As you can imagine there are several other mistakes that nonnative speakers of English make while writing or trying to improve their proficiency. If you are having a particular issue with your writing, email us now and we will help you out. English can be a very challenging language to master, but it is not impossible. Contact us today to schedule a preliminary consultation and we will help you level-up your proficiency. 

Email: levelupproficiency@gmail.com 


Ryan M. Shea, English Proficiency Specialist