Should you post content in your additional languages
This was my topic for this week’s podcast episode, but I decided to blog about it too. Don’t worry, this is not a rambly transcript and neither was it written by AI! Just my thoughts, in writing, not spoken words.
I decided to talk about this because it comes up from time to time in my courses and at my international business networking events.
If it’s your own profile, you can do what you like and post in whichever language you feel like writing in today.
If you work for a company, there is probably already a marketing strategy in place and you may not have much say in the matter.
But if it’s your business account and your business, you get to make the decisions!
I’ve seen different approaches to this:
- I post mainly in English so that my international audience will understand the content.
- Some people post exclusively in an additional language because this is the language that their customers speak.
- Some people make a clear distinction between posts for colleagues in one language and posts for potential clients in another.
- Some people post mainly in English for reach, but in their first language for local events or resharing language-specific content that is only relevant to people who speak that language.
- Some people post only in the language that they work in, which, if you’re a translator and your potential customers don’t speak your language, could be more of a challenge. But everyone has to decide what works for them.
- Some have a colourful mix of languages depending on the content and their mood!
If you’re self-employed or a freelancer, the most important question is: for whom are you writing the content? And of course, this can change from post to post!
Actually, I love the diversity in my feed. I’d find it a bit boring if everything were in English. I don’t understand everything because I have a global network, but I love it when posts show up in the languages that I know or want to know better.
How has my attitude to this changed over time?
In 2012, when I started English with Kirsty, I mainly focused on marketing to and writing for German speakers. A lot of my content was still in English, but I guess I did post more in German too because I wanted potential clients to know that they could use this language for communication as well.
Now I don’t do this because, while the focus of what I do is narrower, I’m working with people from more different countries and they don’t all speak German. So it makes sense for me to communicate primarily in English.
But sometimes I shy away from using my other languages on social media and that isn’t good because they can be a way to show credibility and strengthen relationships. I really enjoyed going to Berlin last year and having opportunities to use German in a professional context. And, even when they have a really high level of English, sometimes customers do appreciate the option of communicating in their first language.
So, I decided to make a plan. I’ve made some videos in German with a colleague and friend and we’ll be sharing them in the coming weeks. Ok, I don’t love making videos in any language, but I’m more likely to agree to get involved when it’s a joint effort! I’m also planning to write a post in Romanian about my story with learning the language and using it professionally at some networking events where I was usually the only non-native Romanian speaker.
It’s not going to be all the time, but I want to do it instead of shying away from the idea.
I’m not ready to start posting content in Portuguese yet, but I’m trying to be more courageous in private messages and one-to-one calls.
What stops us?
So, if we assume that we do want to create content in one of our additional languages, here are 7 blocks that can get in our way and ideas about what we can do about them!
1 Fear of being judged
This is serious. We are representing our business and the last thing we need is some unkind comment about our language skills. It’s sometimes easier to be articulate in our first language, but in an additional one, some of that confidence can evaporate Sometimes it’s easier to make ourselves smaller and hide, rather than be vulnerable and exposed to the mean people online.
But really, at least from what I’ve seen on LinkedIn, most people aren’t like that. I’ve seen one or two examples of people who want to correct other people’s language skills in public, and in doing so did themselves no favours, but they are not the norm.
And also it’s better if we can take control of the situation and decide what we are going to do, rather than avoiding action because of what someone may or may not do in the future. The second option means we’re giving away our power. The first option means we’re taking it back.
2. Past negative experiences
These ideas that we have sometimes aren’t just based on the little voice inside us, telling us to be quiet. If you’ve ever had a negative comment based on a language mistake, you probably remember how it made you feel. And I’m sure it wasn’t fun! You probably had a lot of other positive and friendly comments too, but we always remember the bad ones.
I don’t believe we should pretend these things don’t happen, but there is power in picking yourself up, carrying on, and only taking responsibility for what’s yours. That doesn’t include someone else’s bad attitude.
3. Perfectionism
Our old friend. Let’s just check the text for the 375th time to make sure there are no tiny errors. Sometimes we can set the bar too high. Sure, we want to do a good job, but perfect is the enemy of really good, and done is better than perfect. That’s as much a reminder for me as for anyone else!
I could write a lot about perfectionism and I probably will. The best advice I can give is to try and look to see where the need for things to be perfect is coming from in us. What drives or motivates us to want that? When I got answers to some of those questions, I had better and more effective strategies for dealing with my own perfectionist ideas.
4. The amount of time needed
This is a practical point more than a mindset one. It literally does take me longer to write in my other languages. I am much faster in English and I make fewer changes and fewer mistakes. The whole correction phase is faster too. Sometimes we just don’t have that time.
A friend sent me the link for a blog parade and I really wanted to participate – but it was in German. I could have written something in English fairly quickly, but I knew that a German article would have taken longer – and that was time that I didn’t have. So I didn’t take part this time.
On the other hand, sometimes these things don’t take as long when we sit down to do them. We just expect that it will take ages and then never get round to starting. So this Romanian post that I want to write – I’m going to set myself a time and write as much as I can in that block. If I’m not finished, I’ll set myself another block of time on another day until the thing is done!
5. Questions about how we come across
In my experience at least, I want to feel confident and competent. But these things are linked. Some of my confidence comes from the fact that I know how to express myself clearly in English. If you take that away from me, some of my confidence wanders off as well. I want to show that I do really know what I’m talking about and I worry that, if I need to do it in a slightly simpler way, without all the details that I would naturally add in English, I’m not being entirely true to myself. It may not come across as well and I don’t like that.
The truth is, a perfectly-written text with no soul or personality isn’t going to do you any favours either. It’s important to show your competence, but it’s also important to be yourself. This takes time and practise, but it is definitely doable. Sometimes it means getting support from a trainer or trusted colleague. Sometimes it means practising in situations with fewer people. But getting to know the part of yourself that communicates in the other language can be a fun and rewarding adventure too.
6. Imposter syndrome
I know about this one too. An example that comes to mind is my German networking sessions. It makes sense that I’m offering them – I already had two sessions each month in English and last year I decided to add one in German too.
But should I be doing that as a non-native speaker? Would people even want to come? Would I have the skills? Wouldn’t it bother people if I forgot a word?
All these questions that could have derailed my plans!
Fortunately I thought about the questions and then did it anyway! People are coming to the sessions. They come back the next month! Sometimes the fact that German isn’t my first language is an encouragement to participants in the same position. We have a really good atmosphere that is welcoming and focused on connection rather than making every sentence perfect. Most importantly, we learn from each other.
Sometimes the voice of imposter syndrome is louder in another language, but in the end it is our decision whether we choose to listen to it!
7. It’s new
The truth is that all new things can feel a bit scary at the beginning. We don’t have any direct past positive memories to build on. Things feel unfamiliar and sometimes we try to shy away from that. But trying new things, being curious, seeing what we can do and whether we’ll enjoy new experiences are all things that help us to grow.
Think of the benefits
I can think of three reasons why producing some content in German and Romanian – maybe later Portuguese too – will be helpful for me. Maybe they apply to you too:
It builds trust
Sometimes clients relax and tell me more when the conversation doesn’t have to be in English. This is especially helpful at the beginning if we are discussing what they need and how I can help. Some clients are really comfortable working in other languages and English is the communication language for many companies. However, choice is good and if it’s a choice that a competitor isn’t offering, it can work in your favour.
Show, don’t tell
Sometimes, rather than talking about what we can do, it’s good to demonstrate our skills.
It can strengthen the message
This last one is a bit more specific to me because I’m a language trainer. But it doesn’t feel right to encourage people to take language risks, tell them it’s ok to make mistakes, and talk about all the benefits of being more visible in an additional language if I’m not willing to do those things myself. If I want credibility, I need to practise what I preach and do the not-so-easy thing because I want the benefits that come from doing that!
I know that monolingual language teachers are around, but I’ve never had one. And being a multilingual language trainer gives me another perspective and another set of tools that help me to support my clients. Knowing how it feels to be vulnerable and visible in another language is actually one of those tools.
How about you?
This post won’t be relevant to everyone who’s reading it, but if you’re a multilingual freelancer or independent professional, how do you feel about this topic? Is there anything that prevents you from using your additional languages on social media? Do you feel that you get your personality and level of knowledge across as you want to? Is there anything in this area that you’d like to try or do more of?
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