Many of you may know, my first language is Portuguese. I am originally from Brazil and for a long time, I didn’t feel like myself when creating content in English. Does it sound familiar?
I was too busy trying to sound “right.”
Right verb, the right preposition, the right phrase structure, as if I could somehow iron out my mother tongue with enough practice and self‑criticism.
I wasn’t really writing, I was performing.
Every sentence felt like a merit exam. Every LinkedIn post felt like a linguistic obstacle course. And every time someone said, “Oh, your English is so good!” I heard the unspoken “…for someone like you.”. Have you felt this way? Tough, right?
To make things even more interesting, I learnt American English back in the late 1900s early 2000s (I am that old!)… and for the past ten years I have been living in the UK. Although I have been here for that long, sometimes I still slip.. and Metre becomes Meter…And when it happened, a client complained that I spelled metre incorrectly.
Because in the UK, meter is metre. And apparently that one extra “re” was enough to make me feel like I didn’t speak the “right” English at all. It was exhausting. And it made me shrink myself.
Finding a Personal Proof-Reader
Because I was terrified of making mistakes, I recruited my husband as my proofreader… Every post. Every caption. Every detail I wanted to share. He was my personal grammar checkpoint.
But you see…the problem was that I wasn’t trying to be creative, I was desperately trying to ace a language test. And nothing kills creativity faster than treating our own voice like it needs permission to exist, not to mention having my husband as my critique! Of course, that solution was not sustainable at all!
But then… Copilot happened. Yes, you heard that right. AI helped me become more creative.
Not because it wrote for me, but because it removed the fear. Suddenly I didn’t have to obsess over grammar, spelling, prepositions, or whether my accent was somehow leaking into my writing. I could focus on ideas, not insecurities. But AI also had its flaws as a proof-reader. Even when the prompt is “just fix the grammar,” it occasionally decides to rewrite my entire personality, add three metaphors, and sprinkle in a motivational speech I did not ask for. So again, not sustainable and pretty annoying.
And that’s when I embraced the whole process of messy writing! It is enjoyable when our personality and quirks really reveal themselves. It also feels liberating! Don’t get me wrong, I still ask Copilot for synonyms and what is the correct phrase structure, but that comes at the end, and I am myself proof-reading my content.
AI is a great language collaborator, not a replacement and more importantly not a creativity or personality thief. And this balance is really important in times when everybody sounds the same.
So, if you are feeling stuck when writing content in a second or third language, try messy writing. Write freely without worrying about someone else judging your language skills. Write the incorrect phrase structure, use the incorrect verb tense and more importantly, write as if you would. Let your voice surface… after that you can worry about grammar (or not).
And Then There’s the Accent…
When it comes to speaking… oh, the accent anxiety. For years I felt hyper-aware of every syllable that didn’t sound “British enough.” I worried people were silently judging the way I pronounced things or how my Brazilian intonation slipped through.
But you know what? Most of the amazing speakers I admire and follow… English is not their first language neither!! I found myself watching and admiring content creators and speakers from everywhere, speaking English with the most incredible variety of accents, rhythms, and so‑called “incorrect” grammar. And yet… understanding has never been an issue.
That’s why, for me, speaking at conferences feels extremely familiar, welcoming and above all, human.
At the end of the day, our audience does not really care where our accent comes from or how perfect our spelling and grammar are, they care about our ideas.
Say It Your Way
Creating content in a second language should never feel like a self‑critique of our vocabulary, our accent, or the way our sentences naturally take shape. It should be an act of expression, a space where our background, our mother tongue, our “mistakes,” and our perspective come together to create something only we can make.
Our voice is not less because it carries another language, it is richer because of it. And the moment we stop chasing perfection and start embracing authenticity, that’s when our real creativity and originality finally has room to breathe.
