Blogging Language Dilemma: My Reasons for Writing in English

There's a key decision every blogger faces at the outset: Should I write in English, the lingua franca of the programming world, or stick to my native tongue? This choice, seemingly straightforward, is layered with complexity and personal significance. My journey through blogging—starting, stopping, then restarting, and restarting—led me to a crossroads more than once.

Why I Chose English

At its core, for me, writing is thinking. This fundamental belief has shaped my approach to blogging. It's more a reflective practice rather than just a means of communication. I chose to write in English for several key reasons:

• The Essence of Writing: Writing, for me, is a method of organizing thoughts. It's a process that demands clarity and precision. By writing, I engage deeply with my thoughts, often discovering new insights in the process. That's much more than putting down words. The process of writing is like code refactoring. You're looking for optimal structure.
• Learning and Building: My journey is one of continuous learning and building. I've opted to publish my thoughts as they develop, without a concrete business goal in sight. I caught myself several times with setting grande goal. Now my aim is to share my experiences, hoping to connect with others who are on similar paths. English, with its global reach, offers the perfect medium for this exchange.
• Keeping Options Open: Writing in English does more than just broaden my audience. It keeps my options open for future opportunities. To name few: collaborating on international projects, engaging with a global community, building projects, providing workshops. English serves as a bridge.
• Documenting My Journey: Working in an international environment means that English is already a significant part of my daily life. It feels natural, then, to extend this to my blogging. Documenting my journey in English allows me to share my experiences with a wider audience. Through blogging I can serve both those I work with and aspire to work with. There were many cases when I was explaining the same thing on multiple projects. If I document it earlier, I could simply share my posts. Even though we think our problems are unique, those are common in overview.
• The Craft of Writing: I view writing as a crucial skill. Communication can make or break a project, especially in tech industry. The discipline of writing in English—thinking, editing, rewriting—has been invaluable. It improves my ability to convey complex ideas briefly. Other times, it serves as a tool for review and reflection. When discussing new ideas, I prefer writing communication as well. It's easier to rethink, comment & discuss having written document.
• Finding Like-minded Individuals: English is the lingua franca of the tech world. It makes easier for me to connect with interesting people globally. The shared language fosters a sense of community and mutual understanding.
• Embracing Non-Native English: The realization that many in the tech community, like me, are non-native English speakers, has been liberating. It removed the fear and shame associated with potential linguistic imperfections. And there's no other way than to practice.
• Tech and English: Finally, the nature of technology itself is bound with English. Blogging in English as well, makes it a more practical choice. Translating tech concepts into my native language often feels like an unnecessary barrier. Not to mention that translation is often imperfect & unknown to most.

Motivation: The Heart of Language Choice

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?

The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.

Alice: I don't much care where.

The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.

The decision of whether to blog in English or one's native language is connected with one's goals and motivations. Understanding and clarifying these underlying objectives can illuminate the path forward. Language choice is not just preference, but a strategic decision aligned with your aspirations. Here are some key goals and motivations:

Documenting Your Journey Just document your journey. That's amazing how sharing can amplify your own understanding on topic. It allows to connect you with a community interested in your progress, challenges, and triumphs. We have similar problems & challenges in software projects. Sharing your journey can help really help others. Focus on use cases & lessons learnt. That's definitely something valuable there.

Sharing Knowledge to Find a Better Job Blogging can showcase your expertise to a wider array of potential employers. In the crowded market, blogging definitely enhance job prospects. It positions you as a knowledgeable professional, also opening doors to international job opportunities.

Building an Audience to Launch Products If your goal is to build a platform for future product launches, blogging significantly amplify your reach, attracting a diverse, global audience. This wide reach is invaluable for gathering feedback, building anticipation, and ensuring a successful launch.

Creating an Audience for Info Products For those aiming to create and sell informational products, it allows you to tap into a larger market. It facilitates the connection with engaged learners, maximizing the potential impact and revenue of your info products.

Sharing Your Story to Connect with Interesting People Blogging can help you connect with like-minded individuals. Sharing your thoughts fosters deeper engagement and collaboration. It brings together diverse perspectives and experiences.

Sharing Knowledge to Become a Consultant Blogging positions you as an authority in your field. It can attract clients who seek your expertise. It's a powerful tool for building a consulting business as well.

Other Criteria for Choosing a Language

When faced with the decision of which language to use, I didn't make the choice lightly. Several critical criteria came into play. It shaped my decision to embrace English as the primary language for sharing my tech journey.

• Target Audience: Understanding who I wanted to reach was paramount. My work in international projects and aspirations to connect with a global audience made English the logical choice. It wasn't just about sharing; it was about ensuring the message could be received and appreciated by as many interested readers as possible.
• Personal and Professional Goals: Reflecting on what I hoped to achieve, both immediately and in the long term, was crucial. While I didn't have a concrete business goal, the potential for learning, growth, and connection stood out as primary motivators. English, with its widespread use in the tech industry, aligned perfectly with these objectives.
• Accessibility and Reach: The desire to make my content accessible to a broader audience played a significant role. English significantly increases the reach of my blog, allowing me to share insights, challenges, and successes. Even though it's harder to build audience, I believe in consistency & providing value.
• Long-Term Perspective: My decision was influenced by a long-term view of my blogging journey. I asked myself where I saw my blog in the coming years and how the language choice would impact its evolution. English, as the dominant language in the tech world, promised a sustainable path for growth and engagement.
• Global vs. Local Impact: Choosing English meant aiming for a global impact. It allows to reach people beyond my immediate geographic and linguistic confines. It was about contributing to a wider conversation in the tech community. I believe that sharing tech experiences & lessons resonate across borders.

The Trade-Offs and Challenges

Opting to blog in English, while opening doors to a global audience, brings its own set of nuanced trade-offs and challenges. These considerations played a significant role in my decision-making process:

The Learning Curve

Embarking on a journey of blogging in English introduces a steep learning curve. It's not just about mastering the language. I also need to develop a myriad of other skills essential for effective blogging:

• Writing: Crafting well-structured, engaging posts in a second language demands a significant investment. It requires both learning & practicing.
• Filmmaking: For those incorporating video content, conveying your message through film in a non-native language adds complexity. Not to mention, creating videos itself.
• Preparing Posts: Beyond writing blog itself, one also has to prepare social media posts. Preparing interesting title, thumbnail & description is another set of skills.
• Preparing Graphics: Visual content must also transcend language barriers, requiring a keen sense of universal design principles.
• Collecting Ideas: Gathering and curating ideas for content that appeals interesting requires time. Luckily, when working on interesting projects, you have plenty of topics to discuss.

Audience Engagement and Competition

• Creating Courses: Finding an audience in the English-speaking market may present both opportunities and challenges. Market is bigger, but more competitive. You need to choose if you'd prefer to be a "big fish in a small pond" or a "small fish in the big lake."
• Initial Connection with Native Speakers: Engaging with English speakers might seem straightforward. However, forging deep connections requires more than shared language. Cultural nuances and personal relevance play a significant role. It's definitely easier to build connections with native speakers. Often you have common context & background with native audience.
• Navigating a Crowded Space: The ubiquity of English also means a saturated market. With numerous posts on virtually any tech topic, distinguishing your blog and being the first to cover emerging trends or insights can be challenging. Still, there are many niches.

Overcoming Language Barriers

• Writing in English demands constant vigilance to ensure clarity and accuracy, from grammar to idiomatic expressions. This effort is compounded by the desire to maintain authenticity and personal voice.

Summary: The Importance of Finding Your "Why"

In the journey of blogging, particularly when deciding to write in English or native language, understanding underlying motivations is paramount. It's these motivations that will fuel your efforts, guide your decisions, and sustain your engagement over the long haul.

In the short term, it's easy to ride the wave of initial enthusiasm. Publishing posts driven by excitement of starting something new. That getting started phase often lacks the foundation needed for long-term commitment. Definitely, one will face challanges and setback. Without a clear "why," the energy to continue can quickly wane.

The key to long-term success and consistency in blogging lies in a deep understanding of your motivations. Why do you want to share your journey, knowledge, or insights? To connect with audience? To position yourself as a thought leader? To build a platform for future product? Or are you just curious & eager to learn? Your "why" is your anchor; it keeps you grounded and focused, even when the excitement fades or the work becomes challenging.

Choosing to blog in English or your native language is a decision that should be informed by this "why." If your goal is to reach as wide and diverse an audience as possible, English may be your path. If you aim to deeply connect with a specific community, your native language could offer the most value.

In the short term, you are as good as your intensity. In the long term, you are only as good as your consistency. - Shane Parrish

And consistency is born from a clear and compelling "why." Find it, and you'll find the strength to continue.