Dear Queenie,
I work in an international office where English is our working language. English also happens to be my first language. My supervisor's first language is Dutch. Here's the problem. Every time I draft a letter, she makes edits to my English. The trouble is... many of the corrections are wrong. She changes perfectly natural English into phrases that sound translated rather than written. Sometimes the grammar is incorrect. Other times the wording is so awkward that I quietly change it back before the letter goes out. I've tried, as tactfully as possible, to explain that certain expressions aren't used in English, but she insists her version is better. I don't think she's trying to undermine me. I think she genuinely believes she's improving the writing. The irony is that part of my job is communicating clearly in English. I don't want to embarrass my supervisor or create tension over something that seems small. But every unnecessary correction chips away at my patience, and, if I'm honest, at my professional credibility. Queenie, how do you tell someone they're correcting you incorrectly? —Lost in Translation
Dear Lost in Translation,
There are few things more frustrating than being confidently corrected... by someone who is wrong. The difficulty is that this isn't really about grammar. It's about hierarchy. If a colleague made these edits, you could have a friendly discussion over coffee. When it's your supervisor, every correction carries the weight of authority, whether it's accurate or not. That makes the situation much trickier. Your first instinct, to explain gently was the right one. Unfortunately, not every conversation changes a person's confidence in their own expertise. Some people are convinced that because they speak a language well, they also write it well. Those are different skills. So what now? Pick your battles. If a change merely sounds a little clunky, let it go. If a change alters the meaning, introduces an error, or reflects poorly on the organization, that's worth revisiting. Instead of saying, "That's incorrect," try saying, "Would you mind if we kept the original wording? It's the more common phrasing for English-speaking audiences." Notice the shift. You're appealing to the audience, not challenging her competence. If the issue continues, another option is to suggest a shared style guide or, for high-profile correspondence, an external language review. That turns the discussion from “whose English is right” into “how the organization ensures consistency.” One last thought. Being fluent in a language doesn't make someone infallible. It also doesn't mean you have to surrender your expertise to preserve the peace. Diplomacy is knowing when to correct the sentence... and when to correct the process instead. —Queenie
