Why Your Imperfect English Makes You an Asset to American Companies

The Value of Linguistic Imperfection

“What’s your biggest weakness?”

It’s one of the most common interview questions. For many of the non-native professionals I coach, one answer feels obvious: English is not their native language. They worry that admitting this will overshadow their expertise before they even get the chance to show it.

That fear is understandable. It is also misleading. In today’s global workplace, imperfect English is often a professional advantage. The very thing candidates try to hide can be one of the things that makes them stand out, because it signals something employers actually need: clear thinkers who bring a different lens to communication, problem-solving, and decision-making.

A Personal Lesson in Speaking Imperfectly

I learned this firsthand when I moved to France. After more than eight years of studying French with straight As, I felt confident in class discussions. But real conversations with actual French people? I was completely lost. For the first two years that I lived in Paris, I gravitated toward my English-speaking colleagues because speaking French made me feel like a quieter, subdued version of myself (and anyone who’s met me knows I’m anything but quiet).

But when I started dating the Frenchman who would later become my husband, that ‘avoidance’ strategy fell apart. His social circle spoke only French, and at first, I barely spoke. I felt slow, stupid, and constantly aware of my mistakes. I wasn’t interesting. I wasn’t funny. And I certainly wasn’t me. There was no way to hide my linguistic gap, so I eventually decided to own it. I asked people to correct me. I asked why the language worked the way it did. Sometimes there was a clear answer, but often they didn’t know. This frequently led to rich conversations that delved into linguistic and cultural discussions.

The more I participated, the more people seemed to value what I brought to the group. I asked questions they had never considered. I noticed patterns they had stopped seeing. My language gaps created conversations that would never have happened otherwise.

Years later, when we moved to the United States, I watched the same pattern unfold in reverse. My husband’s perspective set him apart in both social and professional settings. Employers noticed his unique problem-solving approach, his analytical thinking, and the way he framed ideas differently from his peers. His accent was not what defined him. His perspective was.

A Different Language Means a Different Lens

Growing up with another language means growing up with another framework for interpreting the world. That framework shapes everything from how problems are analyzed to how possibilities are imagined.

Researchers have spent years studying how language influences cognition. While it’s incredibly challenging to isolate language from the host of external factors like culture, economics, and geopolitics, a 2026 study explored how certain words that signal uncertainty, such as ‘may’ or ‘might,’ affect how people evaluate future outcomes. The findings suggest that subtle linguistic differences can influence how distant or uncertain a possibility feels. Even small grammatical patterns can nudge decision-making in measurable ways.

This linguistic difference does not mean one language is better than another. It means different languages train the mind to notice different things. In a business environment that depends on quick situational analysis, innovation, and strategic thinking, that variety is incredibly valuable.

The Power of Questioning Communication

One of my favorite moments as a language coach is when a client stops mid-sentence and asks why English works the way it does. Native speakers rarely ask these questions because we automatically absorb patterns and irregularities. Non-native speakers have to seek them out.

Take phrasal verbs, where adding a preposition to a verb changes the meaning (for example, ‘get’ completely changes its meaning when you add the preposition ‘get up’). A house can ‘burn down’ or ‘burn up,’ and the meaning stays the same. But if you say you ‘get off’ with your boss, you have a very different situation than if you ‘get on’ with them (you might also have a potential lawsuit on your hands). To native speakers, these phrases feel natural. To learners, it can feel absurd. That curiosity forces analysis.

When someone pauses to ask what a phrase really means, they are doing something powerful. They are testing assumptions. They are making implicit meaning explicit. In the workplace, that habit prevents misunderstandings, improves documentation, and exposes vague language before it causes real problems. While vague language definitely serves its purpose—and I highly recommend watching the renowned linguist and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker's talk on this—it can lead to disasters in the workplace.

Native speakers often assume they are being clear because the sentence sounds natural to them. But 'natural' does not always mean 'understandable.' If one person is confused, others probably are too. The person who asks for clarification is often the one protecting the entire team from miscommunication.

Precision Is a Professional Skill

People sometimes treat fluency as the ultimate goal, as if sounding native were the same as communicating effectively. In reality, clarity, structure, and intent matter more than accent or idiomatic polish. Being a native speaker definitely has an advantage, but it doesn’t guarantee effective communication: plenty of native English speakers are terrible at it.  

Non-native speakers often develop effective communication skills more quickly because they have to. They listen closely. They learn to organize their thoughts before speaking. They choose vocabulary deliberately. Even when they lack the exact word, they search for the best way to make their idea understood, instead of assuming their audience will just ‘get it’. These habits are exactly what strong communicators do, regardless of language background.

Clarity Becomes the Default

When someone speaks in a second language, they tend to choose words carefully. They avoid unnecessary complexity, strip sentences down to essentials, and focus on meaning rather than style. But the advantages don’t just lie in the non-native speaker. The need for precision and clarity has a ripple effect.

Teams with non-native speakers can become more efficient communicators overall. When the risk of misunderstanding is higher (which is often the case when not everyone speaks the same language), good team leaders recognize the importance of clear communication: goals are defined more explicitly, and assumptions are invited to be questioned rather than silently accepted. This matters far more than most companies realize.

Externally, organizations will spend significant sums refining marketing copy to resonate across cultures. Yet many neglect their internal communication, where clarity matters just as much. If employees do not fully understand the company's priorities, alignment breaks down quickly. Working alongside colleagues who process language differently forces everyone to communicate in ways that are direct, structured, and understandable to all. When companies realize this, language differences are no longer a weakness. They help boost operational efficiency.  

Finding Value in Diversity, not Perfection

You are not being hired to sound like everyone else in the room. You are being hired because you bring knowledge, judgment, and perspective that the company does not already have. Language background is part of that perspective, not a flaw to hide.

Improving communication skills is always worthwhile, for native and non-native speakers alike. But perfection and uniformity shouldn’t be the goal. The real advantage lies in how you think, how you analyze language, and how you push conversations toward clarity.

Imperfect English does not limit your value. In many cases, it is one of the reasons you have it. So don’t hide your imperfections; own them and champion them for the unique value they bring.