A couple of thoughts on international student writing from the lens of a graduate writing consultant: a thread. #GradSchool #writing #AcademicTwitter 1/6

Although it is often easy to guess whether a piece of writing comes from a native English writer or a multilingual writer, typically via grammar and sentence structure, this is not always a sign that the writing needs remediation 2/6

If the piece of writing accomplishes the task for which it is written, then it is well-written. Period. 3/6

So many students come for writing support, either defeated or determined, because their professors tell them their writing needs work or their English isn’t great. Yet so many native English speakers, myself included, would struggle greatly to write in a second language 4/6

Research suggests that many multilingual writers may never write like a native English writer. I’m writing this to say that’s okay. If you’re a student writing in a second, third, fourth, or fifth language, I applaud you! 5/6

If you’re evaluating a student’s writing and you think it’s bad because they’re not a student of 12+ years of American English education, step back and ask yourself: does it accomplish the intended task? It might give you the perspective you need to check your implicit bias 6/6