blog · 10 oct 2026

your english isn't wrong. it just sounds translated

you wrote it. it's correct. and somehow it still reads like a letter from a bank.

here's the thing nobody tells you after years of grammar lessons: most work messages from non-native speakers are grammatically fine. what gives them away is rhythm. you translated the sentence word by word from your first language, so it arrives polite, complete and stiff.

"i'll check and inform you soon" is understandable. it just turns a two-second update into a formal notice. "i'll check and get back to you shortly" says the same thing and sounds like someone who does this every day.

native doesn't mean fancy

you don't need bigger words. native work english is usually shorter: it puts the point first, asks clearly, and softens with tiny words like just, quick, heads up, no worries.

7 swaps you can steal today

• i'll check and inform you soon→i'll check and get back to you shortly
• could you kindly send it→could you send it over?
• please kindly consider→i recommend
• please do the needful→could you take care of this?
• i have a doubt→i have a question
• i want to ask you about the deadline→could we confirm the deadline?
• please kindly provide the details→could you send the details?

notice what didn't change: the meaning. every swap keeps your point and drops the stiffness.

a 10-second check before you send

1. direct wording. could a teammate read it once and know what you mean?
2. a clear ask. is it obvious what you want them to do?
3. the right tone. is this how you'd say it to a colleague, not to an embassy?

you don't need perfect english. you need english that sounds like you.