openstack-manuals/doc/doc-contrib-guide/source/non-native-english-speakers.rst

===========================
Non-native English speakers
===========================

OpenStack projects communicate in English, and our documentation is written
in US English. However, many documentation contributors have English as a
second (or third, or fourth) language. This poses many challenges for non-
native English speakers, but there are some things that native English-
speakers can do to make it easier to include non-native speakers in our
community. This chapter contains some suggestions for both native and
non-native English speakers to help make our community more inclusive and
welcoming for all people.

.. note::

   This chapter was written based on the wonderful talk given by Masayuki
   Igawa, Dong Ma, and Samuel De Medeiros Queiroz at linux.conf.au in 2017.
   Thank you for their permission to use this content, and for their
   feedback and support during development. You can watch their original
   talk on YouTube: `Non-native English speakers in Open Source communities:
   A True Story <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsn6buk-BtE>`_ or
   read their article on opensource.com: `Tips for non-native English speakers
   working on open source projects
   <https://opensource.com/article/17/1/non-native-speakers-take-open-source-communities>`_.

New contributors with English as a second language
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Challenges related to language skills are easier to overcome than cultural
ones. Cultural differences need to be respected, while English skills can
always be improved.

In order to brush up on your English skills, be in contact with the language
as much as you can. Do not think about your limitations. Just do your best
and you will improve eventually.

Read as much as you can, because this will help you gather vocabulary.
Communicating through chat and mailing lists daily helps, too. Some tools,
such as real-time dictionaries and translators, are very useful with these
platforms.

Talking to others or yourself helps you become comfortable speaking out more
frequently. Having one-on-one conversations to express your ideas is easier
than discussing in larger groups.

Speak and write your opinion, and ask your questions; this participation is
always a good opportunity to exercise your English. Do not be afraid.

For meetings, make sure you prepare yourself in advance so you will be
comfortable with the subject and more confident about the opinions you are
expressing.

Make friends who are English speakers and talk more to practice your
English skills.

Writing and reading blogs and technical articles in English are also great
ideas.

Reading
-------

This is the easiest but also the most important skill. It is the
easiest because if you can not understand what is written you have the
opportunity to read it again, or as many times as needed. If you encounter an
uncommon phrase, expression, or abbreviation, you can use a dictionary or
translator. On the other hand, it is the most important skill because for
most open source projects the main means of communication are mailing lists
and IRC.

Writing
-------

English grammar is an issue especially for languages that structure
sentences differently. This may pose a problem for communication in writing
emails and communicating via IRC channels. For some, writing long and
beautiful sentences is difficult, and the reliance on simpler sentences is
prevalent because these are easy to write and convey understanding.

Listening
---------

Listening is more problematic than reading and writing for non-native
speakers. Normally, conversation between native English speakers is very
fast, which makes following the discussions for those still learning
difficult and limits their participation in those discussions. Furthermore,
trying to understand the variety of accents in a globally spread community
adds to the complexity. Interestingly, American pronunciation is often easier
to understand than others.

Speaking
--------

Speaking is more difficult than listening because the participant's
vocabulary may be a bit limited. Furthermore, English phonemes and grammar
are often very different from a non-native speaker's mother language, making
an interaction even more difficult to understand.

Working with non-native English speakers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a native English speaker, it can sometimes be difficult to determine
when a non-English speaker is having trouble communicating with you because
of a language barrier, or because there are cultural challenges that are
making it difficult. This can occur even between different English-speaking
cultures. Cultural differences must be respected, while English skills can
always be improved.

Here are some general guidelines for making your communications as clear
as possible to a diverse audience:

* Speak slowly and use simple words and sentences.
* Do not ever make fun of non-native English speakers if you find something
  wrong about the English they use.
* Try to encourage newcomers to express their opinions and make them
  comfortable enough to do so.
* Remember that asynchronous written communications (such as email) are easier
  for non-native English speakers, as they have time to
  translate and understand. If you need to discuss a complicated topic, then
  this will often be the best option.
* IRC meetings can often move too fast for non-native English speakers, and
  face-to-face communication (or video calls) are even worse. Always circulate
  meeting agenda or talking points ahead of time, give participants plenty of
  time to think about topics and raise questions before moving on to the
  next topic, and circulate detailed notes or minutes afterwards.

Some specific cultural things to remember
-----------------------------------------

Each culture has different norms when interacting with other people. This
section describes some specific cultural differences that you might encounter,
along with some practical advice for native English speakers to try and
overcome these particular barriers.

Americans and Australians especially are often very direct, even terse, in
the way they communicate, which can come across to other cultures quite
rudely. Chinese and Brazilian Portuguese speakers like to list the facts
first and give the request or action at the end, so you may need to read
through emails very carefully to find out what you are being asked for. This
structure is also good to remember when you are writing to people who
communicate in this way, as it will be easier for them to understand your
request if it is in a format they are familiar with. Try to remember to start
emails with a greeting, a compliment, a positive comment on the work being
discussed, or an observation about a common topic (for example: "It's been
wonderful to see so many reviews from you recently.", or "I really enjoyed
reading your latest post to the mailing list."), before getting into the main
topic of discussion, especially if your main topic is negative. Additionally,
remember to explain the background to your request and include any links
or other information that might help form the context of your message.

In Japanese culture, people tend not to say yes or no clearly as a way to
respect others and to avoid appearing argumentative. A common phrase in
Japanese business language is "Zensho shimasu" (善処します), which literally
means "I'll do my best", however the actual meaning is "I will do nothing",
or "no way". This type of linguistic confusion has caused many problems
between Japanese and English speakers, most famously between Prime Minister
Eisaku Sato and President Richard Nixon in the 1960s. If, as an English
speaker, you notice a Japanese speaker being a bit evasive in committing, or
seeming to commit to too many things, check in with them in a private email.
It will be much easier for them (from a cultural perspective, anyway) to say
yes or no privately, than on a mailing list or IRC.

In Chinese culture, people prefer to just say yes, instead of saying no or
trying to negotiate. This is largely due to the complex Confucian culture,
one of the books of which is 'Doctrine of the Mean', which teaches leniency.
In practice, however, this means Chinese speakers will often take on much
more than they actually want to. If, as an English speaker, you notice
a Chinese speaker taking on a lot of projects, try to politely give them
a way to refuse. You might try to say something like "You have a lot of
things to do right now, are you sure you want to do this too?". That will
give them an opportunity to give you a plainer answer, rather than simply
agreeing out of politeness.

.. note::

   Do you have an interesting point to make about your culture? Patches are
   welcome to this section! Explain the difference, and give some advice for
   English speakers on how to overcome it.