Why English?
Why write in English? Was it my choice?
As a North African woman, a question like this is inevitable. I know for a fact that I’m going to be asked such a question.
Let’s start with judgments and presumptions. shall we? You may think that I chose English because maybe I hate my mother tongue language or French (second official language).. Or maybe I’m not good enough at them. Well, you’re wrong? This is not the case. I’m going to put it in simple words. Don’t worry no complicated or philosophical arguments.
Writing in English was never a choice. Yes, I really didn’t choose. I mean it’s not a calculated choice, It’s not a discriminated one either. I didn’t choose to write in English because I hated Arabic or French. I didn’t write in English because I want to brag about being an English writer.
It simply charmed his way into me. True I fell in love with it at first when I listened to English songs and watched American movies.. Then I kept watching movies, series, and broadcasts and listening to English music. Then, reading more and more English books and writing work notices and journals in English.. Slowly instinctively I found myself expressing myself in writing only in English.
Bingo! The force of habit. As simple as that. My everyday intensive consumption and practice of English. It’s a habit like drinking coffee every day or going for a hike every Sunday. A habit is much more powerful than anything. A habit slowly becomes part of you and what makes you “YOU”. It becomes like an instinct you can’t really control or change easily.
The pros of English
it enabled me to communicate with clients from foreign countries and snatch freelance job offers.
it enabled me to contact authors from different countries on social media and learn new things from them.
English is only a tool
English is only a tool to reach beyond our reach. It’s a tool that helped me broke the boundaries to fly all over the world in my spot. Learn more than I could imagine and be up to speed with worldwide innovation in any field I choose.
it doesn’t matter if you’re Spanish, British, Indian, Chinese, Egyptian, Australian.. A global language can bring us all together to connect and learn from each other. It’s a door to open up to the world.
And soon my book will be read by readers anywhere in the world.
I hope I made it clear enough for you from my perspective. Don’t forget if you’re an English reader to get my book and tell me what you think on Goodreads ;)
D.B. SOLTANA — “The Girl with the Golden Mind”
