tanteMany of the people I do have online conversations with speak English as their first language. I kinda get by but you native speakers really underestimate how hard it is to express oneself in a foreign language. Concepts work differently, metaphors don't really translate, references you have used for decades don't make sense.
craignicol@tante as someone trying to learn German, and aware that my grasp is barely functional, please don't lose heart. English is 3 languages in a trenchcoat, and has stolen more from other cultures than the British Museum. Even native speakers get beaten by others for not communicating properly. Gatekeeping is ugly in any language