# Should non-natives answer questions?



## User With No Name

I'm a native speaker of English, with what I would like to think is a fairly strong (but definitely non-native) knowledge of Spanish. Since I have too much free time lately and spend a lot of it on this forum, sometimes I answer what I consider to be basic questions about Spanish. I figure it frees up native Spanish speakers to answer more complicated questions, and sometimes I do think the perspective of an advanced non-native speaker can have genuine value.

What do you think? Should I (and people my situation) avoid commenting about languages that we don't speak as natives?


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## TheCrociato91

Hi.

I also sometimes participate in fora without being a native speaker of either of the languages involved. What I always do is I make it very clear that I'm not a native speaker, and I also advise the OPs to wait for other (and better) options.

I honestly see no problem with non-natives answering questions related to different languages, as long as their knowledge of the language is decent (otherwise they might be giving out wrong information, to the detriment of the OP, in the event that no native speaker intervenes).


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## Peterdg

There is a similar thread here.

Of course you can answer questions about languages that are not your native language if you think you have something interesting to say about the question. If I only answered questions about my native language then my life would be quite miserable here in this forum .

If I say something wrong, I'm sure I will be corrected by somebody else.


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## citrustree

You shouldn't be prevented from sharing your useful knowledge with other members simply because you are a non-native. Sometimes advanced non-natives can give a good explanation on grammar.

However, I think you should state the fact that you are a non-native. If you are not very sure about something, you should at least clearly state that fact, or simply refrain from answering.

In the past I've seen non-natives giving wrong answers as if they were correct. That kind of behaviour can be detrimental to the learners. The problem is that some people are not cautious enough to stop and think if they really know what they are talking about before answering.


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## lauranazario

citrustree said:


> In the past I've seen non-natives giving wrong answers as if they were correct. That kind of behaviour can be detrimental to the learners. The problem is that some people are not cautious enough to stop and think if they really know what they are talking about before answering.


That is an aspect that any user should definitely take into consideration! A person should never assume that anyone's answer is 100% correct 100% of the time in 100% of cases. Why? Because of two very important aspects: language nuances and regional usage.

A forum user can see a thread with a question and offer a translation or equivalency in good faith (with no malicious intent to misguide anyone) because he or she believes their contribution is "correct".
Now it is entirely the Original Poster's responsibility (the person who asked the question) to make additional online research and check if the reply seems appropriate for his particular sentence or for the country's language usage.

Sadly, some people post replies that are too quick and not well thought out. Or perhaps they _think_ they understood the question and what was being asked but, in reality, they missed the mark. When that happens, other people who reply to the thread will usually point out the mistake.


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## SimonTsai

First, I would like to apologise to those whom I unconsciously misled and gave wrong answers to. I used to be one of the non-natives criticised in this thread for not being responsible for their answers, and I was warned politely by two of the moderators in the English-Only forum. So now I usually remain silent: I think that my command of English is yet to be good enough.

But I do agree that non-natives are free to make comments: I learnt a lot from a Bulgarian in the English-Only forum.


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## wildan1

I find that in some cases non-native speakers can help another non-native understand or systematize some features and uses of the other language more clearly than a native who "just knows" what is right and what is not.

I've learned a number of rules/guidelines around English grammar and usage in the French-English Forum from French native speakers, who often have had experience in teaching English to other speakers of French.

I do agree that when you are dealing with a non-native language, your suggestion should always acknowledge that: _"As far as I know..."_ or _"In my experience I have heard xyz said, used"_, _"What I was taught was...", _etc.


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## tsoapm

citrustree said:


> I think you should state the fact that you are a non-native.


This is actually part of Rule 18 of the forum.





lauranazario said:


> it is entirely the Original Poster's responsibility [to] check if the reply seems appropriate


Yes, you have to be prepared to do your own thinking, and you get what you pay for! I try to approach all suggestions critically, no matter who they come from, but the native languge of the speaker is certainly a very important part of that.


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