"Native" English speakers

[geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA]

 Sabahat Ashraf wondered about how seriously to take the
 requirements for "native" English speakers in two recent
 job opportunities. As we've seen in previous discussions on
 this list, some companies will probably look at your name
 (or your mailing address, or your liberal arts degree, or
 whatever) and not consider your credentials any further,
 and that would be a darned shame, wouldn't it? It's their
 loss, but it's also yours... the proverbial lose-lose
 situation.

 The only case where I can see "native" being important is
 if the documentation is being localized. In that case, if
 you don't live and breathe in the local culture, it's
 doubtful you'll be able to do the job as well as a true
 native with comparable skill. There are definitely
 situations where knowledge of local idiom and style is as
 important as the raw language skills. One thought that
 occurs to me is to find out whether the company really
 needs someone to localize the text; if not, then there's no
 reason your skills shouldn't suffice.

 --Geoff Hart     @8^{)}     geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
 Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.

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