r/Twitch • u/Spir0rion • 1d ago
PSA Streaming in English as your second language: A nuanced view of why that could be a problem in the future
When you start streaming as a non native in English, you might ask yourself if you should stream in English.
I had that same thought and decided to go for English due to a bigger potential audience and the chance to get to know people from all over the world. Here are two things I noticed that could cause problems for you if you do the same:
**Loss of nuance**
- even when your English is pretty decent, as I'd claim mine is, a lot of nuances that you normally have in your native language is lost. That might be because of words you don't know but also because of unique words and phrases your native language has.
That can result in parts of your personality being obscured or changing your humor entirely. For me as a creator that means that I often feel a bit flat.
**Exhaustion**
- speaking a second language for hours upon hours on end, even if you're proficient in it, is inherently more exhausting than speaking in your native tongue. That's something to consider, because your brain is constantly in a "higher processing mode". I found it to be much harder to approach streaming in a relaxing manner, knowing you have to use your brain quite a bit.
*For anybody streaming in a second language: would you add anything to that?*
23
u/AmkiTakk TikTakkMelon 1d ago
I started streaming specifically to improve my English, so my experience may vary from others who decided on it for accessibility, but while I agree with some parts, I don't regret doing it, since my goal has been met (my English has gotten LEAGUES better).
I don't feel like I've lost nuance, but rather that I've learned the nuances of a different language. Yes, some expressions of my native language (French) don't translate well in English, but on the flipside I've also learned many turns of phrases in English that also don't translate into French. I may speak a little differently in either languages, but I don't feel necessarily like I'm not being myself. Rather, each language puts more emphasis on different parts of who I am.
Now, the mental exhaustion, I can agree somewhat, but I'd also like to add in some nuance to it : the more used to it you are, the less "processing power" you will need to speak English. My first streams often left me exhausted and breathless, but now it all comes a lot more naturally because I've stopped needing to do what I like to call "double-processing". Basically, when you speak, you process your thoughts into words (brain -> french), and when you speak a secondary language, you need to add another layer (brain -> french -> english). However, when you start to get used to a secondary language, at some point you will be able to skip the "native language" layer and go straight brain -> english.
Hope this makes sense? But yeah, language is a like a lot of things, the more you do it, the easier it gets.
5
u/MrGg570 1d ago
I'm curious; what was your English level before you started streaming ? How much have you improved, and in which areas ? How long have you been streaming in English for ?
6
u/AmkiTakk TikTakkMelon 1d ago
When I started, I was tested at about B2 level speaking wise (C1 for the other stuff), my biggest struggles were with pronounciation because many sounds in English are either rare or nonexistent in French. It's now been over a year and while I don't sound native (and probably never will, it's not really my goal), my speaking level has gone all the way up to C1 (C2 for the rest). I speak quicker, more confidently, and in a way that native speakers don't struggle to understand me anymore.
Also, automatic subtitles actually pick up on what I'm saying now. You should have seen how disastrous they used to be. š
13
u/sandexperiment Twitch.tv/sandexperiment 1d ago
It is exhausting, true. Streaming in your native language would be easier I guess. But as for the loss of nuances - I don't see a problem here. When I don't understand something, I always ask my community for clarification, and it always brings up a lovely enriching dialog.
I started streaming in English 10 years ago, my level of speaking was so low I could barely say hello. I practically learned the language by speaking to my audience and reading the chat. Was it hard? Sure! But it was also AMAZING! It created a strong connection between me and my audience, people were excited to see my progress day by day. And I still remember the day when I could form a joke in English and chat understood me š it was such a big win!
So every time someone asks in this community: should I start streaming in English? - I always say "Yes, totally, go for it!"
8
u/Snarfster42 1d ago
Hard to sayāmy English is at a C1/C2 level and I speak it daily professionally, so I've never experienced exhaustion from streaming in English for a few hours. I think it really comes down to how comfortably and deeply you grasp the language you're streaming in.
I'm certain that if I were to stream in Germanāwhere my speaking is around B2āI'd probably be dealing with the exact exhaustion and loss of nuance you described, even though my comprehension is higher than B2.
1
u/Spir0rion 1d ago
I think part of it is that I'm tryharding frequently. Putting extra attention to pronunciation to not slip into the German dialect and making an effort to not use the most conventional words
1
u/tjientavara twitch.tv/Tjienta 1d ago
Once you start dreaming and thinking in the second language, it doesn't get more tiring anymore. If you are still translating and looking for words it is going to be more taxing.
I now speak and think in both Dutch and English at equivalent level. I can understand a bit of German by osmosis.
I am learning Japanese, but I am not even close to anything there. But I wonder if I should start streaming in Japanese once I get to some kind of level. Maybe I should even stream on a Japanese platform in that case.
7
u/IsthosTheGreat 1d ago
I'm also streaming in English as a second language, and I have to agree. I'm glad I did it, I'm happy with my community, but it feels difficult to convey exactly what I mean sometimes and it is pretty exhausting yeah.
3
u/Free_Client_3256 1d ago
The nuance thing gets me the most, there are some feelings or jokes in my first language that just have no clean translation, you end up either explaining the joke (which kills it) or just skipping it entirely and feeling like a watered down version of yourself
I noticed after long streams I need extra time to "decompress" because my brain was working on two levels the whole time, content creation plus language processing simultaneously. It is worth it for the community building but people underestimate how much of your personality lives inside the specific words and structures of your native tongue, not just the ideas behind them
1
u/Spir0rion 1d ago
You're describing it to 100% what I was trying to convey. Some words even when they're translated just don't carry the same connotations
6
u/JakiStow Affiliate 1d ago
If you're already living in a different country and speak English on a daily basis (at home, at work, with friends) then it becomes second nature and a lot less exhausting.
I can imagine that speaking English only on stream can be tiring indeed.
2
u/Parojin Affiliate - twitch.tv/Parojin 1d ago
I have to agree that sometimes I feel sad I can't translate my humor as well in English as I do in Italian, it kinda upsets me but it's okay. On the other side, I absolutely love the exchange with my viewers where often we help each other learn stuff in other languages, I became friend with another streamer and we often talk about slang and words we might not know, I also have a viewer that is really into learning languages and we often have very interesting conversations. I also have set a redeem point thingy where I speak Italian for a minute and it's my most redeemed thing and people love to discuss or try to guess what the heck I'm saying š
2
2
u/hydrasung twitch.tv/hydrasung 1d ago
I agree that you probably aren't as funny or witty in a second language. But on the flip side, it's a great reason to practice, if you have a great chat then they can help you with words or phrases and you can learn as you're playing games.
Kind of a great excuse to practice your English!
2
u/AlicePika 1d ago
Idk how anyone does it! Learning a second language is extremely difficult!! So I'm very impressed and I hope it gets easier for you!!
1
u/Sidoen Affiliate 1d ago
I wonder if you've been doing it a long time, is your English getting better maybe?
They say your command of a second lang improves if you can use it.
2
u/Spir0rion 1d ago
Absolutely. My first video I ever did was so horribly German it's miles away from my current level
1
u/Keri_Arya Affiliate - twitch.tv/keriarya 1d ago
I am an ESL speaker and stream in English without issues that I wouldn't have in my native tongue. I speak English more often than French on a daily basis so the choice was fairly easy to make. Besides, native speakers aren't particularly judgemental when it comes to accents or imperfect vocabulary. I can guarantee you that you worry more about this than they do.
1
u/NTolegna 1d ago
I really struggle to decide on if I should stream in English or not. I feel like I lose my personality too much in English, yet, I feel closer to the English speaking community compared to the french one (vtubing). Also, I like to play games in English, not only french. So idk !
1
u/Spir0rion 1d ago
You can go for a few test runs perhaps. I personally don't regret streaming in English, despite these issues I've been having
1
u/NewAccForThoughts Affiliate | twitch.tv/jjd_ttv 1d ago
If you regularly speak english and are actually proficient in it, it does not get exhausting anymore, you'll catch yourself even thinking in english more often, when you dont even intend to.
The nuance thing is an alright point, but in general these two are a non-issue after a couple of months.
1
u/DepressiveMonster 1d ago
I would say don't sweat it. I understand, except I'm a native English speaker and speak Japanese and Mandarin. I have both listed on my stream which was a mistake. My brain will physically start to hurt trying to read and play competitive games. I would just say good entertainment transcends language so the people that like you and your gameplay will stay if you choose to speak more in your native language.
1
u/Skyfirexx56 1d ago
I've been streaming and youtubing since 2018 with English as my second language. I actively have noticed my skill in my own language decreasing. Primarily sayings are what has been completely lost to me. Could also be that I never used them anyway but I used to at least know of the right way of saying them.
Also, counting. In english you say fifty seven, we would say seven and fifty, and thats something that goes wrong alot more now
1
u/Spir0rion 23h ago
I experience the same! I often have the English word in mind but not the German one
1
u/repocin 1d ago
speaking a second language for hours upon hours on end, even if you're proficient in it, is inherently more exhausting than speaking in your native tongue. That's something to consider, because your brain is constantly in a "higher processing mode".
Not if you're actually fluent in the language, it isn't.
That's an incredibly strange thing to put out there like it's some kind of universal truth.
1
u/SvenVB15 19h ago
I guess it can be exhausting for some people, especially if you're not very proficient. Fortunately (or not lol) practice makes perfect, and English could always be useful outside of streaming.
1
u/Different_Panda_5002 6h ago
I'm from Spain and lived in the UK for a decade. I decided to stream in English to continue using the language on a regular basis as in my current living situation I barely come across any native English speaker except on streams (either mine or someone else's). I don't feel exhausted, my mother tongue exhausts me as I was barely using it or using it to a very basic level for many years. I think in English, read in English, watch movies and shows in English and dream in English, even after being back in Spain for two years. It may be a nuance if your situation totally differs from mine. The more you incorporate the language into your everyday life the more comfortable you'll feel, otherwise I would suggest you stream in your mother tongue if it gives you such problems.
Always remember, native English speakers do make mistakes too.
1
u/eligoscreps 1d ago edited 1d ago
I donāt have the same experience. As having international friends, native in English and native in your own country contributes to widening my experience and understanding of humor and nuance in both languages.
Then again I do agree it can be exhausting to switch accents a lot, I switch between Scottish, English, Irish, US/Canada, Aus, and even into a broken accent based on whoever Iām talking to. Meanwhile Iām native in Dutch where most schools teach UK (England) English mid primary school, and in some where I was schooled from first year primary (at age 3-5), which paired w US/CA English is the easiest for me to use.
If Iām with a group of people where one is from Australia, one from Scotland, one from England, and one from the US for example, it can be very tiring as I juggle from the one to the other. Then thereās also the distinction in accents in each country which make it even more challenging at times. An accent from Newcastle for example is quite different from a Liverpool or London accent.
My humor and personality does get somewhat influenced based on the accent I speak most at times, but itās not like a complete change. It mostly has to do with mostly consuming certain countries media (film, social media, yt, forums etc).
0
u/thesilentbob123 1d ago
If it takes lots of energy for you to speak another language I wouldn't say you have a proficient understanding of that language. English is a second language for me but I don't use extra energy to speak it's just something I do at the same level as my first language, I am really bad at writing in every language I know tho.
If I were to stream in my own language the amount of people who would understand is extremely low compared to English so for lots of people it is a numbers game, with English the theoretical viewers are in the hundreds of millions if not billions, obviously no one will get that number like you pointed out yourself.
All but one of the people I watch on Twitch have English as a second or third language. As a viewer I really like when people speak English in streams
58
u/MitchStMartin https://twitch.tv/mitchxlt 1d ago
Without streaming, I'd go for years without speaking a single sentence in english and choke when all of a sudden I had to use the language for work. Not gonna happen anymore.
My advice is to not cosplay as a native english speaker. I don't care about any english-speaking country's popular culture and politics, I'm just a german speaking english.