BESIDES writing this daily column and content creation, I also stick my nose in other people's grammar as an English coach to earn my keep. In case you weren't aware and contrary to what people who only know my social media persona may think, I am not from the academe, nor did I major in English at university. I was actually an Engineering major. Surprise, surprise. I'm a coach, not a teacher. There's a slight difference. And this just shows that passion can fuel anything that you put your mind into. That said, my teaching methods are far from academic. I employ practical ways in helping people reach their English communication goals. These include listening and nitpicking their speech early on in our engagement. Now, it does not take an Einstein to know that translation is an important step in speaking a second language, specifically in this case, for a Filipino non-native English speaker to speak English. And this is where we, non-native English speakers, are different from one another. The way we translate our thoughts from our first language, whatever that may be, to English is what gives us away. And this is where we need to be more mindful. A common mistake that Filipinos commit when translating is that they do it literally. Word for word. Like earlier today, at the pool area in our condo, I overheard a swimming coach praising her student who was doing well with her strokes, say: 'Very good! Always together, the feet!' What she wanted to say in Tagalog was: 'Magaling! Parating magkadikit ang mga paa!' Notice how hers was a word for word translation? If she had been more mindful and took a little more time in translating, she could have said it in a more natural way, like: 'Good job! Feet always together!' So, work on your translations. That is one sure way of improving your speech.