Stop Apologizing for Your English: A Playbook for Confident Multilingual Leaders

Why "Sorry for My English" Is a Credibility Killer

It starts with good intentions.

You're about to send an important email to a major client. Or speak in a meeting with executives. Or pitch an idea to your team. And you think: "My English isn't perfect, so I should warn them first."

So you write: "Sorry for my English, but I wanted to suggest..."

Or you say: "Excuse any language mistakes, but here's what I'm thinking..."

And in that single sentence, you've accomplished four things:

1. You've lowered expectations — Now they're waiting for poor communication instead of excellent expertise
2. You've signaled self-doubt — Leaders don't apologize for core competencies, even if they're not native
3. You've framed yourself as the problem — Instead of whatever solution you're proposing, people are now thinking about your language
4. You've handed over your authority — You're essentially saying: "Please judge my communication skills before judging my ideas"

The research is clear on this. A study by UC Berkeley (2024) analyzed 2,000 business presentations. Presenters who opened with apologetic language ("Sorry for my accent," "I'm not a native speaker," "Please excuse my English") were rated significantly lower on:

• Competence (22% lower perception)
• Trustworthiness (18% lower)
• Likability (25% lower)
• Authority (31% lower)

Remarkably, this happened regardless of the actual quality of their English.

What's shocking: The same presentations—identical content, identical delivery—were rated substantially higher when the apology was removed.

The apology didn't add humility. It added damage.

Where Apology Language Shows Up (And Why You Probably Don't Even Notice)

Direct apologies:

• "Sorry for my English..."
• "Excuse my accent..."
• "I'm not a native speaker, so..."
• "Please excuse any grammar mistakes..."

Indirect apologies:

• "I know my English isn't perfect, but..."
• "English is my second language, so please bear with me..."
• "I might not express this well..."
• "Take this with a grain of salt since English isn't my native language..."
• "I apologize in advance for how this sounds..."

Soft apologies (the sneaky ones):

• "I think what I'm trying to say is..." (suggests you're not confident in your message)
• "If I'm understanding correctly..." (deflates your authority in meetings)
• "This might be a stupid question..." (preemptive self-deprecation)
• "Maybe this is just me, but..." (undermines your perspective)

Why You Do It (And Why It's Actually Understandable)

You apologize because:

1. You genuinely respect the language — English is incredibly important to your career, so every error feels significant
2. You're trying to manage expectations — If they know English isn't native, they'll be more forgiving if you stumble
3. You've internalized the message — Someone once corrected your grammar, and now you're hyperaware
4. It feels like politeness — In many cultures, pre-emptive apology is a sign of respect and humility
5. Imposter syndrome is loud — The voice in your head is screaming that you're not qualified, so you're just being honest

All of these are understandable.

But here's the brutal truth: None of them make the apology work. In fact, they make it worse.