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I am encountering a problem with my job right now. I am a foreign student working as an intern and am facing problems with communication as English is my second language. The boss has used this as a reason to fire me because I have made several minor mistakes. I did give my supervisor everything to proofread. I think that is part of the reason that annoys her, because she thinks that I delay her job.
I'm sorry that you are finding it so hard working in your intern job. It seems that you have set for yourself a very hard task. I lived in Spain for four years and spoke Spanish, but I would never feel competent working in a job competing with others who had Spanish as their first language; even English-born fluent Spanish speakers make lots of mistakes. Too bad you can't work for a company translating from English into your native tongue. My advice to you is to find a job that doesn't require perfect English, maybe something you would be more qualified for.
It is also possible that those of us who easily speak English might have a problem with your supervisor. Try not to take this problem personally. S/he may be a difficult person to work with.
Ask your career supervisor at your college to help you find a job more suited to your skills and abilities. Please write and let me know how it goes.
Dr. Ginger Gabriel, Ph.D., M.F.T., is an author and speaker as well as a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California. With Master of Arts degrees in counseling and missions and a Ph.D. in psychology, she has traveled to Asia, the Middle East and throughout North American giving her four-to fifteen-hour relationship and counseling skill-building seminars.
Her favorite pastimes are kayaking, quilting, hiking and reading novels. She is married to Dr. Stan Gabriel. They have three children and three grandchildren.