Discrimination against non-native speakers

2 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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Hadar Shemesh on why non-native speakers face discrimination in teaching and corporate jobs, and why that bias doesn't reflect their actual worth. Non-native speakers are overachievers: they speak multiple languages, mastered fluency through perseverance, and bring strengths native speakers often lack.

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as non-native speakers, you might be discriminated, which absolutely sucks, whether it's as a teacher or as an employee in a global company. However, knowing that this is the reality out there cannot determine how you show up in the world, because what you have is a lot more and a lot more valuable than— so much more than just being a native speaker. We have so much more. We know the experience, we know the journey, we are overachievers because we were able to get to a fluent level at a second language and third and fourth sometimes, right? And it's so easy to forget that because the people in power or the powerful language is dismissing that. So it's so important to remind yourself of those things.