This headline is of course mainly meant as an “eye-catcher,” but sometimes this is how I think of myself—or, to be more precise, how I think Americans think of me. I know that this isn’t really the case, so let me explain why I’ve used it as a headline.

Sometimes I’m jealous of people who speak English natively. You think in what is a global language, and can express yourself in your native language. The rest of us have to translate both what we say and, even more importantly, what we try to answer when we’re asked a question. This article, for example, is proofread by Richard Romano to correct my English and see that it’s as close to what I intended as possible. Most Europeans understand English very well, but since it’s not our native language, when we’re asked something or otherwise spoken to, we have to process every word and every expression before we’re actually able to respond. Then the response also has to be translated and processed. This can make non-native-English speakers seem slower, less smart, or not as articulate as people who have mastered English.

In my opinion, Americans in general understand and accept that we don’t speak English as well as they do, so this is not a criticism but a fact. Even though I travel a lot, and talk and write English every day, I must accept that this is more difficult than you can probably imagine. For people who don’t speak English frequently, it must be an even worse situation. Most of the schools in the EU offer English as a second language from first or second grade. We are also extremely (some will say excessively) influenced by American culture and lifestyle. McDonald’s and Disney have put American culture in front of kids all over Europe with free toys included in every Happy Meal. Disney has brilliantly exposed Disney adventures to thousands of kids and families. Major companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, eBay, and Amazon have delivered products and services to Europeans to such a degree that some people don’t even see these companies as American but as truly global conglomerates. Music from The Bee Gees to Michael Jackson has been on the top 10 playlist just like in the U.S. and Hollywood films are also blockbusters in the EU, so American culture is far bigger part of many Europeans’ lives than European culture is in the U.S.