Rodney,
From the archives.
Once upon a time, I sat on a bar stool in a downtown-DC pub next to a pleasant woman who revealed, in due course, that she had been a translator for a large international organization for 15 years. She was not born in the USA but she speaks English "without any accent at all".
To which I said, Well, that's not exactly true.
Do you think I have an accent?
Yes.
What do you think it is and how can you tell?
It's German (a reasonable guess) and I could tell the minute you opened your mouth. I'd bet you're from somewhere around Essen (a wild stab in the dark, the first town name that came to mind.).
Hmm, she said. EVERYONE has ALWAYS told me I have NO TRACE of an accent. And, believe it or not, I was born and raised in Essen.
She was dumbfounded that people could have blown so much smoke up her ass for so long. She thanked me PROFUSELY for letting her in on the
secret.
.brad.05feb03.
Besser spät als nie, eh what?
.br-had.15apr11.
P.S, Note the finely-drawn distinction in the second line of the story. "she had been a translator for a large international organization for 15 years". Remember the Default Rule? Try the past tense first. It's the default.
Had (subjunctive) I used the default, "was", it would clearly mean that she was then employed as a translator, but she was not then employed as a translator. She had been a translator for 15 years, but was no longer. See how nicely that works when you see it?
The subject line above is German for, "Better late than never", which may apply to you as well.
.bradagain.15apr11.