In academic writing, both native speaker of English (NSE) and non-native speaker of English (NNSE) authors alike often find it challenging to effectively present the content due to the word limit constraint. Choosing suitable terms instead of explaining in long, convoluted phrases and sentences will improve the tone of voice, keep the writing concise and within the word limit, and above all, allow the reader to know whether the author possesses a real understanding of the language or just a superficial comprehension of the language.
As an example, consider when Uni-edit is hiring new staff. In the application, if the content of the cover letter and resume are grammatically correct, the applicant demonstrates academic training in the related expert field and has bilingual work experience, then on paper at least, that applicant has potential.
However, if, in any of the application materials, an unnatural choice of word is made, it will make the recruitment officer think twice about considering them for a position. The reason is that working for Uni-edit requires not merely a good level of English, but rather, an excellent understanding of how the language works and the impression it creates on native or expert readers. In later chapters, specific examples will be given to illustrate this point further.