This study attempts to explore the issue of intercultural and transnational negotiation in written English communication. I am interested in the reciprocal development of written discourse across cultural boundaries. My analysis focuses on academic writers' sense of self and their individual ability to reach otherness when they share the roles of writer, translator, editor and reader. Using my experiences of writing instruction, translation and editing in the USA, South Korea and Russia, this article discusses the unconventional yet resourceful development of confidence in writing in English in the context of cross-lingual and transnational communication. As the examples show, emotional clarity and care for specific social purposes are often important in intercultural English academic written discourse.