I'm usually a stickler about which words are used in translations, but this is one time the "not quite the right word" worked perfectly. It comes across more as a real conversation between the two of us, and English not being the native language. I'm more lax with my friends that are ESL. Family members that speak it as their ONLY language: watch out! The translation on this was done perfectly to convey the ESL aspect: not perfect English, but personal English.
It was a touching story of how Shiori came about writing this excellent manga< and shows an excellent story telling ability far beyond my own.