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I want to explain the difference between the English linguistic terms "fluent"
and "native speaker". I could do this in English, but I'd also like to know if
it's possible to do so in Japanese. To be fair, I think it's not just native
speakers of Japanese who blur the lines between the two. (Related posts: [The
Workplace](https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/62770/should-a-
native-speaker-fluency-level-be-used-only-by-real-native-speakers), and
English Language & Usage
[1](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/87034/difference-between-full-
professional-proficiency-and-native-or-bilingual-prof)
[2](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/14582/meaning-of-native-
speaker-of-english?lq=1))

Is there a pair of terms in Japanese that correspond to the difference between
the two English terms, which are likely to be understood by the average
English learner or teacher?

In case context matters, I'm talking about English, rather than other
languages.

Post where I asked for how to express "native speaker" by itself in Japanese:
[Difference between 母語話者 and
ネイティブスピーカー](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/23202/difference-
between-%E6%AF%8D%E8%AA%9E%E8%A9%B1%E8%80%85-and-%E3%83%8D%E3%82%A4%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%96%E3%82%B9%E3%83%94%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC)
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word-choice translation terminology linguistics
Expressing difference between "fluent" and "native speaker" in Japanese
I think you have a couple choices.

For "fluent":

  * ペラペラ。 This is a slightly colloquial word (due to being an onomatopoeia sounding like quick speech), which can mean "fluent", both in the sense of (a) speaking uninterruptedly, and by extension, (b) being skilled in the language. This might be the most common word you hear when describing someone as "fluent" in everyday conversation.
  * 流暢。 This is a formal word which means "flowing"/"fluent". Again, this can have the sense of (a) beautiful, uninterrupted speech, and by extension, (b) being skilled in the language.
  * ネイティブレベル。 The problem with the previous two terms is that they are applied to all sorts of different skill levels. The minimum to apply the term is that the person can speak uninterruptedly, I think, but of course language skill goes far beyond that. So, if you want to be more specific, you can say ネイティブレベル ("native level"). It is perhaps slightly informal (due to "レベル" being slightly informal).

For "native":

  * ネイティブ。 As mentioned in the other answer, this is probably the most common term for "native speaker". (ネイティブスピーカー is also used, but not as much, probably just due to being longer.)
  * 母語話者。 A rather formal and technical term for native speaker.

Here are some example usages in case it helps you get a feel for how to use
the different words:

> 「彼は、英語のネイティブじゃないけど、もうネイティブレベルだから、とてもいい先生になると思うよ。」
>
> 「英語が母国語ではないが、非常に流暢な英語が話せる、いわゆる母語話者に匹敵する人が最近増えています。」
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‘Fluent’ is translated as 流暢な and 淀みない as adjectives, 流暢に、淀みなく as adverbs, and
ペラペラ and すらすら as onomatopoeias, like 彼は英語をペラペラ(流暢に)話す。

The word ‘native speaker’ passes as “ネイティヴ・スピーカー” in Japanese own
pronunciation. It can be rephrased as ”外(国)人並み,” which is a very popular
phrase.

Most Japanese would roll their eyes if they hear "ボゴワシャ," unless you show it
by writing it (母語話者), down on paper. Even shown in writing, I bet more than
two-thirds of people wouldn’t understand it. To me, it's crude and ugly as a
Japanese word.

“ネイティヴ・スピーカー” is a new word that came into currency in just last one or two
decades, but is quite prevalent now among people except the elderly, say over
60s.
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In addition to the other suggestions, one word I've seen a bunch is ネイティブ並み,
particular in academic environments. It's used to indicated as fluent as a
native.

Here's an example from a job ad for a university:

> ネイティブまたは **ネイティブ並み** の英語力があること

And here's an example from a post about going to university in America:

>
> 近年では、米国支社に勤務する父親に同道し、米国の高校を経て米国の大学に進学する者、あるいは米国の大学が入学し易いことに目をつけ、高校2年生ぐらいで米国の高校に留学し、1、2年で
> **ネイティブ並み** の英語を習得し、SATを受験して、程ほどの大学に進学する者も少なくない。
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