The Application Process

I am having a struggle determining who I should ask for my recommendations..
I currently have approx 3 yrs of work experience, 2 years working at a marketing department of a large consumer electronics company, and 1 year (current position) in account management at a global marketing/ad agency.

I thought i had already picked out my recommenders early on, but now i am having second thoughts. I was planning on asking my previous dept director for a recommendation, but I am hesitant for the following reasons:
- she is constantly busy & traveling. as a former member of her dep't I am well-aware how much non-stop travel, meetings, craziness is involved. Although we had a great working & personal relationship, I just dont know if she'd have the time to commit to it.

- english is not her first language. she is fluent in english, but based on my exposure to her written communication, I'm concerned that the recommendation will not come out sounding as strong or as clear as she intended. also, she would be offended if i suggested writing the recommendation in her native language.
- one of her personality traits is that she is uncomfortable giving praise. at the workplace, she was very often seen as a tough director, and is seen as intimidating to many people. she is not afraid to raise her voice in a room full of people. However, I know that she appreciated the work that I did for her and occasionally she expressed this.

This is an extremely difficult situation because personally and professionally I highly admire this person. she has been instrumental in my career development and she has seen my growth from an entry-level employee up til now. Despite a bit of resistance from our HR department, i got a substantial raise after my first year due to this person's persistence in insisting it was deserved. she also continually encouraged me to take classes or attend seminars to further educate & expose myself to the industry- which was always approved for company funding.

Apologies for the long winded post. Any insight/advice would be much appreciated.

Clearly, you a strong rec letter and i see that she is the person who identified your potential and let you grow. or she would not have pushed you for raise.
so, clearly she can definitely write best about your qualities.
coming toy oru doubts about her busy schedule and english proficieny. In my opinion its a must that we ask the recommnder that if he/she will have time to give us a letter. so, best would be ask her if she will be able to do so and mention that you think she is the best person to write about your qualities as you ahve worked with her. if she really liked your working style etc she will be happy to do so amongst her busy schedule.

coming to english proficieny, you can suggest her that if she is busy, you can give her a basic drfata nd she can change wherever she wants. that way you definitely have her inputs in what she wants to say..
hope this will help you
best