English

[DeletedUser]

I am sure this is going to ruffle some feathers, however some people make remarks on forums that "English is my (their) second language so how dare you correct me...."

Really if you are going to post on a ENGLISH forum, this is to be expected, and if I were you I would rather someone correct me then let me go on communicating in an incorrect manner.

I also think it is unfair for you to say "I am so much smarter than you because I speak another language no matter how poorly!"Just because to grew up in a place where they teach the international language of English, as well as the not so international language of what ever you speak, it does not make you smarter than some one who did not have the advantage of that upbringing.

If you want to get a little help in this manner, just use a browser that has corrections in red when you make a mistake, like Google Chrome.

 

[DeletedUser16008]

Is it so hard to try and work out what someone is trying to say ? I sure don't I just fill in and move on. I will dare you to go onto another . forum and try and communicate ... try the Greek one I dare you and use any translate software you care to it will still come out gobbledygook.

I am amazed at the the level of English most here have from other nations considering they are mostly in their own country and have no real use for it other than a few forums etc.

I call it tinglish and never have a problem working it out let alone reprimand them for it and neither should others. They probably speak one more than you do sometimes 3 or 4

Oh and re the corrections you must know what you wish to say or it will give you options of words that are often simply not what you want and makes it even worse sometimes.

Give people respect for even trying to bother to communicate and just fill in the gaps or better still join a town where its not English in their forums and see how well you get on.

 

[DeletedUser]

Let's not forget that English is hard to learn, has quirks in every corner, and don't even get me started about slang.....

 

[DeletedUser]

Is it so hard to try and work out what someone is trying to say ? I sure don't I just fill in and move on. I will dare you to go onto another . forum and try and communicate ... try the Greek one I dare you and use any translate software you care to it will still come out gobbledygook.

I am amazed at the the level of English most here have from other nations considering they are mostly in their own country and have no real use for it other than a few forums etc.

I call it tinglish and never have a problem working it out let alone reprimand them for it and neither should others. They probably speak one more than you do sometimes 3 or 4

Oh and re the corrections you must know what you wish to say or it will give you options of words that are often simply not what you want and makes it even worse sometimes.

Give people respect for even trying to bother to communicate and just fill in the gaps or better still join a town where its not English in their forums and see how well you get on.

Don't get me wrong, kudos to who ever learns English well enough to speak let alone write it, and I think considerations are in order for who ever tries; however if your grammar or spelling are off, people are going to call you out on it; its just the nature of the beast, and I would expect the same if you or I went into learning some other language and tried to go onto that language's forum.

 

[DeletedUser]

however if your grammar or spelling are off, people are going to call you out on it; its just the nature of the beast, and I would expect the same if you or I went into learning some other language and tried to go onto that language's forum.

Actually, I believe that criticizing a poster's spelling/grammar is against the rules here...and the rules are written in English. I have more admiration for those who have learned English well enough to misspell words than those who use Google translate, or whatever program. I've seen fewer errors by some of those people (Jack is one that comes to mind) than by some who know English only. I had a couple years of German back in high school, but was never good enough to carry on a real conversation with a native of Germany.

 

[DeletedUser17649]

I'd prefer to be corrected and learn of my mistakes rather than being unaware of them.

 

[DeletedUser]

I find the standard of non-English-speakers here very impressive.
It's often better than that of native English-speakers who have never bothered to learn to spell, punctuate or use correct syntax and grammar.

 

[DeletedUser28032]

Yeah I've got to say although i find the ocassional post that will give me a headache translating it, poor grammar, spelling etc only really bugs me when the poster is actually British because they don't even have the excuse of it being a second language

 

[DeletedUser15057]

.....and of course we are not forgetting those English speakers who deliberately post their comments in 'text' language here, some of that stuff can take a bit of deciphering too.

I have always worked on the basis that if I can follow the posters logic, if not exactly word for word, then that is good enough for me.

And I agree that those for whom English is a second (or third) language, do a great job posting in English in this forum.

 

[DeletedUser]

Meh, approximately 1.5 billion people speak English, which is more than any other language (1.2 billion for all Chinese dialects, case you were wondering). I have no issues whatsoever with people who speak English well or poorly (I speak more than one language myself, and stumble sometimes in the other languages). I do point out when someone uses a word incorrectly (as in morale vs moral, since they mean completely different things) and don't consider it inappropriate because these incorrect uses sometimes causes confusion for other readers, particularly since English is not a native language for over 800 million people.

So, it is not inappropriate to correct misuse of words, or even grammar, if such corrections help to clarify. I do not feel it is appropriate to correct as a means to ridicule. There are, however, instances in which you correct someone and he continues to misspell or misrepresent, at which point you may be inclined to ask them if they're doing it on purpose. After all, sometimes writing "morale" instead of "moral" may be intentional, or an intentional trick in communication to cause non-native readers to be confused.

So, really, when it comes to moderating such things, it really is a judgment call, not a cold and hard rule. That's my take on it.

 

[DeletedUser563]

well to throw a stone in a bush sort of " I have heard somewhere that people with a degree tend to have a bigger vocabulary than people who don't" perhaps that explains the difference between good 2nd language English speakers and bad users of their first language. that and of course readers and non readers. im a very particular reader and dont think my reading contribute that much current regulars include Terry Pratchett, Dean Koontz and stephen king non that i would say use big words often so to speak.

Also like I always say to anyone you must develop a feel for a language and grammar will come later as they swim in the pool of english speakers. I am certain however that you wouldnt use my language even near my skill level and with the same vocabulary as I have seen even professional interpreters making mistakes in it.