[asterisk-biz] Mike Diehl-Fax Service

[Alex Balashov]

On 03/30/2010 08:23 PM, Steve Edwards wrote:

> +1.
>
> If a company can't be bothered to proof-read their copy and
> correspondence, will they bother to take care of me and my data?
>
> I'll cut non-native English speakers a bit of slack, but if I was trying
> to market my services in their country, I'd hire a "native" to read my
> stuff.

Agreed!  Two things on that:

1) As I habitually point out, the fact that non-native English speakers 
have less than perfect written English is not in itself the problem. 
That is to be expected, and hardly something to fault someone for.  It's 
a global market, and national or linguistic chauvinism has no place in it.

It is possible to see, however, evidence of underlying intelligence and 
effort, regardless of the outcome.  I've seen far more credible and 
intelligent posts from people whose knowledge of English is clearly far 
more impaired than that of the people under discussion here. 
Anatomising the essence of a poor English speaker's good post vs. a 
mostly-decent English speaker's bad post comprehensively is difficult, 
but it can be summed up as:  you can see that they (the former) tried. 
They really, honestly went through the thing, proofread it, consulted a 
dictionary, asked a friend or coworker to look over it, and genuinely 
tried to come across in a well-meaning, considerate way.

The actual formulation can also give a lot away, although, again, 
difficult to generalise in abstract.  Smart people employed by 
dependable companies who have clear, meritorious thoughts in their 
native language find ways to port them into their use of their 
non-primary languages.  Even though it may not sound idiomatically 
English, the message is somehow well-crafted.

Contrast that with people who, for example, post in "txt speek" with the 
knowledge that their written English is not ideal.  They really are 
shooting themselves in the foot;  that's not their foreign relationship 
with English asserting itself.  That's just straight-up, old-timey 
_laziness_, and, perhaps stupidity.  It's rude, self-entitled, and 
inconsiderate, which is why you see it get the kind of response from me 
that it does.

2) Hiring a "native" to read your stuff:  indeed.

It is, in all probability, more often a reflection on the choices of the 
company doing the marketing to have someone they know will do a poor job 
produce the copy than on the person just doing their job.

-- Alex

-- 
Alex Balashov - Principal
Evariste Systems LLC

Tel    : +1 678-954-0670
Direct : +1 678-954-0671
Web    : http://www.evaristesys.com/