| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Is there a rule that forbids criticising a poster's command of English? Thread poster: Hans Lenting
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| Old rules and good rules | Jan 1, 2022 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
As to whether "nobody takes him seriously", well that is true only of those who know him. Unless newcomers (and people who don't read the forums often) know who the usual suspects are, they won't know which replies are intended as friendly, mischievous banter and which posts are truly intended to be as offensive as they sound. The fact that specific people can so consistently break the rules without any repercussions simply points to the disfunctionality of the forum in general.
There's an old rule that goes back to the earliest days of the internet, when newsgroups were a popular way of exchanging opinions and advice, sometimes known as the "usenet" era.
The rule is that, before posting on any forum, you should spend some time "lurking", i.e. reading the posts on the group and getting an idea of who are the main contributors, who are the trolls, whose advice can be trusted and whose not, what particular conventions are followed in posting, and overall, what are the special features and conventions of a group's culture.
Only after doing that should you consider posting yourself.
Anybody who jumps in without observing that "induction" process might be considered fair game. I fell foul of that myself a few times before I caught on. A valuable learning process.
| | | | Hans Lenting
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
TOPIC STARTER | Reply from the Proz.com Team | Jan 3, 2022 |
There is no site rule that specifically discourages correcting another user's language, as long as such correction is made in line with the general rules for site use and forum participation: Mutual respect, professionalism and fair play are expected: https://www.proz.com/siterules/general/2#2 Site users are expected to treat each other with courtesy, whether posting publicly or making direct contact, and are advised to act under the assumption of good faith. Harassment of, or attacks or ad hominem statements on, individuals or groups, of any form, as well as discouragement of another's use of the site, will not be tolerated. No action aimed at gaining unfair advantage in KudoZ, the directory or elsewhere, whether taken alone or as a group, will be tolerated. Replies should not stray from the posted topic: https://www.proz.com/siterules/forum/4#4 When responding to a topic, stick to the topic as introduced. To change the discussion, it is necessary to post a new topic. If you believe a forum reply is against any of the above rules, please feel free to submit a support request.
| | | | | Is your question about a Facebook Group? Basic netiquette. | Jan 3, 2022 |
Judging from the initial post, the Asker's question relates to a Facebook Group. As I understand it, the question should be put to the administrators of the FB group. I do not understand the connection between the FB group referred to and ProZ.
The are rules on courtesy for ProZ. FB groups also generally have rules on courtesy which administrators almost always make clear. I have seen instances of fellow language professionals criticizing levels of expression of a fellow professional's non... See more Judging from the initial post, the Asker's question relates to a Facebook Group. As I understand it, the question should be put to the administrators of the FB group. I do not understand the connection between the FB group referred to and ProZ.
The are rules on courtesy for ProZ. FB groups also generally have rules on courtesy which administrators almost always make clear. I have seen instances of fellow language professionals criticizing levels of expression of a fellow professional's non-native language in ways that are harsh and negative. The occasional comment in the form of constructive criticism between colleagues who "know" one another virtually can be taken as a helpful piece of advice. Much more is either best ignored or at least kept to a private message where politeness should still be a guiding principle. It's been part of basic internet use since it all became accessible to the public at large. The term "netiquette" came into being in the very early days. There are lots of shades of grey between making a clumsy remark and making an outright personal attack, the consequences of which are now known to have the potential for dramatic outcomes.
[Edited at 2022-01-03 11:56 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I remember very well | Jan 3, 2022 |
Tom in London wrote:
Nobody has criticised a poster's command of English.
Someone criticized my command of English years ago. Not just correcting, which is welcome.
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Lingua 5B 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 10:01
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Novian Cahyadi wrote:
I'd rather have native speakers point my mistakes and correct them, than never knowing that I'm making mistakes and being ignorant for the rest of my life.
Great. Just keep it away from random forum threads where we discuss topics that have nothing to do with you personally and/or your level of English. Not only is it basic courtsey, it’s also basic common sense.
Some forum sections are designed for linguistic feedback, then there’s also KudoZ, mentorships and many other programs on ProZ where it can be done. No need to undermine random forum threads.
| | | | MollyRose
United States
Local time: 03:01
English to Spanish
+ ...
There is a difference between criticizing and correcting. I have seen a lot of criticism by the person in question, but no "correction." Several times I did not understand what he was getting at, since the statement he was referring to made sense to me and I found nothing wrong with it grammatically. If the poster's usage of English is such a grave mistake that it "must" be pointed out in front of the whole world, then the replier ought to respond with the way he thinks it should have been sai... See more There is a difference between criticizing and correcting. I have seen a lot of criticism by the person in question, but no "correction." Several times I did not understand what he was getting at, since the statement he was referring to made sense to me and I found nothing wrong with it grammatically. If the poster's usage of English is such a grave mistake that it "must" be pointed out in front of the whole world, then the replier ought to respond with the way he thinks it should have been said, for edification of the poster and for the rest of those who read the thread. Usually, however, there is no point in mentioning it. This forum is not a class in English usage.
I also think that some of the criticism we've seen was of the usage by native English speakers, not only non-native. I agree that the rule about being courteous and respectful of each other applies, and probably somebody should have reported it a long time ago, so it would not continue and escalate. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mr. Satan (X)
English to Indonesian
Lingua 5B wrote:
Great. Just keep it away from random forum threads where we discuss topics that have nothing to do with you personally and/or your level of English. Not only is it basic courtsey, it’s also basic common sense.
Some forum sections are designed for linguistic feedback, then there’s also KudoZ, mentorships and many other programs on ProZ where it can be done. No need to undermine random forum threads.
You made it sound like all this hurricane was because of my misdemeanor. 
I’ll have to admit, I didn’t read your post before you omitted the name out. So I was wondering, because I did correct people’s typos on several occasions in this forum. Which makes it worse, because I’m not a native English speaker.
| | | | William Yang
China
Local time: 16:01
Member (2021)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| For corrections and improvement | Jan 4, 2022 |
I'v found some people make the same mistakes after several corrections and others improve by comparing and self-learning.
If we talk about translation, it seems language talent plays a role.
[Edited at 2022-01-04 05:40 GMT]
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