Proofreading

Do Taiwanese not believe in proof reading? Shouldn’t they be double checking their spelling grammar, ECT? I mean there are free dictionaries and other resources online. So why are weird, broken, or straight up misspelled words so common?

Does this happen in other languages in other places and I just don’t know about it?

Most non-English countries get it pretty wrong to varying degrees.

Often it’s Google Translate or a poor sod who kinda knows English but boss doesn’t want to pay money for the work to be done well or people just ticking off boxes.

Here’s a Czech one.

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A Slovak one.

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FIFY :sunglasses:

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Yeah but I’m not making an official sign or giving a presentation. I’m making a lazy post online

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Considering the topic though… (John 8:7) :slightly_smiling_face:

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I reckon somebody needs Electro-Convulsive Therapy :wink:

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There’s definitely an excess of laziness (and stinginess) in Taiwan in this regard, but there’s also a weird belief here that their school-taught English is correct and that native speakers get it wrong. That seems to be a contributory factor in the reluctance to hire a native speaker to write English-language websites etc.

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It happens everywhere.

You literally wrote etc ECT and then ask us for symphony?

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Can I request Carmina Burana?

Old old spice?

I just want to hear the woodwinds

Cor anglais?

I encountered this a lot when I was teaching Business English in Taiwan.

“Can you proofread this?”
“Okay, this needs to be changed because…”
“No, I think it is okay”

Or

“What does X mean?”
“It means…”
“No, it means…”

Why ask for ‘advice’ if you’ve already decided that you are always right, anyway?

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No, sorry. I don’t do that.

I didn’t mind it because it was their class time. It was weird, though. I THINK they just wanted me to say “yes, this is perfect, your English is so good” to give face rather than any meaningful feedback.

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Hahahahaha

Oh. You were being serious.

Ok. The first problem is most of those making the textbooks don’t actually know what they’re doing. Also using the word textbook is misleading.

Now when I say most of those I admit I’m referring to local Taiwanese who only got the job because their parents or uncle/aunt owned the school/business.

I can’t count high enough to describe the number of English learning books that have had incorrect spelling or grammar. From basic all the way to TOEFL TOEIC and GEPT material. Gees even one of the top universities had incorrect grammar on a number of questions on their English entrance exam.

As for foreigners and spelling the easiest way to know is by asking them to make sentences using loose and lose. Or effect and affect. These kinds of examples. Gees there’s a lot out there that can’t get there their or they’re right. Even auto correct makes that mistake sometimes.

And be grateful you didn’t witness the Dr Eye years. Back then it was truly horrendous.

On the freeway it refers to all other vehicles.

Lol I get that a lot when giving “tech support” to family members. Can you help me with technical issue. Sure, let us do this first. “No that is unnecessary”.

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This is why I quit working i.t. Kept making me work help desk and I just couldn’t take the Idiocracy and entitlement any more